Kosovo tourist visa (visa C) and visa-free entry rules

The Government sets the visa regime by decision on the proposal of the foreign ministry. The current MFAD list of visa-exempt countries includes all EU and Schengen states, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Türkiye, most of Latin America and many Caribbean and Pacific states, as well as Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Their citizens may stay up to 90 days within any 180 days.

Citizens of the EU and Schengen states, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, the Holy See, Albania, Montenegro and Serbia may also enter with a valid biometric ID card. Everyone else uses a passport. Holders of valid travel documents issued by Hong Kong or Macao are exempt, and holders of Taiwanese documents are exempt if they notify a Kosovo mission at least two weeks in advance.

Nationals who normally need a visa are exempt for stays of up to 15 days if they hold a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa or a valid biometric residence permit issued by a Schengen state. The same 15-day rule applies to holders of refugee, stateless or alien travel documents issued by an EU or Schengen state, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or New Zealand.

Applicants who need a visa file the original signed MFAD form for a short-stay visa, one ICAO-standard photo taken within the last month, and a copy of a passport issued in the last ten years that remains valid at least three months after departure from Kosovo and has two blank pages. Supporting evidence covers the purpose of the trip, accommodation, sufficient funds for the stay and the return journey, and health insurance valid in Kosovo for the whole stay.

All supporting documents must be translated into Albanian, Serbian or English and handed in as two copies. The consular officer may ask for more evidence depending on the purpose. A private visit is usually supported by a guarantee letter from the host: the MIA lists the host's passport copy, a guarantee certified at the municipal court, proof of the host's address or a hotel booking, health insurance and a certificate that the guest is not under investigation.

The MIA sets sufficient means at EUR 20 per adult and EUR 10 per minor for each day of the stay, both for visa applicants and at the border, and at least EUR 100 per adult and EUR 50 per minor for each entry. Cash, cheques, credit cards or an employment contract count as proof, and a sponsor statement or host guarantee may be accepted. A ten-day trip for one adult therefore needs EUR 200. Visa applicants must also hold travel medical insurance covering emergency treatment and repatriation; missing insurance is a refusal ground.

The MFAD lists a fee of EUR 40 for a visa C (and EUR 80 for a visa D). It is waived for diplomatic and official passport holders, children under six, and pupils, students and accompanying teachers travelling for study or training. Ask the mission for its bank details before paying. Once an application is admissible, the mission must decide within 15 calendar days. The 2013 law allowed 30 days for further scrutiny and 60 days when extra documents were needed; since the August 2024 amendment, extensions follow the Law on General Administrative Procedure.

Applications go in person to a Kosovo embassy or consulate, no earlier than three months before the trip; holders of a multiple-entry visa may reapply up to six months before it expires. First-time applicants give ten fingerprints, except children under 12. Diplomatic and official passport holders do not need to appear in person. A visa may be issued at a border crossing only in exceptional cases, for up to 15 days, when the traveller could not apply in advance for unforeseeable and urgent reasons. Holding a visa does not guarantee entry.

Every foreigner must report their address and any change of it within three days of entry, at the border or at the nearest police station, and deregister before leaving Kosovo. Hotels and private hosts must inform the police within 12 hours of a foreign guest's arrival, and hospitals within 24 hours of admitting a foreigner. The MIA announced that full enforcement began on 15 March 2026 and that entries after that date which do not follow these rules may result in an entry ban. Overstaying the 90 days is treated as illegal stay and can lead to a fine and removal.

A visa and the authorised stay can be extended by the MIA migration department only for force majeure or humanitarian reasons, free of charge, or for serious personal reasons against a fee set by bylaw. The extension is placed as a separate sticker. For any longer planned stay, such as work, study or living with family, a temporary residence permit is required; visa-free nationals file it in Kosovo before the 90 days end.

A visa is refused for a false travel document, an unclear purpose, insufficient funds, missing insurance, an entry ban, a security risk, doubts about the documents or the intention to leave, or when the applicant has already used 90 days in the current 180-day period. The refusal is issued in writing with reasons. Since the August 2024 amendment the Law on Foreigners gives 30 days from receipt of the decision to appeal to the Appeals Commission; the MFAD visa page still mentions eight calendar days at the mission where you applied, so filing within eight days is the safe course. Refusal of entry at the border can also be appealed, but the appeal does not suspend it.