Kosovo
Last update 26 August 2023Diplomatic missions
Risk index
Level 3: Increased level of risk (recommendation not to travel in certain areas of the country unless necessary)
3
Select passport type
Republic of Kosovo
We call on Bulgarian citizens to refrain from travelling!
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Republic of Kosovo
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA IN PRISTINA, REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO
EMBASSADA E REPUBLIKES SE BULLGARISE NE PRISHTINE, REPUBLIC E KOSOVES
Head: Hristo Gudjev — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Time differences (to Bulgaria): Summer: — 1 hour Winter: — 1 hour
Contact:
Address (in local language):
10 000 Prishtina, Arberia/Dragodan, Rr. ‘Ismail Qemali’ 155, Republika e Kosoves
Landline phones:
Telephone (central): +383 38 245 540
Out-of-hours hotline: +383 45 590 408
Working hours: 08:00 – 16:30 (Monday – Friday)
E-mail: [email protected]
Consular Office:
Telephone: (Central): + 383 38 245 540
Working hours: 08:00 – 16:30 (Monday – Friday)
Opening hours: 09:30 – 13:00 (Monday – Friday)
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Abedin Hasani, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Bulgaria in Kosovo
Address: St. Beteja Kabashit, Bazhderhane, Prizren, Republic of Kosovo
Telephone: +383(0)49305530
E-mail: [email protected]
General information
Security level:
Travellers are advised to avoid visiting the four northern municipalities of Kosovo /Northern Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Leposavic and Zvecan/, which are predominantly populated by Serbs, unless absolutely necessary.
In the major cities of the Republic of Kosovo an average level of domestic crime is reported. It is advisable to avoid late evening traffic outside central parts of the city.
Travellers should avoid visiting remote locations due to the possible presence of mines left over from the period of hostilities.
Healthcare:
The level of healthcare is average. There is no need for special vaccinations.
Customs requirements:
Local legislation allows duty-free import of personal belongings and goods as follows:
• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250 g of tobacco, or a proportional combination of the listed products;
• 1 litre of alcohol, 2 litres of wine (for persons over 17 years of age);
• 50 ml of perfume or 250 ml of toilet water;
• medical supplies and medicines to meet the needs of one person;
• other items and goods with a total value of EUR 175.
Customs requirements for Kosovo can be downloaded from HERE.
Road traffic:
For the period 15 November — 15 March, vehicles must have winter equipment: winter tyres, chains, etc.
Vehicles must be driven with low beams and during daylight hours.
As of 20 September 2016, a new traffic law has been adopted in Kosovo, which provides for a significant increase in fines imposed for detected violations. Fines for speeding, for example, range from EUR 150 to EUR 900.
When travelling in a vehicle with Bulgarian registration plates, the driver must pay local third party liability insurance, the cost of which starts from EUR 15 for 15 days.
IMPORTANT! Vehicles of category ‘N1’, including cars, are charged as ‘goods up to 1 ton’ and the insurance for 15 days is EUR 77!
The payment is made at the insurance companies' representative offices at the respective BCPs in the intermediate zone before entering the country.
Practical advice:
Due to intermittent protests and blockades in northern Kosovo, including at BCPs Brnjak and Jarinje, travellers are advised to use the alternative crossing points between Serbia and Kosovo — Merdare and Gnjilane.
The Serbian authorities do not allow crossing into Serbia from Kosovo if the entry into the territory of Kosovo took place from Macedonia, Albania or Montenegro. This applies in full to Bulgarian citizens who hold only a foreign passport as an identity document.
Local currency:
Euro (EUR) The euro is the official currency. The Serbian dinar is also used in municipalities with a predominantly Serbian population.
Travel papers and visas
Bulgarian citizens may enter, cross and stay on the territory of the Republic of Kosovo without a visa, for up to 90 calendar days within 180 days with a valid passport or a valid identity card. Your passport and identity card must expire at least three months after the date of entry.
In the case of an extended stay, documents allowing long-term residence should be issued in accordance with local law.
