Kosovan passport

The Kosovan passport (Albanian: Pasaporta e Kosovës; Serbian: Косовски пасош / Kosovski pasoš) is a travel document that is issued to the citizens of Kosovo.[lower-alpha 1] The document facilitates international travel as well as serving as proof of citizenship. The issuance of passports is the prerogative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the exception of diplomatic passports which are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kosovan passports comply with all the recommended standards set for machine-readable passports by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) (such as size, technology, security, layout, etc.), but the country/citizenship code RKS is not within ISO 3166 and thus not ICAO-endorsed. The passport design was disclosed on 14 March 2008.[1] The first passports were issued on 30 July 2008 and as of 20 May 2009, 300,000 passports have been issued to the citizens of Kosovo.[2][3]

Kosovan passport
Front cover of an ordinary biometric Kosovan passport issued since 2011
TypePassport
Issued by Kosovo
First issued30 July 2008 (non-biometric)
31 October 2011 (biometric)
PurposeIdentification
Expiration10 years after acquisition for adults
5 years after acquisition for children

The new design of the passport is a burgundy colour, with the coat of arms of the Republic of Kosovo in the middle of the cover page.[4] The word "Passport" is written on the cover of the passport in Albanian, Serbian and English. All relevant identity information about the bearer is printed in these languages as well.[3] For citizens that are 18 years old or older, the passport is valid for 10 years from the date of issue. Before the introduction of the new national passports, travel documents were issued by the United Nations administration[5] with a maximum validity of 2 years. Those travel documents ceased being issued in 2008, with the remaining documents valid until 2010.

Biometric passport

The Kosovo biometric passport has been issued since 31 October 2011.[6] In May 2011, the Ministry of Interior announced that biometric passports would be issued in the summer of 2011 after the winning firm is chosen and awarded the production of the passports.[7]

Types

There are four types of passports: Ordinary, Official, Diplomatic and Travel Document. An application fee of €25 is required.[8]

Ordinary
  • Burgundy cover
  • Issued to all citizens of Kosovo with a maximum validity of 10 years to facilitate private international travel.[9]

Official
  • Maroon cover
  • Issued to political staff within the Government as well as their family members with a maximum validity of 5 years.[9]

Diplomatic
  • Black cover
  • Issued to the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, members of the Government, the President of the Constitutional Court, the President of the Supreme Court, Ambassadors as well as other diplomatic staff in embassies or consulates around the world, to the Ombudsperson, members of state delegations if so required, Government officials which have been appointed as representatives of the Government in various international organisations, diplomatic couriers as prescribed by law, and persons of interest as prescribed by the law with a maximum validity of 5 years.[9]

Travel Document
  • Light Blue cover
  • Issued to the citizens of Kosovo if the original passport has been lost or stolen, and/or it has expired. It can also be issued for group travel of no fewer than 5 persons and no more than 50. A Travel Document has a maximum validity of 30 days.[9]

Identity Information Page

The bearer page contains the following information:

  • Type [P]
  • Code [Country Code: RKS]
  • Passport Number
  • Surname(s)
  • Given name(s)
  • Place of Birth
  • Date of Birth
  • Citizenship [Kosovar]
  • Sex
  • Height
  • Eye Colour
  • Issuing Authority
  • Personal Number
  • Date of Issue/Expiry

In addition to a picture of the bearer's face, a fingerprint and the signature of the holder are also present on page 3.

Visa requirements
Main article: Visa requirements for Kosovan citizens
  Kosovo
  Visa-free
  Visa on arrival
  eVisa
  Visa required
  Admission refused

As of 2019, Kosovan citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 53 countries and territories, ranking the Kosovan passport 80th in the world in terms of travel freedom (tied with the DR Congo and Sri Lankan passports) according to the Henley Passport Index.[10]

Recognition
  Kosovo
  States that officially recognise Kosovo and the Kosovan passport
  States that do not recognise Kosovo, but have stated that they accept the Kosovan passport
  States that have reportedly been visited even though these states do not recognise the Kosovan passport nor Kosovo's independence.
  States that do not recognise Kosovo and the Kosovan passport as independent

Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence is not universally recognised. Therefore, some countries may not accept passports issued by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo.[5]

Only passports

In addition, other countries have recognised the Kosovan passport as a travel document whilst not recognising Kosovo as a country. The situation here is similar to that of the Taiwan passport, which many countries routinely process, even though they only maintain unofficial diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The following countries have officially stated that they accept the Kosovan passport as a valid travel document, whilst not recognising Kosovo as an independent country:

In addition there are several countries to which people have apparently been able to travel on Kosovan passports, however where this is not officially stated policy or well established de facto practice this is not an indication that such a travel can be repeated in the future. Countries that have reportedly been visited in this manner include:

Russia

Russia does not recognise Kosovo as an independent state, nor does it recognise the Kosovan Passport as a valid travel document for everyday entry to Russia under normal circumstances. However, the Kosovan Passport can be used to enter Russia in special cases such as to attend or participate in events under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee and other international sporting organisations, which Kosovo is a member of. Russia issues visas in the form of special forms inserted into the Kosovan Passports. The Russian Embassy in Belgrade published a statement about use of the Kosovan Passport in Russia:[33][34]

"It is only possible to enter the territory of the Russian Federation with passports of the so-called Republic of Kosovo in cases based on the fulfilment of international obligations of the Russian Federation as a side-recipient of an event, which is organised through multilateral structures, whose member or participant is the so-called Republic of Kosovo... For other purposes, the procedure of entry of persons with Kosovo passports to the territory of Russia has not changed. Namely, their entry is not possible."

