Kosovo permanent residence permit

Permanent residence may also be granted outside the general rule to a person who has held refugee status or subsidiary protection for at least five years; to a foreigner who has lived in Kosovo without interruption for at least five years and has close family and economic ties there, proven by documents; to a child whose parents, or single parent, hold permanent residence; and to people released from Kosovo citizenship. Refugees and such children are exempt from the passport, means and insurance conditions, and the long-term residents and former citizens are exempt from the language test. The Minister of Internal Affairs regulates the procedure for these exceptional cases by bylaw.

Under the Law on Foreigners as amended in 2018, permanent residence requires five years of uninterrupted temporary residence at the time of application, or three years for a foreigner married to a Kosovo citizen or to a foreigner with permanent residence; the MIA also applies the three-year rule to cohabitation. Absences shorter than six months each and not exceeding ten months in total do not break the period, and the temporary permit must still be valid when the decision is taken.

Some periods count less or not at all. Time spent as a seasonal worker, daily migrant or service provider for a foreign employer is excluded, as is time in prison, and only half of the time on a study permit is counted. For people with international protection, the time of the asylum procedure counts in full if it lasted more than 18 months and half if it was shorter.

Applicants must hold a valid foreign passport, sufficient means of subsistence and health insurance, have basic written and reading knowledge of one of Kosovo's official languages (Albanian or Serbian) and knowledge of its culture and social order, and pose no threat to public order, security or health. The MIA checklist asks for the passport, a certificate that you have not been convicted by a Kosovo court, proof of marriage for family cases, proof of financial means, health insurance and proof of secured accommodation.

The MIA charges EUR 100 for permanent residence in the work category, EUR 70 for family reunification, EUR 50 for people released from Kosovo citizenship and EUR 10 for a lost, damaged or repeated card. For the means requirement the Ministry's table lists EUR 5,000 a year for employment and EUR 6,000 a year for family reunification with a foreign resident, with no set amount for spouses of citizens. The application is filed at the MIA migration department, which, after the August 2024 amendment, must decide within 45 days, a period that can be extended under the Law on General Administrative Procedure.

The knowledge requirement is checked by a written test organised by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is not required from preschool children, from people who completed primary, secondary or higher education in Kosovo, from people over 65 who are not employed, or from foreigners whose mother tongue is one of Kosovo's official languages.

To renew the identity card of a permanent residence permit, the MIA asks for a valid passport, a Kosovo court certificate of no conviction, health insurance and a certificate of your residential address. Permanent residents report any change of address within eight days at the police or the MIA, are exempt from work permits and cannot be removed except on serious security or public order grounds.

Until 2024 a refusal of permanent residence could only be challenged in an administrative dispute at the Basic Court. Since the August 2024 amendment an administrative appeal is allowed under the rules of the Law on General Administrative Procedure, and the same applies to a decision revoking permanent residence. The Appeals Commission reviews appeals under the Law on Foreigners.