Independence Day (Kosovo)

Independence Day is a public holiday in Kosovo, and it is observed on February 17. The holiday commemorates the anniversary when Kosovo gained its independence from Serbia in 2008.

The Republic of Kosovo is a country in Southeast Europe. The Ottoman Empire occupied Kosova in 1389 until it was defeated in 1912. Serbia took the advantage of the rebellion and annexed Kosovo. After World War I, Kosovo became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

After World War II, federal Yugoslavia made Kosovo an autonomous province within the Republic of Serbia. In 1974, Kosovo gained to function at the administrative level same as other federal republics. Because of the increased ethnic tension in the 1980s, the Serbian President terminated the autonomous privileges awarded to Kosovo, which led to the declaration of the independence of Kosovo in 1990.

The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) started to attack the Serbian forces in 1996, and that escalated to the Kosovo War in 1998. The war lasted over a year until June 1999 with the intervention of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

The international negotiations about the final status of Kosovo started in 2006. On February 17, 2008, Kosovo formally declared its independence from Serbia, although Serbia considered the declaration illegal. Over 100 countries recognized the independence of Kosovo, but many other countries did not yet.

The following is the list of Independence Day in Kosovo from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in Kosovo: