Starting today, Kosovo’s passport holders will be eligible to travel visa-free to the United Arab Emirates.
The decision comes following signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Kosovo and the United Arab Emirates for visa liberalization for Kosovars on January 11, 2024, VisaGuide.World reports.
The new changes were confirmed through a statement provided by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gërvalla.
Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Republic of Kosovo and the United Arab Emirates for the liberalization of visas for citizens of Kosovo, today we have received a Verbal Note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, through which we have been informed that the effective date of the Memorandum of Understanding, signed on January 11, 2024, will enter into force on February 22, 2024.
She said that with confident steps, “we are strengthening our international subjectivity and achieving not only the expansion of the free movement of our citizens.”
The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, announced the abolishment of visas for Kosovars planning to travel to UAE in January this year, following a meeting held with the UAE’s Mohamed Bin Zayed.
I thank the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Mohamed Bin Zayed, for accepting my proposal to lift visas for the citizens of Kosovo. The agreement reached during our meeting last month has already been signed, opening the way for more cooperation opportunities between our countries and our citizens.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the UAE, Xhabir Hamiti, who also signed the agreement, welcomed the new changes that will further facilitate the travel process.
Since the beginning of this year, Kosovars have been eligible to travel visa-free to Schengen Zone countries for short-term stays. The decision has quadrupled the power of its passport, based on the Passport Index of VisaGuide.World.
In January this year, Kosovo also reached a visa-free agreement with Israel, thus permitting Kosovars to travel to Israel for tourism purposes without visas. The decision was confirmed by Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani, following a meeting she held with the Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo, Ziv Nevo Kulamn.
In addition, the Balkan country is also working on a mutual visa waiver agreement with Qatar.
Following a phone conversation she had with the Amir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hammad Al Thani, Kosovo’s President, Vjosa Osmani, announced that both countries are planning to remove visas for each other’s citizens.