Spain now accepts passports issued by Kosovo but still does not recognize it as an independent state separate from Serbia, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on January 8. Madrid recognized the passports after a long-awaited European Union visa-liberalization scheme came into force on January 1, allowing Kosovar citizens to travel within Europe's borderless zone without a visa. The new regime allows Kosovars into the Schengen zone visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Until now, Spain was the only EU member refusing to recognize Kosovo's independence that also refused entry to Kosovo passport holders.
