Procedures for the Acquisition of Citizenship in the Republic of Kosovo

Abstract

The Republic of Kosovo is a parliamentary republic that declared its independence on February 17, 2008. Currently, Kosovo is in the stage of institutional, political, and economic development and consolidation, and is strongly advancing toward the Euro-Atlantic integration process. States, in principle, within the domestic power they possess, have the right to regulate the procedures and requirements of acquiring and revoking citizenship, which can be considered as an element and instrument of the exercise of state sovereignty. However, states are generally careful when drafting legislation regarding citizenship to align their legal guidelines with important international instruments. The Council of Europe’s Convention on Nationality, along with the Law on Citizenship of Kosovo and those of other states subject to comparison, are the subject of this paper. The new Law on Citizenship (which is currently in force) was approved in 2013. This law defines the modalities of acquisition, loss, and re-acquisition of citizenship of Kosovo and other issues related to citizenship. The main focus of this article is the correct definition and fair implementation of the procedures, criteria and requirements of the modalities for obtaining the citizenship of Kosovo through the Law on Citizenship of Kosovo and other related laws. Such an approach will contribute, no matter how little, in facilitating a fairer execution of the Law on Citizenship of Kosovo.