21 January 2008 | As part of its candidacy to the EU, Macedonia will cease issuing visas at its borders and comply with EU visa regulations. This move will hardly affect the EU and former Yugoslav countries, but it is expected to hinder Albanian travellers.

The new restrictions – to start on February 1, will discontinue border control points’ practice of issuing visas, which exceeded 75,000 last year, and instead transfer this duty to Macedonia’s diplomatic offices. This will make acquiring a visa to Macedonia similar to acquiring a visa to the EU.

“The goal is for the procedures to follow European standards. The elimination of visa issuing at the borders, except for in very urgent cases, is one of the main conditions of the EU to reduce the number of visas issued in border offices,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sasho Kokalanov told Skopje's Koha newspaper.

The new visa regime will affects more than 140 countries, international media reported. Albania, in particular, has voiced opposition to it, as it will hinder many Albanian businessmen and tourists who travel to Macedonia or go through it in transit to other countries to the east.

The former Yugoslav countries will be exempt from the new visa regime, as some are already EU candidate members and other have facilitated visa agreements with the Union.

Citizens of Kosovo with UNMIK-issued passports will not need visas, but this will change in the event Kosovo becomes independent and starts issuing its own passports.