Residents of municipalities in northern Kosovo are pleased with the visa waiver: Easier travel to EU countries

Residents of Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo have expressed satisfaction after the decision was signed today to lift visa requirements for holders of passports issued by the Coordination Directorate. They emphasized that this will make travel throughout Europe much easier.

The news was particularly well-received in North Mitrovica.

"Of course, we're pleased. Anything that benefits us should be praised. This will make traveling across Europe and the world, anywhere, easier," said a resident of the city.

While younger locals see it as positive news, some noted that they don’t plan to leave.

"This is good because there are people who want to work abroad, and this could be a good thing for them since the incomes here aren't great. I suppose I might take advantage of the opportunity, but once you leave here, there's no coming back," said a young man.

Another young resident added, "The visa-free passport doesn't change much for us. If we wanted to leave, we would have done so long ago."

In Leposavic, citizens were also pleased, especially high school students who, each year, must travel to Belgrade to obtain visas for school trips.

Older residents, however, suggested the need for closer offices for those who still need to get passports, as they currently must travel to Belgrade to obtain the document.

The visa waiver news was welcomed by Srboljub Milosavljevic, who said the removal of visas would simplify life for many across the region.

"We were happy when we heard that the visa liberalization is being implemented. I believe it will greatly ease the ability to travel to EU countries for all of us here in Kosovo and Metohija. It will allow for the normal flow of people and goods, the exchange of knowledge, higher-level cooperation, and we hope it will improve this region and make life a bit better," Milosavljevic said.

However, he pointed out the ongoing issue for those who have not yet obtained passports, suggesting that offices closer to home are necessary to facilitate the process.

"On the other hand, while this is good news, in the future, it would be important to ensure easier access to passport offices. Currently, to get a passport, we have to travel all the way to Belgrade, covering many kilometers. It would be helpful to have some closer offices where we can obtain these documents for travel to the EU," Milosavljevic added.

The visa waiver for holders of Coordination Directorate passports has been particularly welcomed by high school and university students. Matea Petrovic noted how much easier it will be for students who previously had to go to Belgrade for visas.

"For us high school students and future university students, this means a lot. It allows for smoother travel. We have a senior year trip coming up soon, and this will make traveling easier. We used to have to go to Belgrade for visas, which was an additional expense, so this makes things much simpler and allows us to function better," Petrovic said.

His classmate Aleksandar Gasovic agreed, pointing out that the process to obtain visas has been long and complicated.

"This will mean free passage to EU member countries for us. As Matea said, we have a senior trip coming up, and this makes it much easier since we no longer have to travel to Belgrade to get visas. Finally, someone thought of us here in Kosovo and Metohija," Gasovic concluded.