Programmes · Europe and the Middle East
Citizenship by merit
Under Article 9, rewritten in 2026, Albania grants citizenship where the state has a special interest in you, with no residence years, minimum age or language exam. A minister from your field vouches for you to the President, who decides by decree.
At the state's discretion
In 2026 Albania reorganised the route for people it wants to bind to the country. Law No. 49/2026 rewrote Article 9 of the Law on Citizenship and gave it a title of its own: naturalisation in the state interest. Since Council of Ministers Decision No. 817, published on 30 October 2026, the procedure, the deadlines and who is responsible for what are settled too. Applications go to a new State Special Agency for Citizenship at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Tirana.
The core idea is simple: if the state has a special interest in a lasting bond with you, because of your skills, your circumstances or your private or public activity, it can naturalise you. The law lists no sectors. Entrepreneurs, researchers, artists, athletes and specialists all qualify alike, as long as their contribution fits a policy the country has adopted.
Legal basis: Law No. 113/2020 “Për shtetësinë” (On Citizenship, Fletorja Zyrtare 174/2020), Art. 9, as rewritten by Law No. 49/2026 of 8 May 2026 (Fletorja Zyrtare 116/2026); Council of Ministers Decision No. 817 of 28 October 2026 (Fletorja Zyrtare 234/2026)
Competent authority: Ministry of Internal Affairs with the State Special Agency for Citizenship (Agjencia Shtetërore e Posaçme e Shtetësisë)
| Principle | naturalisation in the state interest: Albania grants citizenship where the state has a special interest in a lasting bond with you, because of your qualities, skills and particularly useful circumstances, or because of your private or public activity (Art. 9(1)) Source |
|---|---|
| What is waived | the minimum age, knowledge of Albanian language and history, and the length of residence required for ordinary naturalisation under Art. 8 Source |
| What still applies | no final conviction for an offence that Albanian law punishes with at least three years' imprisonment (unless for political reasons), and no threat to public order or national security Source |
| How the interest is judged | specific, clearly identifiable and verifiable, and tied to documented, adopted state policy; you meet a concrete need, fill a gap or bring Albania a benefit, an innovation or an advantage, and you undertake to put these skills at the service of the Republic Source |
| The minister's guarantee | the minister responsible for your field establishes the interest, supports it and guarantees it to the President; no application is accepted without the minister's documents Source |
| Who starts the process | you yourself or, with your written consent, a cultural, educational, sports, scientific or business organisation that works with you, at the relevant ministry Source |
| Application and decision | with the minister's declaration, you apply to the State Special Agency for Citizenship within 5 calendar days; the Minister of Internal Affairs proposes the grant to the President, who grants it by decree, published in the Official Journal Source |
| Deadlines | from the application to the agency: security check 20 days, report to the Minister of Internal Affairs 30 days, proposal to the President 40 calendar days; the President decides within 60 days; oath within 6 months of the decree being served Source |
| Checks | criminal record, international crime lists and sanctions; the State Intelligence Service and the State Police also check national security, public order and integrity Source |
| Residence and oath | no minimum stay in Albania; the oath can also be taken at the Albanian embassy or consulate in the country of your last residence Source |
| Family | your spouse and minor children can be included in the same procedure with the minister's declaration; after your naturalisation, family members fall under the requirements of ordinary naturalisation (Art. 8); minors need the consent of both parents and, from age 14, their own Source |
| Amount | neither the law nor the Council of Ministers decision names an investment or donation amount Source |
| Your current citizenship | Albania does not require you to renounce your current citizenship when you naturalise Source |
| Legal nature | a discretionary decision: an application creates no entitlement, the state is not obliged to decide, and a refusal or a failure to process cannot be challenged in court Source |
Ordinary naturalisation under Article 8 requires years of lawful residence, a minimum age and knowledge of Albanian language and history. Article 9 waives all three. You do not have to live in Albania or sit an exam, and you can even take the oath at the Albanian embassy or consulate in your country of residence. Neither the law nor the decision names an investment or donation amount.
Albania also does not ask you to give up the citizenship you hold today. Whether your home country allows a second passport depends on its own law; on the Albanian side, nothing stands in the way of keeping your current citizenship.
Everything starts at the ministry responsible for your field. You apply there yourself, or an organisation from culture, education, sport, science or business that you work with applies with your written consent. The ministry checks whether your contribution meets a concrete need of the country. If the minister recognises the interest, the minister signs a formal declaration and guarantees it to the President. Without that guarantee, the agency accepts no application.
With the declaration in hand, you file your application with the Special Agency within 5 calendar days. From then on, statutory deadlines apply: a security check by the intelligence service and the State Police, a report to the Minister of Internal Affairs and, after no more than 40 calendar days, the minister's proposal to the President. The President grants citizenship by decree, which is published in the Official Journal. Your spouse and minor children can be included in the same procedure.
This route is a discretionary decision by the state: an application creates no entitlement, and a refusal cannot be appealed. That is exactly where its strength lies. If you bring Albania something a minister can name in concrete terms, such as an investment that creates jobs, a research project or a commitment in sport or culture, you have a route to a passport here with no waiting years and no price list. The more closely your work ties in with a policy the country has adopted, the stronger your application.
The other Balkan route where the government naturalises people in the country's interest.
What German law says about holding another passport alongside your German one.
How naturalisation after years of residence works and which countries move quickly.
Wohnsitz Ausland · in German
Naturalisation in the state interest does not require you to live in Albania. If you move to the Adriatic coast anyway, Wohnsitz Ausland covers taxes, residence routes and living costs for newcomers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Visit Wohnsitz AuslandSteueratlas · in German
An Albanian passport on its own does not make you taxable in Albania: what counts is where you live. Steueratlas sets out the country's income tax, corporate tax and VAT on a single page.
Visit SteueratlasWohnsitz Ausland · in German
A bank account is not part of the naturalisation process. Wohnsitz Ausland explains which documents Albanian banks ask for and what role your residence permit plays.
Visit Wohnsitz AuslandBeyond Borders · in German
If you would rather get to know Albania as a place to live first, look at the Unique Permit for remote workers. Beyond Borders covers how long it runs, how to apply and what it means for your taxes.
Visit Beyond BordersRuhestand im Ausland · in German
How Albania taxes pensions from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and what residence, healthcare and inheritance law mean once you retire there: Ruhestand im Ausland has the details.
Visit Ruhestand im AuslandNot at a set price. Neither the law nor the Council of Ministers decision names an investment or donation amount. What matters is that Albania has a specific, verifiable interest in you, and that a minister from your field vouches for it to the President. Business activity explicitly counts: the law names private as well as public activity.
No. Article 9 waives the residence period, the minimum age and the knowledge of language and history required for ordinary naturalisation. You can even take the oath at the Albanian embassy or consulate in the country of your last residence.
Albania does not ask you to renounce it. Whether your home country allows dual citizenship depends on its own law.
The review at the ministry has no statutory deadline. Once you have applied to the agency, the steps run to a timetable: 40 calendar days to the proposal to the President, then 60 days for the President's decree. You take the oath within 6 months of the decree being served.
The applicant is always an individual, a natural person. The first step at the ministry can, however, also be taken by a cultural, educational, sports, scientific or business organisation that works with you, with your written consent.
You have worked hard to build a life full of possibilities. Now it is about expanding them, for you and for your family. Talk to Daniel Taborek about your budget, your family and the route to your second citizenship. Find out which passport should enrich your future.
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