Ask About Albania Work Visa
A work visa for Albania is, in most cases, a single permit, which people there call the leje unike, and it lets you both live and work in the country. Since the country is not in the EU, its own Law on Foreigners sets the rules. Most people from abroad need a job offer that the state job agency has cleared, and many passports also need a type D visa to get in.
Europe has no single work visa, and what you need turns on the country and on the type of work you will do. EU Helpers gets your papers in shape, works with your firm on each form and stays with you until you hold your card, but it is the authorities there who decide each case.
Quick facts:
- Main permit: the single permit, or leje unike, which lets you live and work in the country.
- Who says yes: the state job agency checks the job, and the Border and Migration Police check your stay.
- Where to apply: online, on e-Albania, which is the main site the state uses for its forms.
- Entry visa: a type D visa, which you ask for online, if your passport needs one.
- EU citizens: no permit, but you must sign up online in your first three months.
Albania Has Its Own Work Visa Rules
There is no one work visa for all of Europe, so each country makes its own rules, and what you need also turns on the kind of job you take. The official EU Immigration Portal gives the facts for each EU country, but Albania is not in the EU, so its rules come from its own Law on Foreigners.
This matters when you plan your move, since a work permit from an EU country does not cover a job here, and nor does a Schengen visa. The country is in talks to join the EU, but it is not yet part of the EU or of the Schengen area.
To weigh up other places, start with our main work visa guide for Europe, and to compare the rules next door, read about work permits in Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro.
Do You Need a Work Permit for Albania?
What you need turns on your passport and on why you are in the country, and the table below lists the main groups that the rules name.
| Your situation | What you need to work in Albania |
|---|---|
| EU citizen | No permit, but you register online with the migration authority within three months of arrival |
| Citizen of the United States or Kosovo | A single permit, which can be issued for five years on a first application |
| Nationalities that need a visa, such as India, the Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh and Egypt | A single permit approved by the employment agency, plus a type D visa to enter |
| Nationalities that need no visa, such as UK, Canadian or Australian citizens | A single permit, applied for online without a D visa |
| International student in Albania | Part-time work of up to 15 hours a week after your first year, without a separate work approval |
| Family reunification permit holder | Work without prior approval from the employment agency, if your permit allows it |
Eligibility for an Albania Work Permit
Before a work visa for Albania is approved, both the job and the worker have to meet a set of rules, and these are the main ones to know.
- You need a job offer from a firm that is on the state's business list, and it must come with a written work contract that you both sign.
- Your pay must be no less than the national minimum wage of 50,000 lek a month, and a lot of skilled jobs pay a good deal more.
- Your skills, training or years in the trade should match the job, as the state checks that you can do the work you were hired for.
- The firm must have posted the job on the state jobs site for at least five calendar days before it asks to bring you in.
- You need a place to live and health cover for the whole of your stay, and you must be able to prove both.
- You must not pose a risk to public order, safety or health, since that is a ground on which the state can turn the permit down.
The job agency also checks that the firm looked for staff at home first, which means local people who need work and some foreign nationals who have the right to live in the country.
Types of Single Permit for Work in Albania
The law has a set of single permits, one for each kind of work, and the one you need turns on your job and on who pays you.
| Permit type | Who it suits | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | Workers hired by an Albanian company | The employer must advertise the job locally first |
| Seasonal work | Tourism, farming and other seasonal jobs | Family members cannot join you on this permit |
| Highly skilled worker (Blue AL Card) | Professionals with high qualifications | Albania's own version of a Blue Card, separate from the EU Blue Card |
| Intra-corporate transfer | Staff sent by an international company to its Albanian branch | Tied to the company group that employs you |
| Digital mobile worker | People working remotely for employers or clients abroad | You may not work for Albanian clients on this permit |
| Domestic worker | Carers and housekeepers in private homes | A newer permit, issued only for formally declared jobs |
| Self-employed or investor | People running their own business | Investor permits require jobs for Albanian citizens |
The law also has rules for people who live across the border and come in to work, and for trainees and sports people. There are rules, too, for those who come to help out as volunteers and for staff sent to do a job under a service deal.
How to Get a Work Visa for Albania
There are six stages, and you need to take them in the right order, since both the job post and the visa have to fit into fixed time limits.
- Get a job offer: a firm there offers you a job, and the contract must follow local labour law and pay at least the lowest legal wage.
