Despite visa liberalization, Kosovo citizens will not be able to go to Spain

Citizens of Kosovo will not be able to travel to Spain despite the decision to liberalize visas with Western European countries, European Commission officials have confirmed, explaining this situation by the fact that Spain does not recognize Kosovo's independence and Kosovo's travel documents, Ekonomia Online reports.

According to the spokesperson for the European Commission, Anitta Hipper, visa liberalization for Kosovo will allow holders of Kosovo passports to travel without a visa to all Schengen countries except for one.

"Recognition of travel documents is a national competence. Among Schengen countries, all except one have recognized Kosovo travel documents. This means that visa liberalization for Kosovo will allow holders of Kosovo passports to travel without a visa to all Schengen countries except for one," Hipper stated.

Spain and four other EU member states – Romania, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Greece, have not recognized Kosovo's independence.

All of these countries, including Spain, voted for visa liberalization at a ministerial meeting held on March 9, when the decision was made at the EU Council level.

Additionally, Spain's stance on Kosovo was the reason why the deadline for the abolition of the visa regime was moved to January 1, 2024. It was expected that the initial date would be December 1 of this year, but since this is the period when Spain is presiding over the European Union, official Madrid refused to allow the decision to come into force during its presidency.