Serbia
Kosovo passport stamps cancelled by Serbian immigration officers to demonstrate its non-recognition of Kosovo's secession.

Serbia does not recognise Kosovo as an independent state, nor does it recognise the Kosovan passport as a valid travel document. However, citizens of the Republic of Kosovo can freely enter Serbia and stay for 90 days with a valid identity card.[35]

When the issuing of new Kosovan visas and passport stamps began in 2008, Serbia refused entry to people with entry and exit stamps of the Republic of Kosovo customs authority stamps or visas in their passports. In addition, border crossings from third countries (Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia through land, many more through air travel) to Kosovo were considered illegal points of entry by Serbia, and it had created problems if one entered through there and then attempted to leave Serbia through another border crossing in Central Serbia or Vojvodina without a corresponding entry stamp. That practice, however, was soon abandoned and these are now simply over-stamped (nullified), which potentially could create new problems with long term Kosovan visas being annulled.

See also

Notes and references

Notes:

  1. Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References:

  1. "Kosovo unveils new passport – SBS World News Australia". SBS World News Australia. 2008-03-14. Archived from the original on 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  2. "Rreth 300 mijë qytetarë kosovarë pajisen me pasaporta" (In Albanian)." telegrafi.com. Published on May 20, 2009. Accessed on May 20, 2009.
  3. "The process of production of Passports of the Republic of Kosovo, is fully normalised" mpb-ks.org18 August 2008 Link accessed 2008-09-16.
  4. "Koha Ditore – Dokumentet e Republikës së Kosovës para verës" (in Albanian). Koha Ditore. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  5. "Ping pong team to compete under Kosovo flag, but troubles linger for new state – International Herald Tribune". International Herald Tribune. 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  6. "Was launched issuance of biometric passports of the Republic of Kosovo - Ministry of Internal Affairs - Republic of Kosovo". mpb-ks.org. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  7. "Gjatë verës nis lëshimi i pasaportave biometrike". Koha Ditore. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  8. "Europe | Kosovo moves to issue passports". BBC News. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  9. Edward Anderson (4 August 2008). "Republic of Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  10. "Global Ranking – 2019". Henley & Partners. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  11. Issuance of BiH visa to Citizens of Kosovo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, 2012-03
  12. Entrance Visas in Brazil Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of External Relations of Brazil, August 12, 2015.
  13. "B92 - News - Greece to recognize Kosovo passports". Archived from the original on 2008-09-21. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  14. http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ConsularServices/Documents/VisaRequirements-Tourists.pdf
  15. "Titus Corlatean: Pentru mine Viktor Orban nu poate fi un model - Hotnews Mobile". m.hotnews.ro. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  16. "Romania's lifting visas for Kosovo could lead to recognition, analysts say". setimes.com. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  17. "Slovak government visa information brochure" (PDF). mzv.sk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  18. Lajcák confirms to Minister Hoxhaj the Slovak recognition of Kosovo passports, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, 2012-07-20
  19. "files/BahamasPassportEmail". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  20. "Image: CambodiaVisaStamp.jpg, (600 × 1300 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  21. "KD: Kina pranon pasaportat e Kosovës". telegrafi.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  22. "Image: CongoVisaStamp.jpg, (732 × 972 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  23. "files/EcuadorPassportEmail". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  24. "Image: GeorgiaVisaStamp.jpg, (714 × 1000 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  25. "Image: IraqPassportStamp.jpg, (546 × 676 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  26. "Image: LebanonPassportStamp.jpg, (1000 × 700 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  27. "Image: MoroccoVisaStamp.jpg, (784 × 553 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  28. "Image: PhilippinesPassportAndVisaStamp.jpg, (900 × 1400 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  29. "Image: SouthAfricaVisaAndPassportStamp.jpg, (1000 × 713 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  30. "files/SpainPassportEmail". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  31. "Image: SudanVisaStamp.jpg, (523 × 704 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  32. "Image: VietnamVisaStamp.jpg, (600 × 450 px)". kosovothanksyou.com. 2009-08-19. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  33. "Moscow clarifies who can enter Russia with Kosovo passport". B92. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
  34. "Shocked Serbia sees Putin recognize Kosovo passports". Albeu. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
  35. "Kosovski pasoš - ko ga priznaje, a ko ne?". N1. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
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