[ARCHIVED CONTENT] Kosovo

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Health section (prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Kosovo). The overall level of the advice has not changed.

(see travel advice legal disclaimer)

Travel advice for this country

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General

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. For more general information see Travel Insurance.

If things do go wrong when you are oversees then this is How We Can Help.

Registration

Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency. More information about registering with LOCATE can be found here.

Passport

Youshould ensure that your passport is valid for the length of your stayi n Kosovo and that there is sufficient space in your passport for the entry and exit stamps.

It is advised that you carry yourpassport at all times. We therefore advise that you keep a photocopy ofyour passport in a safe place. This will help you to obtain areplacement, in case your passport is lost or stolen.

The loss or theft of a British passport should be reported immediately tothe local police and the British Embassy in Pristina. If your passport is lost or stolen the British Embassy in Pristina can issue you an Emergency Passport for a single journey to the UK. If you are travelling by air via another country, or driving through Europe, the Emergency Passport will be valid. The UK Immigration authorities keep the Emergency Passport, once you enter the UK.

Applications for new passports are accepted at the British Embassy in Pristina forforwarding to the British Embassy in Vienna, where they are issued and returned. This may take around 4-6 weeks. This is due to requirements for all new passports to be machine readable, capable of storing biometrics information and to help reduce forgery. A courier service is available to speed up this process, but you will have to bear the additional cost. For full details on applying for passports please visit the Embassy website.

The British Embassy currently provides a limited consular service (notarial and visa services are not provided).

For further information on passports, please visit the website of the Identity and Passport Service.

Money

The Euro (EUR) is the official currency in Kosovo (the Serbian Dinar (RSD) is sometimes accepted in Serb-majority areas). The current banking system is embryonic and you will generally be expected to pay in cash. Credit cards are not widely accepted but there are a small number of ATMs in Pristina, which accept international bankcards. You should bring enough Euros to cover your expenses while in Kosovo.