Kosovo's EU visa liberalisation and what it means for students
By Muntasir • Published Sep 03, 2025 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Study Abroad, Study in Europe, Visas & Student Mobility
Since 1 January 2024, Kosovo passport holders travel to the Schengen area and several other European countries without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This visa-free rule covers short visits only, degree study in the EU still needs a separate national student visa or residence permit.
📩 The 90-day rule covers tourism, campus visits, and short exchanges, not full-degree enrollment.
🏠 Coverage includes the Schengen area plus Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania, and non-EU Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
🎓 A programme running longer than 90 days still needs a national student visa or residence permit before travel.
⏱️ Kosovo was the last of the six Western Balkan countries to reach visa-free access.
What changed on 1 January 2024
Kosovo passport holders gained the right to travel to the EU without a visa starting 1 January 2024, following approval by the European Parliament and Council in 2023, according to the European Commission . The rule allows stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for tourism, business, family visits, or study visits that fit within that window. Coverage extends across the Schengen area plus Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania, and to non-EU Schengen-linked states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Kosovo was the last of the six Western Balkan countries in the EU accession process to reach visa-free travel, after the European Commission confirmed in 2018 that Kosovo had met the required conditions, per the same Commission announcement .
What this covers for students
The 90-day allowance works for short academic activities: campus visits, entrance interviews, summer schools, and short exchange placements that fit inside the window. You no longer apply for a Schengen visa in advance for these trips, provided you carry a valid biometric passport.
Why this matters beyond short trips
Before 2024, Kosovo passport holders needed a Schengen visa for any trip to the EU, including a campus visit before applying to a programme or an in-person admission interview. Removing that visa requirement cuts the cost, paperwork, and waiting time attached to those short trips, even though it changes nothing for the long-stay application once you are accepted onto a programme.
Kosovo students already take part in Erasmus+ mobility as a Western Balkans partner country, through short credit mobility placements that typically run under a semester. Visa-free travel simplifies the logistics of a short Erasmus+ placement, since you no longer add a Schengen visa application to your preparation timeline if your placement fits inside 90 days.
What it means for family visits during your studies
If your family plans to visit you while you study elsewhere in the EU, they now travel without a Schengen visa application, as long as their stay fits within 90 days in any 180-day period. This removes a cost and paperwork step that applied before 2024, separate from your own long-stay study arrangements.
What it does not cover
Visa liberalisation only removes the short-stay visa requirement. It does not change the rules for staying longer than 90 days. Admitted to a full degree programme, a long exchange, or any course past the 90-day limit, and you still apply for a national long-stay student visa or residence permit through your destination country's process, the same as before liberalisation. Each EU country sets its own student visa requirements, application timeline, and required documents, such as proof of admission, accommodation, resources, and health insurance.
Apply for the long-stay route well before your programme starts. Visa-free entry does not let you enter the country and then switch to a long-stay student status once you are already there, most countries still expect the application filed from Kosovo through the relevant embassy or consulate before travel.