Albanian citizenship is granted to:
A. By birthright
B. By naturalization
C. By adoption
A. Granting Albanian citizenship by birth
The child acquires Albanian citizenship by birth in cases where:
1. both parents are citizens of Albania at the time of the child's birth;
2. one of the parents at the time of the child's birth is a citizen of Albania and the child was born in the territory of the Republic of Albania. Exceptions are cases when parents jointly decide to acquire the child's citizenship of the other parent.
3. was born outside the territory of the Republic of Albania and one of the parents is a citizen of Albania, while the other has an unknown citizenship or no citizenship.
4. was born outside the territory of the Republic of Albania and one of the parents is a citizen of Albania, while the other has another citizenship, but both parents agree that the child acquires Albanian citizenship.
A child born or found in the territory of the Republic of Albania acquires Albanian citizenship if it was born to unknown parents, and as a result the child may be left stateless. If the child's parents are known before the child reaches the age of 14 and they have foreign citizenship, Albanian citizenship may be revoked at the request of the parents recognized by law, provided that the child does not remain stateless as a result.
A child born in the territory of the Republic of Albania may acquire Albanian citizenship from parents who have another citizenship who are legally residing in the Republic of Albania with the consent of both parents.
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B. By naturalization
A foreigner who has applied for Albanian citizenship by naturalization acquires it under the following conditions:
1. be at least 18 years old.
2. legally resided in the territory of the Republic of Albania for at least 5 years.
3. have housing and sufficient financial resources.
4. not to be prosecuted in his own country or in the Republic of Albania for criminal offenses, accused of imprisonment for a term exceeding 3 years. Exceptions to this rule are only those cases where it is proved that the accusation was made for political reasons.
5. Have at least a basic knowledge of the Albanian language.
6. Granting the applicant Albanian citizenship shall not impede the security of the Republic of Albania.
7. Foreigners who have reached the age of 18 may acquire Albanian citizenship, even if they do not meet the requirements of this Law on Albanian Citizenship (except for paragraph 6), if the Republic of Albania has scientific, economic, cultural or national interests. If a person is stateless, the conditions of paragraphs 1, 3, 4 and 5 of this article may not be taken into account.
If a foreigner proves that he is of Albanian origin to the second generation, even from one of the parents, the period of residence in the Republic of Albania referred to in part 2 of this article must be at least 3 years. All other conditions for granting Albanian citizenship listed in this article remain unchanged.
A foreigner who has been married to an Albanian citizen for at least 3 years may, if he / she wishes, be granted Albanian citizenship by naturalization, even if he or she does not meet the conditions set out in paragraphs 2 and 5. The foreigner must live legally and continuously in territory of the Republic of Albania for at least one year.
C. By adoption
If both parents of Albanian nationality adopt a child with another citizenship or without citizenship, the child is granted Albanian citizenship.
An adopted child acquires Albanian citizenship, even if only one of the parents is an Albanian citizen and resides in the territory of the Republic of Albania at the time of adoption, as well as in any other case where the child is at risk of statelessness as a result of the adoption.
Citizenship issues are handled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Citizenship Department. Albanian citizens and foreigners can apply for and renounce their citizenship to our offices abroad, as well as to the regional police in the district where they live in Albania. Details can be viewed at https://punetejashtme.gov.al/en/ceshtjet-e-shtetesise/.
Is dual / second citizenship allowed in Albania?
Yes, dual / second citizenship is allowed in Albania.
Long-term residence in Albania requires a long-term type D visa - a long-stay visa issued to foreigners wishing to stay in Albania for more than 90 days during a 180-day period, as well as foreign nationals who may wish to obtain a residence permit after entering Republic of Albania.
To apply for a residence permit in Albania, the relevant application form depends on the reason for your stay in Albania:
- Family reunification with an Albanian citizen
- Family reunification with a foreigner legally residing in Albania
- Training
- Residence and work permit
- Another reason
- Special case.
Requirements, documents required for submission of each type of residence permit in Albania are available at: https://e-albania.al/eAlbaniaServices/DPPSH/9628/anglisht_kerkese_leje_qendrimi.pdf.
Terms of residence in Albania
Long-term residence permit can be issued for the period:
- three-month, six-month, one year and can be renewed no more than five times in a row;
- two-year term, which can be renewed not more than once;
- Five-year term;
- Permanently if a foreign national has resided legally in Albania for five consecutive years and has a stable activity or relationship in the country.
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Conditions for obtaining a residence permit in Albania when buying real estate
Type of real estate. The Law on Foreigners № 79/2021 does not specify what real estate should be - residential or commercial, only new or purchased on the secondary market.
Terms of real estate ownership. Investors who prove the fact of ownership of the object - the contract of sale - receive a residence permit when buying real estate. It is not necessary to be the sole owner of the property.
The cost of real estate. The minimum amount of investment is not specified in the law. But such a requirement may arise in the future.
Validity and renewal of the residence permit. For the purchase of real estate, the investor will receive a permit for a period of one year. If the investor wants to remain a resident of Albania, he can renew his residence permit every year.
Receipt procedure. Obtaining a long-term type D visa → Opening an account in an Albanian bank or confirming a stable source of income → Buying or renting a home in Albania → Paying the state fee for applying for a residence permit → Submitting an application and documents to the Albanian Migration Service.
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Foreigners who want to work and/or live in Albania have the right to apply for a Unique Permit (Alb.: Leje Unike). Applications are accepted through the e-Albania e-government platform. The procedure is conducted without the need to be physically present in Albania at the time of application. Let's look at the offer in detail.
The Unique Permit / Leje Unike is a combined Albanian visa covering work permit and residence permit. The target audience is:
- entrepreneurs;
- remote workers;
- domestic helpers (Au Pairs);
- Real estate buyers;
- pensioners;
- Citizens of countries friendly to Albania.
General requirements for applicants
In order to apply for a Unique Permit, the applicant must not pose a threat to order, national security or the public health system of Albania. The applicant will also have to meet a number of general requirements. In particular, the applicant must demonstrate the possession of:
- A valid identification document recognized in the Republic of Albania (e.g. (passport);
- strong reasons for staying in the Republic of Albania on the basis of the Law 79/2021 "About the foreigners";
- Adequate income covering the stay in Albania;
- own / rented accommodation in Albania;
- health insurance policy, the period of validity of which is equal to the period of validity of the requested Unique Permit;
- certificate of no criminal record.
Procedure for obtaining Leje Unike
The applicant for Leje Unike should visit the e-government website (e-albania.al), select the service "Application for Unique Permit" and click on the "Use" button. Then, you should select the ground for issuing Leje Unike and upload the receipt for payment of the administrative fee (payment is possible through Albanian commercial banks).
Then you should correctly fill in the electronic form, entering actual data in all the fields.
If there are no errors, the applicant will be notified by email that the application has been accepted for processing. In this case, the applicant must send through the postal service within 7 days:
- printed and signed form;
- Supporting documentation uploaded at the time of application;
- two passport sized photographs
- Receipt of payment of the administrative fee;
- a photocopy of your identification document.
If all the criteria required by the current legislation are met, the request will be processed and the Unique Permit will be issued within a maximum of 12 weeks from the date of application. The applicant receives an electronic message on approval or rejection of the request.
If approved, the Unique Permit is automatically generated and electronically stamped. It is sent electronically to the applicant.
Albania