What does the possibility of registering in Kosovo's Central Civil Status Registry mean for Serbs?

Serbs living in Kosovo who are married in registry offices operating within the Serbian system—considered "parallel" by Pristina—are not recognized as married by Kosovo institutions. Those without records in Kosovo’s civil registry cannot claim pensions, social assistance, child benefits, or initiate inheritance proceedings. This gap, caused by Kosovo's previous refusal to recognize documents from Serbian registries, may soon be bridged.

By: Dusica Radeka Djordjevic

From February 1 to April 30, 2025, Kosovo's Ministry of Internal Affairs has decided to allow these "invisible" citizens—estimated to number in the thousands—to apply to Kosovo's Civil Registration Agency to have their civil status recorded based on Serbian documents.

Previously, after special units of the Kosovo Police raided offices of the provisional Serbian authorities in northern Kosovo, the leaders of those institutions were accused of issuing falsified documents. Ironically, these same documents will now be recognized under this decision by Pristina.

The Central Civil Status Registry of Kosovo records births, marriages, and deaths. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), citizens who registered their civil status with "illegal Serbian parallel structures" between October 1999 and the enactment of this decision can now apply to have their data entered into the registry.

After this decision, Kosovo lawyer Smiljana Despotovic Vuletic from North Mitrovica states that Serbs will gain access to numerous rights.

"Regarding social benefits, this includes old-age pensions, disability assistance, social aid, and child allowances. The previous situation caused numerous problems. Couples married under the Serbian system could not claim any rights within the Kosovo system unless they obtained Kosovo documents and had their marriage recognized under Kosovo law. This led to long-married spouses needing to legally acknowledge their children's parentage. Essentially, something long recognized under the Serbian system had to be disregarded to get remarried under the Kosovo system and claim any rights," Despotovic Vuletic explained to Kosovo Online.

She added that while she cannot estimate how many Serbs have been unable to obtain Kosovo documents, the number is significant.

"Even today, Serbs face long waits to access their rights, such as acquiring Kosovo documents, passports, or registry entries," she said.

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic sees the Kosovo MIA's decision as a turning point, given that Pristina had not previously recognized documents issued within the Serbian system. Registration in the civil registry will enable individuals to access rights in Kosovo’s system related to their recognized status—parenthood, kinship, marital relations, and more.

"The obligation for Kosovo to find a way to recognize documents issued by Serbian authorities—referred to as parallel or unintegrated—was part of the 2015–2016 dialogue. However, this was never implemented. Kosovo institutions never received instructions on how to validate documents issued by Serbian administrative bodies or courts. This decision marks progress as it recognizes documents issued by Serbian authorities and integrates them into Kosovo's civil registry," Gogic stated for Kosovo Online.

He emphasized that this decision is part of a broader discussion about document recognition but represents a significant step forward, particularly as previous agreements only covered documents issued up to 2016.

"Now, all documents issued by Serbian institutions from 1999 to the present are recognized. This is crucial for citizens, addressing anecdotal issues like unrecognized marriages, where couples married under the Serbian system were not acknowledged under Kosovo laws. This also extends to birth certificates for children, which caused significant everyday challenges for citizens. This step enables them to claim rights in Kosovo based on their recognized status," Gogic noted.

Legal expert Milan Antonijevic told Kosovo Online that for unregistered citizens in Kosovo, the opportunity to register in Kosovo's Central Civil Status Registry using Serbian documents is crucial for resolving many issues. He hopes this step will also pave the way for addressing property rights for Serbs in Kosovo.

Antonijevic drew parallels with Slovenia, where similar issues arose, leaving some individuals effectively erased from the system and still embroiled in legal battles.

 "It’s important to address these matters early to prevent anyone from feeling like a second-class citizen. They should be able to present Serbian documents, legitimize their status, and claim rights accordingly. This addresses one set of issues, but unresolved property rights remain a challenge with numerous open cases. Hopefully, after resolving the documentation issue, efforts will focus on property rights, which are just as significant," Antonijevic concluded.