Ejup Maqedonci, Kosovo’s Defense Minister, has announced that personnel from the Ministry of Defense and the Security Force of Kosovo engaged in military and official activities in the United Kingdom will now be eligible for visa-free travel.
The information was conveyed to Minister Maqedonci by Lieutenant Colonel Steve Forrest, a bilateral advisor in the Ministry of Defense, as confirmed by Maqedonci in an official statement on his Facebook account.
Maqedonci attributed this decision to the continuous cooperation in the defense field and the commitment of the Republic of Kosovo to defense activities led by the United Kingdom.
This announcement follows Kosovo’s recent agreements on visa exemptions with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for holders of diplomatic and official passports. The agreement with Saudi Arabia was signed by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Kreshnik Ahmeti, and his Saudi counterpart, Waleed Abdulkarim El Khereiji, in Riyadh.
In addition, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani confirmed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to remove entry visas for passport holders from Kosovo. This development, according to Osmani, paves the way for increased cooperation opportunities between the two nations.
Notably, from January of this year, citizens of Kosovo have enjoyed visa-free travel to Schengen Zone countries. This has significantly improved Kosovo’s passport strength, as reflected in the January update of the VisaGuide’s Passport Index, where Kosovo rose from the 188th position in December to its current standing at 99th. In December 2023, Kosovo citizens were only visa-free in 11 countries, requiring traditional visas for travel to 130 countries.
