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The Kosovan passport is a travel document that is issued to the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo. The document facilitates international travel as well as serving as proof of citizenship. The issuance of passports is solely the prerogative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the exception of diplomatic passports which are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kosovan passports comply with all the recommended standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) (such as size, technology, security, layout, etc.) The passport design was disclosed 14 March 2008. The first passports were issued on 30 July 2008 and as of 20 August 2008, 55,467 passports have been issued to the citizens of Kosovo.

The new design of the passport is a dark blue color, with the coat of arms of the Republic of Kosovo in the middle of the cover page. The word "Passport" is written on the cover of the passport in Albanian, Serbian and English. All relevant identity information about the bearer is printed in these languages as well. For citizens that are 18 or older, the passport is valid for 10 years from the date of issuance.

Before the introduction of the new national passports, travel documents were issued by the United Nations administration with a maximum validity of 2 years.

Due to the ongoing political dispute over the status of Kosovo, its passports are not universally accepted by other countries.

Types

There are four types of passports: Ordinary, Official, Diplomatic and Travel Document. An application fee of 25€ is required.

Ordinary

• Dark Blue cover
• Issued to all citizens of Kosovo with a maximum validity of 10 years to facilitate private international travel.

Official

• Maroon cover
• Issued to political staff within the Government as well as their family members with a maximum validity of 5 years.

Diplomatic

• Black cover
• Issued to the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, members of the Government, the President of the Constitutional Court, the President of the Supreme Court, Ambassadors as well as other diplomatic staff in embassies or consulates around the world, to the Ombdusperson, members of state delegations if so required, Government officials which have been appointed as representatives of the Government in various international organizations, diplomatic couriers as prescribed by law, and persons of interest as prescribed by the law with a maximum validity of 5 years.

Travel Document

• Light Blue cover
• Issued to the citizens of Kosovo if the original passport has been lost or stolen, and/or it has expired. It can also be issued for group travel of no less than 5 persons and no more than 50. A Travel Document has a maximum validity of 30 days.

Recognition

De jure

A large majority of countries do not recognise Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence. Therefore, they may not accept passports issued by the Government of Kosovo. As of 28 November 2008, 24 countries have officially recognised Kosovar passports out of UN member countries (and Republic of China (Taiwan) in addition, as well) recognising Kosovo. In November 2008, Slovakia decided to recognise Kosovo Passports based on humanitarian grounds, whilst not recognising Kosovan Independence.

De facto

Some countries will accept the Kosovar passport as a de facto travel document, just as most countries that don't recognise the Republic of China (Taiwan) routinely proccess Taiwanese passports. The de facto passport recognition for travelers whose only passport is the Kosovan passport is as follows: Some states which already recognise Kosovo, do not yet de facto recognise Kosovo passports (Poland). On the other hand, some states which do not yet recognise Kosovo, already de facto recognise Kosovo passports (Israel) or at least permit Kosovan passport holders to travel to their territories (Greece, Romania). Predictably, Rusia vowed not to accord entry whatsoever to people who use as their identification Kosovo passports (Serbia, Russia). Kosovo's Interior Minister Zenun Pajaziti commented the situation for Russia Today: "We are aware of difficulties in the beginning stage. There are some countries who are reluctant to recognise the new reality, but we are working on it and we expect more recognition in the weeks and months to come. It is possible for countries not to recognise us, but to recognise our passport is an issue of human rights and freedom of movement".

Serbia

Serbia refuses entry to people with entry and exit stamps of the Kosovo customs authority or Kosovar visas in their passports. These stamps and visas are canceled with a Serbian stamp before the traveler is issued with a "denied access" notice. A similar practice is seen in the Middle East due to the Arab–Israeli conflict, where travelers to some Arab countries may experience problems if their passports contain Israeli entry or exit stamps.

Special travel provisions

Greece does not recognise the passport, but issues the obligatory visa on a special travel document which allows the citizens of Kosovo to travel to the country. Presumably in order to get that visa they can show their Kosovo passport, but so far Greece has not published any instructions. A similar provision applies to the citizens of the neighbouring Republic of Macedonia, whose passports Greece does not recognise either, per the ongoing Macedonia naming dispute.

In October 2008 Romania adopted a similar provision, whereby travelers from Kosovo are issued a special document containing a visa.

Visa-free travel

Holders of Kosovan passport can travel without obtaining any form of permission to following countries: Albania, Montenegro, the Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey.

See also

• International recognition of Kosovo
• Foreign relations of the Republic of Kosovo
• List of diplomatic missions in Kosovo

References

1. "Kosovo unveils new passport - SBS World News Australia". SBS World News Australia. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
2. ^ "The process of production of Passports of the Republic of Kosovo, is fully normalised" mpb-ks.org18 August 2008 Link accessed 2008-09-16
3. "Koha Ditore - Dokumentet e Republikës së Kosovës para verës" (in Albanian). Koha Ditore. 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
4. ^ "Ping pong team to compete under Kosovo flag, but troubles linger for new state - International Herald Tribune". International Herald Tribune. 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7518509.stm
6. http://www.mpb-ks.org/images/files_shtes/pasaportat_kosoves_shqip.pdf
7. http://www.mpb-ks.org/images/files_shtes/pasaportat_kosoves_shqip.pdf
8. http://www.mpb-ks.org/images/files_shtes/pasaportat_kosoves_shqip.pdf
9. http://www.mpb-ks.org/images/files_shtes/pasaportat_kosoves_shqip.pdf
10. http://www.kosovothanksyou.com/stats.php#passport
11. http://www.kosovapress.com/ks/index.php?cid=1,2,55764
12. http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=141416&nodeid=15145&contentlan=1&culture=fi-FI
13. "Slovakia to recognise Kosovo passports" b92.net 28 November 2008 Link accessed 2008-11-28
14. ^ "Kosovo passport opens new doors". Russia Today. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-10-16. Businessman Seremb Gjergji couldn't wait to use his - the ink was still wet when he went abroad. But he got a surprise at the Israeli border control. "When I went, the border police said they did not have Kosovo among the names of the countries. I said, 'We are a new country, we just got independence.' They said, 'We heard but you're not on the list.' They put me through a security check which lasted half an hour and then they let me in," recalled Gjergji.
15. ^ Foreign Ministry of Greece. "Briefing of diplomatic correspondents by Foreign Ministry spokesman Mr. G. Koumoutsakos". Official website (www.mfa.gr). Retrieved 2008-10-18.
16. ^ "Paşapoartele kosovare, valabile în România doar pentru dovedirea identităţii". www.mediafax.ro (in Romanian). Mediafax (Romania). Retrieved 2008-10-18.
17. Božidar Đelić, the deputy Premier of Serbia, announced that Serbia will not accept the Kosovo passports "Serbia Rejects Kosovo passports". SerbianUnity.net. 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-10-18..
18. "Slovakia Not to Recognize Kosovo Passports". iStockAnalyst. 2008-07-14. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
19. "Srbija spušta rampu za pasoše s kosovskim pečatom"
20. http://www.mfa.gov.mk//Upload%5CContentManagement%5CFiles%5CMFA-VisaRegime.doc
21. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa

External links

• Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs presentation of the passport

• Passports by country
• Government of Kosovo
• Government stubs
• Kosovo stubs