On Friday, Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs shared information on the laws on traffic and foreigners, one day after Kosovo acting PM Besnik Bislimi announced an implementation campaign on the laws affecting foreign-registered vehicles and non-residents.

In a post on Facebook, on Thursday afternoon, Bislimi explained that the informational period would be in place for two months before full enforcement starts on March 15.

“After this period, full implementation of the procedures and rules envisaged by these laws will begin,” Bislimi wrote on Facebook, adding that, “this affirmative implementation period should be used to the maximum extent to initiate the process of substantive integration of the healthcare system and the education system throughout the entire country.” 

Under the Kosovo Law on Traffic, vehicles with foreign license plates are not allowed to circulate in Kosovo for more than three months or on the basis of a special authorisation. 

Veton Elshani, Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police Regional Directorate in the north of Kosovo, told Kallxo.com that a Kosovo citizen cannot drive a vehicle with foreign license plates unless the vehicle’s owner is present.

“Similarly, a Kosovo citizen of Serbian ethnicity cannot drive a Serbian-registered vehicle with authorisation unless they have a Serbian ID and/or hold dual citizenship,” Elshani explained.

According to the Kosovo Law on Foreigners, individuals entering Kosovo for employment, family reunification, education, or other legal grounds must report to the police within 72 hours and obtain a residence permit from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

Elshani told Kallxo.com that some Kosovo citizens, mainly ethnic Serbs, face problems related to documentation, an issue he said must be addressed at the political level.

“Some people have not been able to obtain Kosovo documents because they were born in places like, for example Nis in Serbia, but they have lived here their entire lives,” he said.

The enforcement of the two laws was initially planned to start on November 1, 2025, but Kosovo’s Ministry of Internal Affairs postponed the deadline to January 15, 2026, in order to conduct an information campaign.

The enforcement of these laws was not welcomed by Serbia.

Petar Petkovic, director of the Serbian government’s office for Kosovo, said the laws represent “institutional pressure against Serbs living and working” in Kosovo, claiming they contradict agreements reached within the EU-facilitated dialogue.

Petkovic further warned that a two-month delay in enforcement should not be considered sufficient, arguing that, “without further international intervention, both the survival of the Serbian community and the [EU facilitated] dialogue on normalisation [of relations between Kosovo and Serbia] could be jeopardised.”

Srpska Lista, the Belgrade backed party representing Kosovo Serbs, acknowledged that the postponement is the “only rational solution at the moment,” but they also stated that “it is absolutely unacceptable that … our citizens … are treated as foreigners in their homes, villages, cities.”

The party described the implementation of the laws as “a new challenge that endangers the vital institutions of our people through one-sided processes and imposed decisions.”

“Clearly a mere delay will not solve the problem of our citizens not being able to use or obtain their documents, i.e. being unable to use their vehicles,”, they continued, adding that this period should be used to “find a model that would solve this issue for both the citizens and everyone who comes to Kosovo to work or study.”