Visa-free travel and its limits

90 days in any 180, biometric passport, no work – and what ETIAS will change.

Citizens of all six states can enter the Schengen area without a visa for short stays (Federal Foreign Office country list on visa requirements):

• At most 90 days in any 180-day period.
• Only with a biometric passport.
• No gainful employment. Working during a visa-free stay is illegal employment and can lead to expulsion and an entry ban.
• Kosovo has been visa-free since 1 January 2024 (Regulation (EU) 2023/850).
• Serbian passports issued by the Coordination Directorate (Koordinaciona uprava, mainly for residents of Kosovo) were added to the exemption by Regulation (EU) 2024/2495 (Official Journal 23 September 2024, in force since 13 October 2024).

No switch from inside Germany

Citizens of the six states are not among the nationalities in § 41 AufenthV that may apply for a residence permit in Germany after visa-free entry. For work, training or study you need a national visa (D visa) from the mission in your country before you travel. See Visa application.

EES: biometric border checks

• The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) started on 12 October 2025 and has been fully in operation since 10 April 2026 (European Commission). At the border your face image and fingerprints are recorded instead of a stamp in your passport.
• Entries and exits are stored electronically, so the 90/180-day limit is counted automatically and overstays are detected.

ETIAS: a travel authorisation is coming

• Visa-free travellers will need an online travel authorisation, ETIAS, before travelling. Fee €20; a transition period of about 6 months is planned (EU ETIAS page).
• ETIAS was not yet in operation in October 2026. There is no official start date; the start is not expected before 2027. The EU will announce the date in advance.
• Apply only on the official EU website or app. Other sites charge extra for the same form, see Avoiding scams.