The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain announced on Monday that Kosovar citizens would face legal troubles visiting it and other Schengen Zone countries that do not recognize Kosovo’s independence, unless they agree to recognize the standard Kosovo passport.
“All Schengen countries that do not recognize Kosovo have accepted the use of regular Kosovo passports. This, in no way, implies recognition of Kosovo,” said Elena Aljarilla Cortezon, the spokesperson for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Radio Free Europe (RFE).
Since January 1, Kosovo citizens with biometric passports can freely travel to Schengen Zone countries, following the implementation of the visa liberalization decision.
However, it was only on January 5 that it became clear they could also visit Spain, following an announcement by the Department for Migration and Internal Affairs of the European Commission that Spain now recognizes the standard Kosovo passport.
Cortezon emphasized to RFE that Spain supports and will continue to support the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue “as a way to resolve this issue and seeks to limit its impact on citizens”.
Spain is among the five EU countries that do not recognize Kosovo’s independence, along with Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Romania. However, all these countries recognize travel documents issued by authorities in Kosovo.
The decision of Spain to recognize the passport has been welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo, Donika Gërvalla, and Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi.
Visa liberalization allows Kosovo citizens with biometric passports to stay up to 90 days within six months in any of the 27 Schengen Zone member states.
Visa-free travel is intended for tourism, family visits, or similar purposes. However, visa liberalization does not imply work permits or other benefits.
Kosovo was the last country in the Western Balkans whose citizens could not freely move within the Schengen Zone until January 1 of this year.
Despite the European Commission confirming multiple times since 2018 that Kosovo had fulfilled all conditions for visa liberalization, some countries consistently expressed reservations.
