Digital Nomad & Residency - Albania

Law No. 79/2021 'On Aliens' introduced the Unique Permit (Leje Unike) with a specific sub-category for 'mobile digital workers' — foreign nationals whose work is location-independent and primarily IT-tool-based. The English text of the law is published on the Ministry of Interior (mb.gov.al) website.

Applicants must work remotely for an employer or clients registered outside Albania, earn a minimum of approximately EUR 450/month (≈ USD 9,800/year) sourced entirely from outside Albania, hold valid health insurance covering at least EUR 30,000 in Albania, prove accommodation, and provide a clean criminal record from all countries of residence over the past five years.

The permit follows a 1+1+5 structure: first permit valid 1 year, first renewal for 1 year, thereafter renewable for up to 5 years. After 5 continuous years under the programme, the holder may apply for permanent residence; after a further 2 years, for Albanian citizenship.

Joint Instruction No. 196/2024 (effective 22 October 2024) consolidated all steps into a single online submission on the e-Albania portal, unifying employment verification (AKPA), visa issuance, and permit issuance in one workflow. The official request form is published by the State Police Directorate on e-albania.al.

Holders of the Digital Mobile Worker Unique Permit are not treated as Albanian tax residents for the first 12 months from issuance. Albania's personal income tax exempts income up to approximately ALL 14 million (~USD 142,000) per year, meaning most remote workers will owe no Albanian income tax during their stay.

Albania does not currently operate a formal golden-visa or residency-by-investment programme separate from the Unique Permit framework. Residency via property purchase or passive investment is not officially codified; the Digital Mobile Worker route remains the primary structured pathway for foreign relocators who do not have a traditional employment offer in Albania.