Only a Small Number of Citizens Managed to Regularize Their Status During the Three-Month Transitional Period Following the Implementation of the Law on Foreigners; Extension of the Deadline Is Necessary
On 15 June 2026, NGO CASA has published its Final Monitoring Report on the Implementation of the Law on Foreigners, covering the period from 15 March to 15 June 2026. The report assesses the practical effects of the three-month transitional period associated with the full implementation of the Law on Foreigners and related procedures on individuals affected by long-standing documentation and civil registration issues.
Transitional Measures Created an Opportunity, but the Timeframe Was Insufficient
The monitoring findings show that the agreement reached between the European Union and the Kosovo Government created an important opportunity for many residents to initiate procedures for regulating their civil status, residence rights, and access to Kosovo documents. Positive developments were recorded, including the acceptance of applications, issuance of temporary residence permits, and increased institutional engagement.
However, the report concludes that the three-month transitional period was insufficient to enable the majority of affected citizens to complete lengthy and complex administrative procedures. Due to extensive documentation requirements, administrative delays, inconsistent institutional practices, and limited administrative capacities, according to information shared by citizens, only a small number of them were able to fully regularize their status before the expiration of the transitional period.
Administrative Obstacles Continue to Prevent Effective Access to Documents
During the monitoring process, CASA documented numerous challenges faced by applicants, including excessive documentation requirements and financial costs, requests for apostille certification beyond legal requirements, prolonged delays in decision-making, and limited access to effective legal remedies. Citizens were confronted with inconsistent and often contradictory information provided by the competent offices, with interpretations and requirements differing not only from one municipality to another, but also among officials within the same municipality.
Many residents reported receiving no information regarding the status of their applications for months after submission. Others faced repeated requests for additional documentation, lengthy waiting periods for translations of decisions, and procedural uncertainty regarding the next steps required to complete their cases.
Particular concern remains regarding individuals who have lived in Kosovo for many years and have strong family, social, and professional ties to the country but continue to face obstacles in obtaining recognition of their civil status, residence rights, or citizenship.
Survey Results Confirm Widespread Delays and Uncertainty
Toward the end of this three-month period, CASA re-contacted citizens who had previously reported difficulties in obtaining Kosovo documents in order to assess whether there had been any developments in their cases and whether the newly adopted regulations had created opportunities to resolve the issues they faced. At the same time, CASA conducted a targeted anonymous survey among a smaller sample of citizens who exchange experiences through informal groups and networks regarding the regulation of their status and the exercise of their right to obtain Kosovo documents.
The findings indicate that only a small percentage of respondents were able to fully regularize their status, while administrative procedures remain ongoing for the vast majority. Only 11.4% of respondents reported that their status had been fully resolved in the meantime. Of that number, fewer than 5% obtained a Kosovo ID card, while the remaining respondents were granted temporary residence permits. Around half of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of communication and support provided by institutions and reported uncertainty regarding when, or whether, their procedures would be completed.
These findings largely confirm the conclusions reached through the monitoring of individual cases and indicate that administrative uncertainty remains one of the most significant challenges faced by affected citizens.
Concerns Regarding the New Law on Citizenship
The report also analyzes the new Law on Citizenship, which was adopted during this three-month period, and identifies a number of provisions that may have significant implications for the affected communities. Particular attention is drawn to the introduction of stricter limitations on acquisition of citizenship by descent for persons born outside Kosovo after reaching adulthood, as well as the continued reliance on secondary legislation that has yet to be adopted.
Although the law introduces certain positive modernization measures, CASA emphasizes the need for careful implementation and continued monitoring to ensure that the new legal framework does not create additional barriers to the acquisition of citizenship, result in discriminatory effects, or disproportionately affect members of non-majority communities, displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups.
European Human Rights Standards Must Guide Implementation
The report highlights the relevance of standards developed by the European Court of Human Rights, which, in accordance with Kosovo’s Constitution, are binding on public institutions in Kosovo, including the principles of legal certainty, protection of legitimate expectations, and the prohibition of excessive formalism.
In accordance with these standards, public authorities have a responsibility to establish effective mechanisms that enable individuals who have lived and worked in Kosovo for many years to regularize their status and access their rights. he three-month transitional period represented an important and positive step in that direction, as it created a legal framework and opportunity for many affected individuals to initiate long-delayed procedures. However, the monitoring findings indicate that the timeframe was insufficient given the complexity of the procedures, extensive documentation requirements, and limited administrative capacities. Administrative procedures should facilitate access to rights rather than create additional barriers for persons acting in good faith. For this reason, CASA calls for an extension or greater flexibility of the transitional period and measures to ensure that eligible individuals are not excluded from exercising their rights.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the success of the implementation process should not be measured solely by the number of applications submitted, but rather by the extent to which individuals who meet the legal requirements are able in practice to regularize their civil status, obtain personal documents, establish a legal identity, and exercise the rights guaranteed to them under Kosovo’s legal framework as well as applicable international standards. Achieving this objective will require, above all, additional time for the processing of applications, the continued commitment of institutions, strengthened administrative capacities, greater transparency, consistent application of laws and legal standards, and meaningful dialogue and cooperation with the affected Serbian and other non-majority communities, civil society organizations, the public, international actors, and other relevant stakeholders.
Key Recommendations
Based on its findings, CASA calls on the Kosovo Government, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, municipal authorities, and relevant international stakeholders to:
- Introduce extension or greater flexibility regarding transitional deadline;
- Continue processing all applications submitted within the transitional period;
- Harmonize administrative practices across municipalities;
- Strengthen institutional capacities responsible for processing applications;
- Improve access to information, procedural safeguards, and legal remedies;
- Eliminate unnecessary documentary and financial burdens;
- Ensure that implementation of both the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Citizenship remains fully consistent with principles of equality, non-discrimination, legal certainty, and international human rights standards.
Continued Monitoring and Advocacy
CASA will continue to monitor developments related to the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Citizenship and will advocate for practical solutions that strengthen legal certainty, equal treatment, and effective access to rights for all affected residents.
The full report is available HERE.
