Away With The Steiners

Crossing the Albania Kosovo border from Morine (ALB) to Vermice (RKS). 

Sarah Steiner

Are you considering Kosovo on your Balkans itinerary? Here is everything you need to know about the Albania Kosovo border crossing from Morine to Vermice.  

Visiting Kosovo was one of the highlights on our Balkans road trip.  And it is a smooth and scenic border crossing up over the hills from Albania on the main road from Tirana to Pristina. We crossed in spring with just the glimpse of snowcapped peaks and the colours of spring flowers lining the roadside. 

Kosovar hospitality is outstanding.  And despite the adversely low number of tourists that visit Kosovo there is no shortage of things to do and sights to see.  The food and coffee culture is a serious buzz in the cities.  And there are mountainscapes and mosques, street art and monuments to wonder and wander.  

So, in case you are considering whether to add Kosovo to your road trip itinerary; definitely do. 

About the Albania Kosovo border (and a little bit about the borders of Kosovo)

Historically Kosovo, which borders Albania, was a province of Serbia (which itself was a part of Yugoslavia from 1929–2003). 

Kosovo was often referred to as the centre of Serbian culture and society, but over the course of several hundred years, its population changed, shifting toward a majority mostly Muslim Albanian ethnicity. 

Despite the shift in population, Serbs still considered Kosovo an integral part of their country.  And although Kosovo was a province of Serbia it had autonomous status. 

The Kosovo conflict occurred in 1998-99 when ethnic Albanians fought ethnic Serbs and the government of Yugoslavia in Kosovo.

And today ethnic Albanians form the overall majority population in Kosovo at over 92.9 percent.  

Thus the Albania Kosovo border crossing is an important part of the economy and relationships between the two countries.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s border crossings with the other countries, therefore you can’t enter Serbia from Kosovo if you have first entered Kosovo from any other country. If you want to continue into Serbia from Kosovo you must first go to North Macedonia and enter Serbia from there.

Crossing the Albania Kosovo border from Tirana to Pristina.
Somewhere (possibly a little detour/lost?) on the backroads from Shkodra Lake towards the Albanian border.

Options for crossing the Albania Kosovo border 

Today there are six land border crossings between Albania and Kosovo. 

The following is all the information you need to know for the Albania Kosovo border crossing from Morine to Vermice connecting the capital cities of Tirana and Pristina. 

About the Albania Kosovo border crossing from Morine to Vermice

The Albania Kosovo border crossing from Morine to Vermice is the main border crossing between the two countries.  The border facility has modern infrastructure in line with EU requirements and Schengen standards

On the Albanian side, Morine is a small settlement in eastern Albania and part of the municipality of Kukes.  Thus, often this border crossing is referred to as the ‘Kukes’ crossing as Kukes is a much larger Albanian town only 17km from the border crossing terminal.   

The main A1 Highway runs from Tirana in Albania via Kukes and Morine over the border to Kosovo. 

The border crossing station is open 24 hours and has four lanes for private passenger vehicles (cars). 

Crossing the beautifully turquoise River Drin near Kukes on the highway to the Albania Kosovo border at Morine.

Documents needed for the Albania Kosovo border crossing at Morine 

Crossing the border from Albania to Kosovo with a private vehicle you will need to provide: 

You will also need to purchase vehicle insurance for Kosovo at the border as the Green Card insurance for Europe in not valid in Kosovo. 

The Albanian border town of Kukes (before Morine) and the drive to the Albania Kosovo border crossing 

Kukes is the main border town before the Albania Kosovo border crossing at Morine.  The village of Morine is just a small stop right before the border.  

In Kukes we stopped to spend the last of our Albanian Lek and can recommend Burek and pastries at one of the many bakeries in Kukes. 

The town itself is set in a stunning location along the Drin River with views to the snowcapped peaks of the Gjallica, Koritnik and Pashtrik mountains. 

One last Burek in Albania? Best make it two!
Incredible mountain vistas in springtime in Kukes en route to the Albania Kosovo border.

Exiting Albania to Kosovo – crossing the border 

Drive forward to the Albanian border terminal. There are four rows of private vehicles plus one lane for trucks and another for buses. There was no queue at all when we crossed.  Both the Albanian side and the Kosovo side of the border were friendly and swift, and we exited from Albania in less than 10 minutes. 

