Even after liberalisation, Kosovars cannot travel to Spain

Although visa liberalisation is valid for all countries in the Schengen area, Kosovo passport carriers will not be able to travel to Spain, because this European Union member state does not recognise passports.

This has been confirmed, European Commission for Internal Affairs spokeswoman Anita Hyper.

Asked whether Kosovo citizens could travel to Spain, it did not specifically mention this country, it has only said liberalisation would not be worth “a state”.

“The recognition of travel documents is a state competence. Among the Schengen countries, all but one country have recognised Kosovo's travel documents. This means that visa liberalisation for Kosovo will enable Kosovo passport carriers to travel visa-free to all these countries, except to one of them”.

Spain, which of July 1st also takes over the European Union, is more vocal than the other four EU countries that have not recognised Kosovo's citizenship.

However, during the process of adopting the visa decision, Spain has not objected.

Other non-recognising Kosovo citizenship countries are: Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia.

They recognise the passports issued by Kosovo authorities.

On April 18th, the European Parliament has approved the visa decision, while the document is signed on April 19th.

The decision envisions Kosovo citizens travelling visa-free to the Schengen area countries as of January 1st, 2024.

Visa-free regimes allow for only 90 days of travel within six months to any member states in the Schengen area.

Visa-free travel should serve for tourist visits, family or similar issues, and in no case does it mean work permits or other benefits.

Kosovo, currently, is the only country in the Western Balkans whose citizens cannot move freely into the Schengen area.