- Post the job: the firm posts the job on the state jobs site for at least five days, so local people and others with first claim can apply before you.
- Ask for your D visa: if your passport needs a visa, you ask for a type D visa online, but not more than 90 days before the day you plan to arrive.
- Apply for the single permit: once you arrive on a D visa, you have 30 days to apply on e-Albania, and upload your own papers and the firm's.
- Wait for both checks: the job agency signs off the job, and the local Border and Migration Police check your right to stay and take your prints and photo.
- Collect your card: when both checks are done, you get your single permit card, which names your firm and the work you may do.
You also renew your permit online, as all files for a stay now go through the one system. That is the case whether you came in on a D visa or did not need one at all.
Documents You Need
The online form asks for scans of your papers, and the job agency can say no if you do not answer a request for more papers within a week, so have them all to hand before you start.
From the Worker
- You need a valid passport that lasts for the whole time you plan to stay, with some time to spare.
- Bring new passport photos for the form and for the card, taken in the size and style the rules ask for.
- Add the work contract that you signed, or a written job offer from the firm that will hire you.
- Show your degrees, trade papers or proof of the work you have done in this field in the past.
- Get a police record check from your home country, which shows the state whether you have a record.
- Show that you have a place to live in the country and health cover for the whole of your stay.
- Have each paper put into Albanian by a translator, with an apostille or an embassy stamp when the state asks for one.
From the Employer
- Papers that show the firm is on the list kept by the National Business Centre, which most people call QKB.
- Proof that the firm posted the job on the state jobs site for the full five days that the law sets.
- The work contract, with pay that is at or above the lowest legal wage for the whole length of the job.
- Details of the house or flat, if the firm is the one that gives you a place to live.
Costs to Plan For
The state sets its own fees and can change them, so you will see the exact sums online when you apply. These are the main costs to plan for, from the visa to your first weeks in the country.
| Cost | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Type D visa fee | Your entry visa, if your nationality needs one, with the amount depending on your nationality |
| Single permit and card fee | The permit application and the residence card itself |
| Document costs | Police certificates, translations, legalisation or apostilles |
| Health insurance | Cover for your stay until Albanian social and health contributions start through your job |
| Travel and first month | Flights, first accommodation and living costs before your first salary |
Your contract must pay at least 50,000 lek a month, the lowest wage the law allows. We set out the costs we expect for your case at the start, so you can plan before you commit.
How Long an Albania Work Permit Takes
The time a work visa for Albania takes turns on the type of permit, your passport and how complete your file is. The job post runs for at least five days, and you can ask for a D visa up to 90 days before you arrive. Once you are in the country, you have 30 days to apply for the single permit.
Most cases take a few weeks once the file is complete, but they take longer if a paper is missing or if you need a visa. We track each date for you, so that a missed deadline does not send you back to the start.
Where Foreign Workers Find Jobs in Albania
A lot of young people have left to work abroad, so there are fewer hands at home, and firms now hire more staff from outside to fill the gap. The state's stats office, INSTAT, says that work is now the main reason people from abroad get the right to stay. Many of the new permits went to staff from India, the Philippines and Egypt.
| Sector | Where the jobs are | Typical roles |
|---|---|---|
| Tourism and hospitality | Durrës, Vlorë, Sarandë and the Albanian Riviera, mostly in summer | Hotel staff, cooks, waiters and cleaners |
| Construction | Tirana and the growing coastal cities | Builders, carpenters and general labourers |
| Domestic care and cleaning | Tirana and other large towns | Carers, housekeepers and cleaners |
| Call centres | Tirana and Durrës | Customer service agents with Italian, English or German |
| Textiles and footwear | Factories in several regions | Machine operators and production workers |
Albania Guides From EU Helpers
These guides go deeper into what it is like to work and live there, from the first form you fill in to the day you move into your new home.
- How long an Albania work visa takes, with the time each stage takes, from the job post to the day you get your card.
- High-paying and in-demand jobs in Albania, which looks at the roles that firms there find hard to fill.
- Benefits of working in Albania, from the cost of living to what life is like in the towns on the coast.
- Relocating to Albania, with tips on how to find a home, sign up with the state and settle in.
Mistakes That Delay Albania Work Permits
- Starting work before your single permit has been approved, which can put your whole case at risk.
- Coming in on a short stay or Schengen visa and then trying to swap it for a work permit once you are here.
- Asking for the D visa too soon, at a point more than 90 days before the date you plan to arrive.
