How do you get a residence permit in Albania: types, documents, fees and timing?

Albania issues temporary permits (type B) for a purpose and a permanent permit (type C) after five years. A first temporary permit lasts at most one year unless the law says otherwise; the one-year permit can be renewed up to five times in a row. EU citizens have had a lighter route since April 2026: a registration certificate issued online, free of the service fee. Ukrainians do not need a permit until 30 March 2027.

• Enter Albania (visa-free or on a type D visa) and apply on e-Albania within 30 days; you must be in the country when you apply and have a personal e-mail, which is where every notice arrives. Unique permits (work, digital nomad, investor) can be applied for from abroad and take up to 12 weeks.
• Upload the documents. If something is missing you hear within 10 days and have up to 30 days to complete the file.
• When the file is accepted you get a provisional permit within one working day, valid for a month and extended until the decision, and a message with the fee: pay it at an Albanian bank within 24 hours.
• Within 7 days post the originals, two photos, the payment receipt and the signed form to the migration office. Miss this and the application is rejected.
• The decision takes up to 30 days. Then go in person to the local migration office (Drejtoria Vendore e Kufirit dhe Migracionit) to prove your identity and apply for the biometric card.
• Register your address with the civil registry within 30 days of receiving the permit, or it is cancelled. Tell the police of any change of address within 10 days.
• Renew 60 days before the permit expires, with proof that your national and local taxes for the previous year are paid.

Every application needs the form, a photo taken in the last six months (47 x 36 mm, white background), a copy of the passport with the entry stamp or D visa, a self-declaration of criminal record and a self-declaration of suitable accommodation with the address. Documents issued abroad must be translated into Albanian, issued within the last six months, certified and apostilled.

For the property-owner permit add the ownership certificate or a notarised copy of the sale contract showing the price was paid, proof of funds and a declaration of why you are staying; the 2026 rules list no health insurance for this permit. Pensioners show a pension certificate; the older e-Albania checklist still asks for a pension of at least 1,200,000 lek a year, a bank certificate for the pension transfer and health insurance in Albania, so bring them. Digital nomads self-declare the foreign contract and 408,000 lek of funds and attach a one-year health insurance policy; their originals are lodged within 30 days after approval.

A tenant can use the flat as proof of accommodation: a yearly rental contract, notarised, is the usual document.