UNMIK/PR/190
PRISTINA--A major step in the reconstruction of Kosovo is being taken with the launch of civil registration by the UN Civil Administration and the OSCE, UNMIK's "pillars" II and III. A civil registry is essential in providing public services to all residents and in building an accurate voter registration list.
Registration will take place during this spring and summer at 400 locations across Kosovo. It is obligatory for residents of Kosovo to be listed on the civil registry. In the initial phase, everyone over the age of 16 will be registered.
To be listed as a Kosovo resident and to receive an identity card, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:
- They must be born in Kosovo or have at least one parent born in Kosovo.
- They must prove they have lived in Kosovo for a continuous period of at least five years.
- It can be determined that they were removed by force from Kosovo and were unable to meet the residency requirements.
- They are dependent children of adults who qualify and are in full-time attendance at a recognized educational institution.
For people not living in Kosovo, the process offers them an opportunity to register to vote, but they must show that they were resident in Kosovo on or before 1 January, 1998. They must also prove their identity and residency through documentation.
The Joint Registration Task Force is setting up Municipal Documentation Centres to assist those who have no official papers or documents. At these centers, staff check claims of lost or confiscated documents against archives. People whose applications for registration are denied will have the right to appeal their cases to a Civil Registrar.