Serbian Coordination Directorate

The Serbian Coordination Directorate (in Serbian Координациона управа / Koordinaciona uprava) is an authority which is responsible for issuing Serbian passports[1] to Serbian citizens residing in Kosovo.

In the process of granting visa-free travel to the Schengen Area, the European Union urged Serbia to found such a special authority for its citizens residing in Kosovo as the European Union considered it impossible for Serbia to evaluate the issuing of original source documents needed to apply for a passport and the integrity of the procedures applied by Serbia to check the authenticity of documents provided by applicants for that purpose.[2] In July 2009, Serbia founded the Serbian Coordination Directorate.

Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate do not allow the holder to enter the Schengen Area without a visa, even for a stay of less than three months within half a year. Holders of these passports have to apply for visas to travel to the European Union in Pristina, Skoplje or Tirana, not Belgrade. Or they can apply for a Kosovan Passport.[3]

Serbian citizens with passports issued by other authorities enjoy such a privilege.

As of 18. April 2023 EU Parliament have approved visa liberalisation with Kosovo. Starting January 2024, Holders of a Kosovan passports will be allowed to travel to the EU –and EU citizens to go to Kosovo- without requesting a visa, for periods of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. [4]