Starting August 1, Serbian citizens will be issued temporary IDs to replace their Serbian passports when visiting Kosovo.
The decision by the government of Prime Minister Albin Kurti was announced in June. Serbia has similar requirements in place for Kosovo citizens visiting the neighboring country.
Serbs traveling to Kosovo will be provided with a temporary ID that is valid for 90 days and which can be used in government institutions as well.
The news sparked outrage in Serbia, with President Aleksandar Vucic claiming that Kurti was preparing an attack against Serbs in northern Kosovo, without providing any evidence.
This is the second reciprocity measure that Kurti imposes on Serbia since coming to power. In September 2021, his government decided to require cars with Serbian license plates to acquire Kosovo-issued licenses.
Serbia retaliated by sending troops at its border with Kosovo and galvanizing protests among Kosovo’s ethnic Serbs who live primarily in the north.
While the two parties have signed a temporary agreement—with vehicles moving between the two countries being required to place stickers on their license plates to hide country names and flags—they have failed to reach a permanent solution.
The government has also called on Serbs living in the north to replace their Serbia-issue licensed plates with Kosovo ones, rather than continue using stickers.
