Approximately 57,000 citizens of Kosovo have renounced their citizenship from the beginning of 2008 until the end of 2023. The main reason for citizenship renunciation requests is the prohibition of dual citizenship in different states.
Requests for renunciation of citizenship continue during this year as well, with the number of Kosovo citizens renouncing their citizenship reaching three digits. Even for these two months of this year, the number is high.
Within the past year, 3,143 individuals have renounced their citizenship of Kosovo.
“From January 1 until now, February 2024, 329 individuals have been released from the citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo. During this period, 61 individuals have acquired citizenship. Meanwhile, throughout 2023, 3,143 individuals were released from citizenship, while 708 individuals acquired citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo,” states a report from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo.
From 2008 until the end of 2023, 57,155 individuals have renounced their citizenship of Kosovo.
The reasons for renouncing citizenship stem from the fact that many European Union countries do not allow dual citizenship.
“The reason for renouncing citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo is because many European Union countries do not allow dual citizenship, including some countries that are not part of the European Union. Considering that a large number of our citizens have been living in these countries for years, and many have also been born in these countries and as a result, have gained the right to citizenship and are obliged to renounce their previous citizenship if they wish to acquire citizenship of that country,” the report clarifies.
The report details which countries citizens renounced their citizenship for in 2023.
Most renunciations of citizenship were for becoming Germans, with a total of 2,507 approvals. Then, 413 individuals renounced citizenship for Austria, 96 for Slovenia, 25 for Montenegro, 16 for Croatia etc.
In contrast to renunciations of citizenship, a much smaller number of individuals applied to obtain citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo.
On the other hand, in 2023, 1,259 individuals applied for Kosovar citizenship, and 1,453 decisions were made for the acquisition of citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo: 48.7% positive decisions, 51.3% negative decisions.
Most citizens obtained Kosovo citizenship from Serbia (202 individuals). This is likely due to marriages of Serbs from northern Kosovo, with individuals from the other side of the border. Turks follow with 111 individuals, Germans with 120, Macedonians with 80, and Albanian citizens with 46.
According to population registration data in Kosovo for 2011, the number of 57,155 individuals who have renounced Kosovo citizenship is approximately 7,000 more than the total population number in the three municipalities of the Ferizaj region: Kaçanik, Hani i Elezit, and Shtërpcë, which together have about 50,000 residents.
