Albania Visas, Taxes and Money for Digital Nomads

The permit was created by Albania’s 2021 law on foreigners and is issued by the State Police’s border and migration department.

• Who it’s for: people employed by a company registered outside Albania, or self-employed with clients outside Albania, who work remotely.
• Income: there is no fixed threshold published in the law. You must show income enough to support yourself (and any family) and, under the official document list, evidence from an Albanian bank that the salary in your contract is transferred there.
• Length: one year on first issue, renewable each year for up to five years in total.
• Fees: small: the government fee is a few thousand lek (well under €100), plus the cost of translations, notaries and apostilles.

Documents

The official e-Albania checklist for the digital mobile worker permit asks for:

• a copy of your passport and a recent photo (47 x 36 mm);
• proof of accommodation in Albania, such as a registered lease;
• an employment or service contract with a company registered outside Albania, showing you work without a fixed office, your position, pay and contract length, apostilled, translated into Albanian and notarised;
• proof of professional qualifications matching the contract;
• evidence from an Albanian bank of the salary transfer;
• health insurance valid in Albania;
• a criminal record certificate from your country of origin, issued in the last six months and legalised, translated and notarised (first application only).

How to Apply

1. Enter Albania visa-free, or with a Type D long-stay visa if your nationality needs a visa.
2. Apply online through e-Albania and upload the documents.
3. Pay the fee and attend any appointment at the local migration office; staff may ask for originals.
4. Register your address and give biometrics once the permit is approved, then collect your residence card.

Processing usually takes a few weeks to a few months. Many applicants use a local lawyer or agent, mainly for the translations, notarised copies and the bank account.

Family

Spouses and dependent children can apply for family reunification permits linked to yours, with marriage and birth certificates (apostilled and translated) and proof of income and housing for the family.

• Most Western nationals, including EU, UK, Canadian and Australian citizens, can stay 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. EU citizens can enter with a national ID card.
• US citizens can stay up to one year visa-free. Before the year ends, you must leave and stay out of Albania for 90 days before returning. This rule was briefly cut to 90 days in early 2022 and then restored.
• Holders of multiple-entry Schengen, US or UK visas that have already been used can generally enter Albania for up to 90 days in 180 even if their nationality normally needs a visa.

Albania’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs publishes the visa regime by nationality. Because Albania is outside Schengen, the EU’s Entry/Exit System and ETIAS don’t apply here, and many nomads use Albania to spend time outside the Schengen Area.

Overstaying a visa-free period can bring a fine, an entry ban or difficulty getting a permit later. If you plan to stay longer than your visa-free time, apply for the permit well before it runs out.

Albania taxes residents on worldwide income and non-residents only on Albanian-source income. You are generally a tax resident if you spend 183 days or more in Albania in a 12-month period or have your main home here.

• Nomad permit holders: under a 2023 amendment to Albania’s start-up law, holders of the digital nomad permit are not treated as tax residents for their first 12 months, so foreign income is not taxed in Albania during that time, however many days you spend here.
• After that, normal rules apply. Employment income is taxed at 13% up to ALL 2,040,000 a year and 23% above. Self-employed people registered in Albania pay tax on business profit, which is currently 0% for small businesses up to ALL 14 million turnover until the end of 2029, but registering brings its own bookkeeping and invoicing duties.

This is a general guide, not tax advice. If you stay beyond your first year, or plan to register a business, get advice from an Albanian accountant; see also our guide to taxes for digital nomads.

Albania’s currency is the lek (ALL), at a little under 100 lek to the euro. Euros are widely accepted in tourist areas, and rents, cars and tours are often quoted in euros, but paying in lek usually gets you a better price. Prices in older shops are sometimes given in “old lek”, ten times the real figure, which can confuse newcomers.

ATMs are easy to find in towns and dispense lek, and some also give euros. Some banks charge foreign cards a fee per withdrawal, so compare machines, and always decline the ATM’s currency conversion. Cards are accepted in supermarkets, larger restaurants and hotels, but cash is still common in small shops, taxis and markets.

Because the nomad permit asks for evidence of salary transfers to an Albanian bank, most applicants open a local account early. Large banks such as Raiffeisen Bank, BKT and Credins Bank open accounts for foreigners, though requirements vary by branch: some accept a passport and proof of address, while others want a residence permit or tax number first. Wise and similar services can send money to an Albanian account.