Documents requested on exiting from Albania to Kosovo:

Exiting from Albania to Kosovo at Morine.

Entering Kosovo from Albania 

We had a very friendly officer at the Kosovar side of the border.  Not only did he genuinely so kindly welcome both of us and the boys to Kosovo with much enthusiasm.  But he also suggested a few places to visit and really made our first moments in Kosovo already on par with everything we had heard about the outstanding Kosovar hospitality. 

We were reminded that our European Green Card insurance doesn’t cover Kosovo and pointed to drive forward to the kiosks ahead to purchase insurance for our stay.  

Is a vignette required for Kosovo? 

No.  Kosovo has no toll roads. All the roads are free to use. Even what is labelled as a toll road and the motorways and expressways in Kosovo do not levy any toll charges. 

You can drive across the entire country without any vignette required for Kosovo. 

Purchasing vehicle insurance for Kosovo at the Albania Kosovo border 

Kosovo isn’t covered by the standard European ‘Green Card’ insurance.  

Instead, you must purchase a separate insurance at the border.  Vehicle insurance for Kosovo costs 15 EUR for 15 days for a car, small van or motorhome.  There are higher costs for larger vehicles, but most motorhomes and camper vans will fit in this bracket. 

Just beyond the immigration and customs check at the Albania Kosovo border terminal is a line of small container kiosks to the right-hand side of the road.   Pull over and park outside the one signed for Insurance. 

Here you can purchase vehicle insurance for driving in Kosovo.  Payment is accepted in Euros by cash and card.

Drive forward from the terminal to purchase vehicle insurance for Kosovo.
Purchasing vehicle insurance for 15 EUR for 14 days in Kosovo.

Driving from Vermica to Prizren or Pristina 

We headed from the border on the main road towards Pristina but the first major city in Kosovo entering from Albania is actually Prizren. 

Prizren is the first major town in southern Kosovo just a short drive from the Albanian border. The city is a charming and historic small city known for its Ottoman-era architecture, picturesque cobblestone streets and stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

From the border to Pristina takes just over an hour to drive and the road is in great condition with the main highway funded by the European Union and with views to boot looking towards the snowcapped peaks of the mountains. 

Stunning views and smooth roads heading for the capital city of Kosovo.

Driving in Kosovo 

The road conditions on the highways in Kosovo are good.  Great, even.  The main highway from Tirana, Albania to Pristina, Kosovo is funded by the European Union and is a smooth highway to match many in Europe.  And mountainscapes and views that are worthy of writing home about.  However, many of the rural roads and inner-city smaller drives have potholes and bumpy tar seal to also match much to complain about. 

The driving isn’t all too different from any Eastern European city and overall, the driving in Kosovo is alright.  There didn’t seem to be aggression in the city even with traffic at peak hour heading inwards. (Who does that anyway? Who drives at that time of day?).  

But the hospitality and people of Kosovo make up for any potholes or bumps in the road.  And it was ultimately the hospitality that we remember. 

Bill Clinton Boulevard in Pristina. (Welcome to Pristina, Kosovo by the way!).

Parking in Kosovo / Motorhome parking in Pristina

Parking and particularly parking a motorhome in Kosovo is fairly relaxed.  Kosovo isn’t yet a popular tourist destination and is far from a motorhome Mecca with flocking visitors.  In Pristina we found a few options on Park4Night and ended up staying two nights at the main sports stadium in the city. 

PRISHTINE 

About: A great location to explore the city.  Safe and quiet parking for the night.  We spent two nights parked one level above the main carpark area.  Very friendly staff who will happily look after your van while you’re out exploring the city. 

The verdict? Thoughts on crossing the Albania Kosovo border?

There you have it.  A quick guide on the Albania Kosovo border crossing from Morine to Vermice and how to drive from Tirana to Pristina.  

Remember to have 15 EUR for vehicle insurance and your passport and vehicle documents in order. And aside from that; happy journeying and enjoy the newborn country of Kosovo! 

Useful links for your travels in Eastern Europe and beyond…

These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel. 

Read more about travel in Europe by motorhome

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