For a long time, residents of Kosovo needed a visa to visit the EU. That meant: long waiting times and relatively high costs. In 2016, the EU promised an end to the visa requirement – this came into force at the turn of the year.
They have been waiting for this for a long time: More than seven years ago, the EU Commission proposed that travelers from Kosovo should also be able to visit all countries in the European Union without a visa, i.e. only with their passport – just like that, for a maximum of 90 days. But then it dragged on: There were new hurdles, new conditions, concerns from individual EU countries, not all of which had yet recognized Kosovo as an independent state.
Now Klisman Kadiu takes a deep breath. He is responsible in the Kosovo government for making sure everything works: “It’s been a long road,” he says, “a hard road for all Kosovo residents to finally get visa freedom – we’ve had it lately “I’ve been expecting it so many times.”
Almost 100 conditions were added after the first positive signal from the EU Commission, not all of which were directly related to visa liberalization. Kosovo has worked through them and thus overcome the last blockades of individual EU countries. Last year, the EU Parliament agreed that Kosovo “only” had to be included in “ETIAS”, the electronic European travel information system. That also took some time until Kosovo was granted freedom of travel on January 1, 2024, the last of all the dates mentioned.
Two to three months waiting for an EU visa
This has brought Europe much closer to this Western Balkan country, says Driton Selmani, an artist from Kosovo. He has already traveled a lot in Europe, but always under difficult conditions – with the “countdown”, he says, until the travel visa was approved. “Europe,” he states joyfully and somewhat dryly, “will now be – technically speaking – where it should be: two or three hours away – forever. And no longer two or three months.”
Two or three months was the usual waiting time for a visa to an EU country, which cost around 170 euros each time – a lot of money given an average income in Kosovo of just over 480 euros. The fact that this is now over is a real opportunity, says Selmani, and not just for the Kosovars. The EU countries would also benefit from this, because Kosovo is a very young country with many programmers and IT experts.
Fear of young people leaving the country
More freedom to travel is something that many people are likely to use to look for new jobs in Europe – even if visa-free travel is not intended to be that way. It will be like this, says the well-traveled artist Selmani – with risks for Kosovo itself: “Kosovo will suffer again from the emigration of young minds. The government should really be alarmed about what it is doing about it.”
The government also makes it clear: It’s about freedom of travel – nothing less, but also nothing more. This does not involve a work permit – this must still be applied for separately at the German embassy. The number of work visas issued by Germany doubled last year – more than half of them for construction workers.
“Now you can see for yourself”
Placing workers on demand is the business of Petrit Sadriu, managing director of a consulting company that places workers in the EU, as well as helping with work visas and the recognition of Kosovar diplomas. More freedom to travel? At first he laughs, he says, he is happy for his compatriots, who can now travel to Germany for a short time to see for themselves whether Germany is really the paradise that the emigrated uncles and aunts talk about when they come back briefly with their “swanky cars” during the summer holidays.
Because Sadriu knows his stuff. The fact that they have to work hard for this, get up at six o’clock, take an hour on the train, and only get back home at seven in the evening is something “uncle doesn’t tell.” That’s why what’s happening now will be exciting, says Sadriu and estimates that two thirds of those who take advantage of the new freedom to travel will return to Kosovo.
Programmers instead of soldiers
In one of the – statistically – poorest countries in Europe, but in which the boom is slowly becoming visible, especially around the capital Pristina: construction is going on everywhere. Anyone who drives a taxi in the capital usually drives a new e-taxi from the Volkswagen Group. Investments are being made. IT companies have moved into the barracks in Prizren abandoned by the KFOR protection force from Germany – programmers instead of soldiers.
Dorian Morina is one of the young people who has not yet finished his studies, which he makes possible by working as a waiter. He says that many of his fellow students still want to leave Kosovo. But he thinks many people have unrealistic ideas about their chances, for example in Germany. You should stay here, he says. Because they – the young people – are “the only guarantee that things will change for the better here in the country.” Now they can travel freely in Europe – and see for themselves.