Elshani: Fines from 500 to 1,500 euros if someone drives with a license from parallel structures

The deadline set by the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs for the replacement of Serbian driver's licenses issued by displaced police departments from cities in Kosovo expires on August 23. Veton Elshani, the deputy commander of the Kosovo Police for the Northern region, tells Kosovo Online that after this date, these licenses will not be tolerated, and if their owners are caught driving, they will most likely be fined between 500 and 1,500 euros.

He explains that the problematic licenses are those issued by what he refers to as "parallel structures," while others issued in Serbia are not an issue.

"We're not talking about Serbian driver's licenses but about those issued by parallel, illegal structures. We treat such a document as if it doesn't exist, which for us means that the driver does not have a driver's license. In those cases, fines of 500 to 1,500 euros will most likely be issued. Then, the driver can call someone with a valid license to take over the car or move the car off the road. Otherwise, if there is an emergency, they are going somewhere, we will escort them, that is not a problem, even if they don't have a license at all," Elshani says.

He highlights another issue when someone drives a vehicle with authorization, stating that this will be tolerated until a solution is found.

"For us, a valid driver's license is the most important, and we will tolerate authorizations," Elshani says.