The Federal Council of Switzerland announced through a press release that today they have approved the necessary changes in accordance with the decision of the European Parliament and the European Council on the liberalization of visas for the citizens of Kosovo.

From January 1, 2024, citizens of Kosovo will not be obliged to obtain a visa if they want to visit Switzerland for a stay of up to 90 days at most.

“Kosovo has met all the conditions for visas related to security, border controls and migration. For this reason, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have approved the law on April 19, 2023 that exempts Kosovo’s citizens from the requirement to obtain a visa for a short stay of a maximum of 90 days. It is required to have a biometric passport. As a country of the Schengen area, Switzerland is committed to adopting further developments within the framework of the “Schengen Acquis”, the communique states.

The Federal Council clarified that the approval of these changes within the Schengen framework also requires the modification of the Ordinance for entry and issuance of visas.

“This amendment to the Ordinance will enter into force on January 1, 2024,” the announcement states.

In the meantime, they clarify that in order to work in Switzerland, it is still necessary to have a visa.

“Citizens of Kosovo are allowed to be employed only on the condition that they have good professional qualifications and no equivalent workers can be found in the Swiss labor market or in the EU/EFTA countries. The salary and the usual working conditions must also be respected”, explains the Swiss state.