Visa Requirements for Kosovo

Students who plan to study in Kosovo for a 16-week semester or longer must apply for a temporary residence permit.

If you are an international student and your citizenship requires an additional entry visa for Kosovo, you must also follow the entry visa instructions below. Entry visa applications must be filed at the nearest embassy or consulate office at least three months before your arrival.

No, a temporary residence permit is not required for the 5-week Kosovo summer program.

International students applying to the Kosovo summer program whose citizenship requires an entry visa for entry into Kosovo must follow the entry visa instructions below.

Yes!  Your study abroad advisor and RIT Kosovo staff will assist you with all the requirements and paperwork.

Prior to departure, students are required to obtain the following and submit to the RIT Education Abroad office:

• Police background check from the residence where you have lived for the past three years or your home country.
• Health insurance card

Contact the county sheriff or town police department where you have permanent residency. In most cases, you will pay a fee for the background check. If you live off campus and have established residency in Rochester, you can obtain a background check from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Yes. After you arrive in Kosovo, the staff will direct you to a notary office where you can have the background check translated. The fee is 15 - 20 Euros per page.

No, an apostille is not required.

Once you obtain the police background check, please bring or mail the original background check paperwork and a copy of your medical insurance card to study abroad advisor Myles Chalue in the RIT Education Abroad office (located in Global Village above Global Village Market). Myles will forward your documents to RIT Kosovo. The remaining documents will be completed after you arrive in Kosovo.

You will submit your application to the authorities after you arrive in Kosovo. After you arrive, a staff member from RIT Kosovo will accompany you to the authorities to register your arrival and submit your temporary residence documents.

No, students applying for the temporary stay permit in Kosovo will not need to surrender their passport.

• Valid passport
• Completed application
• Letter of invitation (provided by RIT Kosovo)
• Confirmation of stay and/or residence in the Republic of Kosovo (Provided by the landlord of your apartment in Kosovo)
• RIT Kosovo admission certificate (provided by RIT Kosovo)             
• Proof of sufficient funds (bank account statement)
• Period of registration (provided by RIT Kosovo)
• A police background check (obtained in the USA or home country)
• Copy of medical insurance card (submitted before arrival) (You must also bring your original insurance card with you to Kosovo)

You will pay an application fee of 50 Euros when you submit your application in Kosovo or approximately $60.00 USD. The payment must be made in cash. You can withdraw the funds from a local ATM.

No, you will only pay the application and translation fees to submit your temporary residence permit application.

Processing time for your temporary residence permit application is approximately 4 - 5 weeks. The RIT Kosovo staff will assist you throughout this process.

You will receive your temporary residence permit ID card after the review process.

Once you receive your temporary residence permit ID card, you should always keep it with you, along with your passport.

The required visa for students studying for a semester or longer is a Temporary Residence Permit in Kosovo. However, the temporary residence permit application is not submitted until students arrive in the country. Because your citizenship requires an entry visa to enter the country, you must apply for a Kosovo entry visa and then submit the official temporary stay visa paperwork after you arrive.

Students applying for an entry visa to enter Kosovo must submit the following documents. Your study abroad advisor will meet with you to review the list of documents and answer questions about the process. IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicant must provide two copies of all documents.

• Application form
• Valid passport
• Recent passport photo (35mm x 45mm) - no older than one month

Supporting documents:

• Documents indicating the purpose of the journey (RIT Kosovo will provide a letter of invitation).
• Proof of address (provided by your landlord if staying in an off-campus apartment. For RIT Kosovo on-campus apartments, RIT Kosovo will provide proof of housing letter).
• Financial document (bank account statement) indicating you have sufficient funds to pay your expenses for the duration of your stay in Kosovo.
• Confirmation of medical insurance valid throughout the Republic of Kosovo (letter from your insurance provider verifying that your insurance will provide international coverage).
• Information enabling an assessment of the applicant’s intention to leave the territory of the Republic of Kosovo before the expiration of the visa (round trip airline ticket).
• A copy of your RIT student health insurance card is needed.
• Visa application fee - only for students who are 24 years old or older (the fee is 40 Euros).

The fee is payable via credit or debit card if you apply in person. If sending payment by mail with your application, the visa fee must be made directly to the bank account of the Consulate General of the Republic of Kosovo in New York. Please contact the study abroad advisor for more information on this process.

Once you have collected your paperwork, you should prepare to submit your documents to the General Consulate of the Republic of Kosovo in New York City. The Consulate office is located on Second Avenue in Manhattan. Kosovo embassy address in New York City.

You can schedule an appointment and submit your application in person. Alternatively, the staff at RIT Kosovo can submit a request to the Ministry in Kosovo asking for approval to submit your application by mail. This may take some time, so please make this request as soon as possible.

The entry visa takes approximately 15 working days for approval.

Yes, you must send your passport and a copy of your I-20 to the Kosovo Consulate office. Please bring a copy of your I-20, and do not send the original.  The RIT Education Abroad office will give you a return federal express air bill for the return of your passport.

You cannot enter Kosovo without your entry visa. Therefore, it is important to apply as soon as possible and allow enough time for the visa to be approved before you depart.

If you are studying in Kosovo for a semester or longer, you will submit your application after you arrive in Kosovo. A staff member from RIT Kosovo will assist you with completing the required paperwork.

Once you submit your Temporary residence permit application in Kosovo, the processing time is approximately 4 - 5 weeks.