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Can a German buy property in Albania? Yes. A German citizen buys an apartment, a house or a shop on the same terms as an Albanian, including the right to leave it to heirs. The exception is agricultural land, which a foreigner can only lease for up to 99 years or buy through an Albanian company. With clean papers the purchase takes four to eight weeks, and the buyer's costs come to about 2.3% of the price. This guide goes through the steps, the documents, the costs and the taxes in both countries, with the figures we hold for each.
A German needs no visa: a passport or an identity card is enough, valid for at least three more months on the day of entry, according to the German Foreign Office. Tourist stays without a visa are limited to 90 days; Albanian law counts them as 90 days within any 180. Anyone who wants to stay longer applies for a residence permit within the first 30 days, and the Foreign Office advises bringing an apostilled German certificate of good conduct, which the application needs.
Owning property is itself a ground for a permit. Article 84 of Law 79/2021 on foreigners gives an owner a temporary residence permit for one year, renewable every year, and it also applies to someone who owns half of a property. Neither the law nor the government decision that implements it sets a minimum price.
| Step | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reservation | A deposit (kaparë) of 5-10% of the price; developers ask up to 30% for new builds | day 0 |
| 2. Checks | Property card (kartela), encumbrances, cadastral map, title history; a lawyer is not compulsory but advisable | 1-2 weeks |
| 3. Preliminary contract | For an off-plan flat: a notarised kontratë porosie, registered with the cadastre (ASHK) | - |
| 4. Notarial deed | The only valid form of sale; payment by bank transfer, the notary withholds the taxes | 1 day |
| 5. Registration | The notary files with ASHK; the new owner gets a new property card | 2-4 weeks in practice |
Two rules protect the buyer and are worth knowing before any money moves. A private sale contract is void, so an off-plan flat must be reserved through a notarised contract registered with ASHK; that is the only defence against one flat being sold twice. And since Instruction 1557 of 18.09.2024, ASHK compares the built flat with its approved floor plan when it registers the sale. A flat that differs from the plan is refused, so compare the two before you pay.
The price is paid by bank transfer. The notary records how it was paid and may not handle cash above 150,000 lek.
Worked through for a flat at €100,000, at about 93 lek to the euro (an estimate: lawyer, translator and agent fees depend on who you hire):
| Item | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Notary: 0.30% of the price (0.35% below 6 million lek) | €300 | €300-350 |
| Cadastre registration (5,000 lek) and the notary's filing request (4,000 lek) | €97 | €97 |
| Lawyer for the title check | €800 | €0-2,000 |
| Sworn translator | €100 | €0-150 |
| Agent, buyer side | €1,000 | €0-2,000 |
| Transfer tax: none for the buyer of a flat (the 2% local tax applies to land only, paid by the seller) | €0 | €0 |
| Total | about €2,300 | €400-4,600 |
We found no official rule on whether a notary adds VAT to the fee; ask for the full amount in writing before the appointment. The notary and the taxes are calculated on the higher of the contract price and the official reference price of the zone. Albania charges no VAT on the sale of apartments, new builds included.
In Albania. The annual building tax on a home is 0.05% of its fiscal value (the zone's reference price times the area), usually a few thousand lek a year. Rent is taxed at 15%: on the gross rent for a long let, and on the income after the platform's commission for a holiday let, declared in the DIVA system by 31 March of the following year. A foreign owner needs an Albanian tax number to file.
In Germany. The double tax treaty of 6 April 2010 gives Albania the right to tax income from Albanian property (Article 6) and gains from selling it (Article 13). Germany exempts both under Article 23(1)(a) but takes them into account when it sets the rate on the rest of your income (Article 23(1)(d), the Progressionsvorbehalt). Because Albania is not in the EU, the exception in § 32b of the Income Tax Act for property in EU countries does not apply, and losses from an Albanian let can only be set against Albanian income of the same kind (§ 2a). A protocol amending the treaty was signed on 9 June 2026; it is not yet in force and does not touch Articles 6 and 23. We cover all of this in detail in our guide to taxes for German owners.
Asking prices on the coast differ more inside a city than between cities. In Durrës, the market with the most listings, the median asking price of the 511 flats and studios on Domlivo on 18.10.2026 was €1,500 per m². The band below is updated from our price data:
Prices for each coastal town are in our overview of property by the sea in Albania, and the current offers in the catalogue.
Yes. A German buys an apartment, a house or commercial property on the same terms as an Albanian citizen, with the full right to sell it and leave it to heirs. Only agricultural land is closed to direct purchase; it can be leased for up to 99 years or bought through an Albanian company.
With clean documents, four to eight weeks from reservation to the new property card. The checks take one to two weeks, the notarial deed one day, and registration with the cadastre two to four weeks in practice. Off-plan flats take longer because the deed follows completion.
On a €100,000 flat the buyer typically pays about €2,300, or 2.3%, for the notary, the cadastre, a lawyer, a translator and the agent. With every optional fee at the top of its range the total reaches about €4,600. The buyer of a flat pays no transfer tax: the 2% local tax applies to land only and is the seller's (Law 9632/2006, Art. 28). Apartment sales carry no VAT.
Not directly. Albania taxes the rent at 15%, and under Article 23 of the double tax treaty Germany exempts it. The rent still raises the rate applied to your other German income (Progressionsvorbehalt), so it is declared in the German return.
Owning property is a legal ground for a temporary residence permit under Article 84 of Law 79/2021: one year at first, renewable every year, with no minimum purchase price in the law. For tourist stays a German needs no visa for up to 90 days within 180.
