Citizenship / Naturalization in Albania
One documented route of this kind in Albania, with its conditions, documents, official government fees and process.
Citizenship by Naturalization (Law 113/2020, Art. 8)
Naturalization after 7 years of lawful continuous residence with a valid permanent residence permit, Albanian language proficiency and basic history knowledge. A spouse route (3 years marriage + 1 year residence) is exempt from the 7-year and language requirements.
- Processing time
- Typically 12–24 months (multi-stage)
- Validity
- Permanent
- Language requirement
- Proof of Albanian language (spoken & written) and basic Albanian history
- Citizenship
- 7 years (general); 3 years marriage + 1 year residence (spouse route)
Requirements
- 7 years' lawful continuous residence + valid permanent residence permit
- Adequate housing
- Lawful sufficient income (indexed to minimum living standard)
- Criminal-record certificate (no conviction ≥3 yrs)
- Proof of Albanian language and basic history
- All foreign documents apostilled/legalized and translated into Albanian
Required Documents
- Proof of 7 years' lawful continuous residence + valid permanent residence permit required
- Adequate housing proof required
- Lawful sufficient income evidence (indexed to minimum living standard) required
- Criminal-record certificate (no conviction ≥3 yrs) required
- Proof of Albanian language (spoken & written) and basic Albanian history required
- Foreign documents apostilled/legalized and translated into Albanian required
Official fees
- Processing fee (agent estimate ~EUR 200; confirm officially) 200 EUR
Process Steps
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1
File application
File at the local civil registry office (Zyra e Gjendjes Civile) for the Ministry of Interior.
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2
Review and verification
Completeness review, then background/document verification.
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3
Interview and commission
Interview if required, then review by the Citizenship Commission.
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4
Final decision
Final decision (typically 12–24 months).