The citizen entering the country should have a minimum of EUR 50 /fifty/ per day for the entire period of stay, and it is not excluded that an additional interview will be conducted to clarify the details of the planned stay.
Requirements for travelling children under 18 years of age, accompanied and unaccompanied.
Persons up to 14 years of age cannot travel to Kosovo unaccompanied; Persons between 14—18 years of age can travel alone, but in addition to a valid identity document they must have a declaration of parental consent translated into Albanian, Serbian or English and certified with an Apostille;
When children are up to 18 years old when the accompanying person is one of the child's parents — the required documents are the child's passport, the child's birth certificate and a declaration of consent from the other parent, which must be translated into Albanian, Serbian or English and certified with an Apostille;
Where the accompanying person is not the child's parent — the child's passport, the child's birth certificate and a letter of authorisation from the parents, translated into Albanian, Serbian or English and certified with an Apostille.
Requirements for those travelling in a car registered to a person other than the driver — in addition to a valid driving licence and local third party liability insurance, a power of attorney is required, which must be translated into Albanian, Serbian or English and certified with an Apostille.
Practical advice
Competitive service
Reception hours for citizens of the Consular Office Pristina are every working day from 09:30 to 13:00 for all services provided.
For visa applications and applications for Bulgarian identity documents /identity card, passport, driving license/ it is necessary to reserve in advance a date and time at the call center 0900 10 200, which can be dialled only from the territory of the Republic of Kosovo.
Electronic address of the CO-Pristina: [email protected]
Payment for all consular services is made in euros by bank transfer:
Payment of fees for visas — Pro Credit Bank No 1110279346010160
Payment of fees for visa services — Pro Credit Bank No 1189279346000196
The Consular Office with the Embassy has the technical capability to capture biometric data and therefore accepts applications for all types of Bulgarian identity documents — passport, identity card, Emergency Travel Document and driving licence.
TERM AND DELIVERY OF ISSUED BULGARIAN IDENTITY DOCUMENTS
In case the applicants have met the requirements of the relevant regulations and the information has been processed by the Bulgarian competent authorities, the applicant should receive the issued Bulgarian identity document at the diplomatic and/or consular representation of the Republic of Bulgaria within 45 days for a regular order and 30 days for a rush order, only in case the applicant will use DHL service.
The issued documents shall be received in one of the following ways:
1. Ex officio by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
2. Through a courier company certified for the transport of valuable items, if the applicant has opted for the ‘forwarding by courier’ service and has paid for this service by bank transfer in euros to a DHL account.
— FOR PAYMENT — EUR 35.78
Beneficiary: DHL EXPRESS BULGARIA EOOD
Beneficiary’s IBAN No: BG40UNCR70001523563800
Beneficiary’s Bank: UniCredit Bulbank AD
BIC/SWIFT Code: UNCRBGSF
Beneficiary’s Bank Address: 7, Sveta Nedelya square, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria
Payment information is mandatory to include:
BDS_city_name_your name. Example: BDS_Nicosia_Ivan Ivanov. This is necessary for the payment to be recognized as your payment for sending prepared personal documents and to be confirmed by the courier company's finance department. Make sure you ask the bank for a document stating that you have made the payment and take it to the Consular Office with the overseas mission where you have applied or will apply for new identity documents.
Legalizations and Certifications
In order to serve before the institutions of the other state, the acts/documents drawn up in the territory of each of the two States shall bear the Apostille seal of the respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and shall then be translated into the constitutional language of each of the two States, the translation being carried out by a licensed translator and certified by the Consular Office with the sending state.
Civil status
In the Republic of Kosovo, civil status certificates are issued by the respective municipalities on whose territory the event occurred and should be legalized in the following order:
The document should then be translated by a licensed translator, whose signature should be authenticated either by the Consular Office with the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Pristina (the fee is EUR 15 for each document) or by the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia, and presented to the respective Bulgarian municipality for the coverage of the event.