The world-famous Kosovar singer Dua Lipa has received Albanian citizenship. The news was announced by the Presidency in Albania and in the press release it is emphasized that Dua Lipa was received by the head of the Albanian state Bajram Begaj, who handed over the Albanian citizenship.

Dua Lipa benefits from Albanian citizenship as a person of “special interest”, and this is related not only to her career as a singer awarded with international awards, but also to her involvement in social causes, such as her commitment to the United Nations Agency United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in support of children’s rights campaigns.

After the earthquake of November 26, three years ago in Albania, Dua Lipa together with some Albanian designers organized a fundraising campaign to help the families of the victims of the earthquake.

After receiving the Albanian citizenship in the Presidency, the swearing-in ceremony was held in the municipality of Tirana. The mayor of the municipality, Erjon Veliaj, said that he has proposed to the country’s president, Bajram Begaj, and the prime minister, Edi Rama, to liberalize the issuance of passports to Kosovar citizens.

Dua Lipa is in Tirana as she will hold a concert in “Skënderbej” square for the 110th anniversary of Albania’s independence. She was absent from the “Sunny Hill Festival” held at the end of August in Tirana.

Singers, artists, but also many politicians from Kosovo have received Albanian passports in recent years.

Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans whose citizens cannot move freely in the Schengen area. On November 22, representatives of the EU member states agreed with the proposal that visa liberalization for Kosovo will come into force on January 1, 2024, but this proposal was removed from the agenda a few days ago due to tensions in the northern municipalities of Kosovo.