How can you legally stay in Albania?

Two questions, and the checker shows the routes that exist for your case in 2026, with the conditions the law actually names - and honest notes where the acts stay silent.

Your routes

Pick your passport and your plan; the matching routes come first.

Your passport
Your plan

  1. EU citizens: stay by registration (law 43/2025)

    Since June 2025, citizens of EU countries may live in Albania longer than 3 months without a residence permit: article 33/1 of the foreigners' law.

    • Sufficient means of subsistence and a health insurance policy.
    • Register online within 3 months of arrival; you receive a registration certificate.
    • After 5 years of continuous residence - the right of permanent stay.

    The law puts no figure on "sufficient means", and the registration flow is new - confirm current practice before relying on it.

  2. The pensioner's residence permit

    Article 85 of the foreigners' law gives retirees a dedicated permit: up to one year at a time, renewable, no work allowed.

    • Proof of pension income; the D/P visa rule names 1,200,000 lek (about 12,000 euro) per year.
    • A non-working spouse may join under family reunification.
    • The permit allows no economic activity.

    The visa list says "minimum 1,200,000 lek", the permit list "up to" - treat it as the working threshold and verify the current document list.

  3. Buying property is not a residence right

    A purchase gives you a home here, not a legal stay: one of the routes above still applies. Plan the stay first, then the purchase - and verify the property before you pay.

    Read the guide

An orientation tool, not legal advice and not an application. The rules are fresh (the EU-registration article arrived in June 2025); confirm current requirements with the Directorate of Migration or on e-Albania before you act.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Law 43/2025 added article 33/1 to the foreigners' law 79/2021: EU citizens stay beyond 3 months with sufficient means and a health policy, registering online within 3 months of arrival. After 5 years of continuous residence comes the right of permanent stay. The law names no money figure.

Where to go next

Routes and figures follow the sourced verification of 6 November 2026 (laws 79/2021 and 43/2025, VKM 858/2021); where the acts are silent, the checker says so instead of guessing.