Kosovo–Albania border sees record 45,000 crossings

Kosovo Albania Morinë border crossing 45,518 citizens border traffic surge

During the weekend of 25‑26 July 2026 the Morinë border crossing recorded a peak flow of 45,518 citizens of the Republic of Kosovo entering the Republic of Albania, accompanied by 12,790 vehicles. Border officials linked the surge to the approaching August holiday period and the return of the Kosovo diaspora for summer vacations.

At the same time, the National Border Management Center reported longer waiting times at several other checkpoints: up to 40 minutes (queue about 100 m) at Dheu i Bardhë, 20 minutes (≈200 m) at Bërnjak, and 30 minutes (250‑300 m) at Vërmicë, with outbound queues at Vërmicë taking 5‑10 minutes. Accelerated crossing procedures have been applied for vehicles with Kosovo or Albanian licence plates to ease the flow.

Entities: Albania · Diaspora of Kosovo · Kosovo · Kosovo Border Police · Kosovo diaspora · Morinë border crossing · National Border Management Center of Kosovo · Republic of Albania · Republic of Kosovo

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 6 SOURCES] Kosovo border police have implemented accelerated crossing procedures for vehicles with Kosovo or Albanian licence plates. (reported by the National Border Management Center in multiple articles.)
[● 4 SOURCES] Waiting time at the Dheu i Bardhë checkpoint reached up to 40 minutes with a queue about 100 metres long. (National Border Management Center data.)
[● 4 SOURCES] 12,790 vehicles crossed the Morinë border during the same period. (Local Police Directorate.)
[● 7 SOURCES] Authorities attribute the traffic surge to the upcoming August vacation period and the return of Kosovo’s diaspora. (National Border Management Center.)
[● 4 SOURCES] 45,518 Kosovar citizens entered Albania via the Morinë border crossing between 05:00 25 July 2026 and 08:30 26 July 2026. (Local Police Directorate data.)
[● 4 SOURCES] Waiting time at Bërnjak checkpoint was up to 20 minutes with a column of roughly 200 metres. (National Border Management Center.)
[● 4 SOURCES] Waiting times at Han i Elezit, Muçibabë and Jarinjë range from 10‑20 minutes with queues of 15‑40 metres. (c708f186-7338-4c33-9e3d-d526eed22aea, bfe63892-447d-4062-a18e-997adf2c4c9b, 020e5acb-fdff-498f-b628-b8258b08e4e2, 0b1af7)
[● 4 SOURCES] Waiting time at Vërmicë checkpoint was up to 30 minutes for entry (queue 250‑300 metres) and 5‑10 minutes for exit. (National Border Management Center.)