ROLLING OUT THE KOSOVO PASSPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000399

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE, CA
NSC FOR HELGERSON
USUN FOR MCBRIDE
EUR/ACE FOR GUPMAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CMGT CVIS PREL PGOV KV
SUBJECT: ROLLING OUT THE KOSOVO PASSPORT

REF: PRISTINA 74


1. (U) This is an Action Request. Please see paragraphs 8
and 9.


2. (SBU) Summary. On July 29 the Ministry of Internal
Affairs (MOIA) plans to issue the first Republic of Kosovo
passport. Contrary to UNMIK's stated plans in February about
its readiness to assist Kosovo in this task (reftel),it has
largely stepped back from the process, leading to concerns
about the preparedness of European and other countries to
accept Kosovo's passport as a legitimate travel document.
Early feedback suggests several key destinations for
Kosovars: Germany, Switzerland, and the UK are prepared to
recognize and facilitate visas for holders of Kosovo
passports. Other countries to which Kosovars travel
visa-free, including Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey, have
also indicated they are ready to accept the document. Several
members of the Schengen zone, however, including France and
Italy, are predicting bureaucratic delays. Embassy Pristina
has had assurances from U.S. immigration authorities that the
Kosovo passport will be accepted, but we need to confirm that
all necessary steps have been taken for final approval and
dissemination of information to ports of entry. We have sent
samples of the passport to EUR/SCE for further distribution
within the USG. UNMIK has stated that current holders of
UNMIK travel documents (TD) will be able to use them until
they expire - generally two years from date of issue. End
Summary.


3. (SBU) Kosovo's Ministry of Internal Affairs introduced the
first Republic of Kosovo passports on July 29. Contrary to
earlier expectations of assistance and guidance from UNMIK
(reftel),the MOIA has largely had to manage the switchover
on its own. Because it chose the same company that produced
the UNMIK TD to produce its passport, production of the UNMIK
TD had to cease in order to produce the new document. As of
last week, the supply of UNMIK TDs was expected to be
exhausted. UNMIK does not plan to produce any more TDs for
Kosovo.

Quality Document
--------------


4. (SBU) Over the past several months, the MOIA has engaged
with a group of experts from the European Commission (EC),
most recently on July 24, in preparation for this rollout. A
readout of the July 24 meeting indicated that by-and-large
the EC believes Kosovo is ready to perform this function. The
passport is up to European security standards, civil registry
procedures are adequate, and they believe the MOIA has
sufficient capacity to issue the passport.

Lack of ISO Code for Kosovo
--------------


5. (SBU) One technical issue raised was the lack of an
International Standards Organization (ISO) code for Kosovo
and Kosovo's use of "RKS" - a designation which is not
currently used by any other country, but which is also not
recognized at ports of entry. Because RKS is not a
recognized ISO code, when passports are scanned at ports of
entry, an error message will show. However, we understand
this is not an unusual occurrence and immigration authorities
routinely add this piece of information manually.


6. (SBU) The EC team advised the MOIA that the use of RKS was
not desired by some EU representatives, but its use would not
prohibit a Kosovo citizen from entering or exiting a country
that issued a visa in the passport or otherwise would permit
the entry of that Kosovo citizen. It asked whether Kosovo
would consider using XXX or XXK, codes that denote refugee

PRISTINA 00000399 002 OF 002


status. The MOIA rejected this, as it felt such a code was
inappropriate for an independent country.

Acceptance in Europe
--------------


7. (SBU) We have reached out to liaison offices and embassies
in Pristina to gauge readiness to accept the new passport
among countries which have recognized Kosovo. Switzerland,
Germany, and the UK, all with significant Kosovar
populations, have stated they are ready to receive travelers
using the Kosovo passport, and they will issue bilateral
visas to permit travel. Neighboring countries, including
Macedonia, Albania, Greece and Turkey, are reportedly ready
to accept the passport, but, it is not clear whether the
necessary ground work has been laid with their immigration
services. We are following up. We have also heard that
several Schengen countries, including France and Italy, are
predicting significant delays in recognition of this new
document, including with the issuance of Schengen visas.


8. (SBU) Action Request: Post asks that the Department
encourage EU member states, as well as relevant authorities
in Brussels responsible for Schengen-related issues, to
recognize the new Kosovo passport and to provide its bearers
with the same privileges, including issuance of Schengen
visas, that holders of the UNMIK TD have enjoyed to date.

Acceptance at U.S. Ports of Entry
--------------


9. (SBU) Action Request: Post has received assurances from
the Bureau of Consular Affairs that visas may be issued in
the new passport, and with confirmation that the passport
meets U.S. security standards, there should be no obstacle to
its use by bonafide travelers. We have sent samples to the
Kosovo Desk at the Department of State and ask that they be
shared with relevant authorities within the USG in order to
facilitate the introduction of this new passport into our
immigration systems.

Comment
--------------


10. (SBU) In addition to the assistance we are providing
the MOIA in the rollout of its new passport through our
ICITAP program, we are working intensively to ensure that a
secure and tightly controlled system for application and
issuance of the passport is employed. The MOIA is fully
aware that the integrity of this system is a critical
component of ensuring the Kosovo passport receives widespread
acceptance internationally. We will report the details of
these efforts via septel.
KAIDANOW