- Missing the 30-day window to apply for the single permit after you come in on a D visa.
- Leaving a request for more papers with no reply for more than a week.
- Thinking that a permit from an EU country will also let you take a job here.
Why Choose EU Helpers for Albania
- We follow the country's own law in each case, not broad EU advice that may not fit here.
- We check the job post, the contract and your papers before anything is sent to the state.
- We track the dates that cause most delays, such as the 30-day permit window and the one-week limit for papers.
- We help you get ready for your prints and photo with the border police, so you know what to bring.
- We stay in touch once you arrive, and we help you when your permit is due to be renewed.
It is the state that decides each case, and we are open about that from the first day we speak. You can look through our visa approvals, read what our clients say in their reviews or see how EU Helpers works and who is on the team.
Get Started With EU Helpers
Pick the option that fits you, and our team will explain the next steps for Albania, or you can book a call with us and talk your plans through.
Register as a Worker (Find Jobs in Albania)
Sign up once, and EU Helpers will put you forward for jobs with local firms that we have checked, then guide you through your single permit and your D visa.
- Job matches with local firms whose roles we have checked with care before we show them to you.
- A list of the papers you need, built for the single permit and for the passport you hold.
- Help with the online D visa form and with each step of your online file.
- Help to get ready for your prints and photo once you arrive in the country.
- Support each time your permit needs to be renewed while you work there.
Register as a Recruiter / Agency
Place your candidates with local firms through a partner that knows the local permit rules well and can keep each file on track.
- Open roles from firms all over the country, with a note of what each one needs from the worker.
- Clear help with the job post and with the state's sign-off for each role.
- Each worker's file checked against the list of papers before it is sent.
- Updates on each worker's permit, step by step, until the day they start work.
- Help to hire for the season in good time, before the summer rush on the coast.
Register as a Recruitment Partner
Register as an Employer (Hire Foreign Workers in Albania)
If you run a business in Albania and cannot fill your roles with local staff, EU Helpers helps you hire from abroad and stay within the rules at each step.
- Screened workers for jobs in hotels, on building sites, in care and in factories.
- Help to post the job on the state jobs site the right way and for the right length of time.
- Single permit papers that we draw up with your team, so that nothing is left out.
- Visa and arrival help so that new staff can start work on the day you need them.
- One contact for you from the first job post to the first day at work.
Why Registration Is Important
When you register, EU Helpers can check each worker, firm and partner before a job or a permit request goes ahead. It also keeps your papers in one place, which helps a lot when the state asks for them and gives you just a week to send them.
Author
EU Helpers Team. We place workers with firms across Europe, Albania among them, and we keep track of each change to the work permit rules so that our guides stay up to date.
Official Sources
Albania's rules change from time to time, so check these official sources before you apply:
- Albania, Law on Foreigners in English, Ministry of Interior: mb.gov.al
- Albania, e-Albania government services portal: e-albania.al
- Albania, e-Visa applications: e-visa.al
- Albania, National Agency for Employment and Skills: akpa.gov.al
- EU Immigration Portal for work in EU countries, European Commission: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a work permit to work in Albania?
Yes, unless you are from the EU or fit one of the cases that the law lists. Most people from abroad need a single permit, which is called the leje unike and lets you both live and work in the country.
Can I work in Albania with a Schengen visa or a permit from an EU country?
No, the country is not in the EU or the Schengen area, so neither of those lets you work there. You need a single permit from the state before you can start a job.
Who applies for the Albanian single permit?
In most cases, you apply online on e-Albania, with papers from the firm that hires you. First the firm posts the job and the job agency says yes to it, and then the border police deal with your right to stay.
How long must a firm in Albania post a job before it can hire a worker from abroad?
At least five days on the state jobs site, and then the job agency checks that local people, and others who have first claim, had a fair chance at the job before it says yes.
What is the lowest wage a firm can pay a foreign worker in Albania?
At least 50,000 lek a month, which is the legal minimum wage, and no firm may pay you less. Skilled jobs tend to pay more, and the rate turns on the job you do and the town or city you work in.
Can I bring my family to Albania on a work permit?
Often yes, through family reunion, but not if you hold a permit for seasonal work. Those who join you can also work, as long as their own permit allows it.
Can I live in Albania and work online for a firm abroad as a digital nomad?
Yes, there is a single permit for digital mobile workers who work online for firms or clients based abroad. It is first given for one year, and you can then renew it.
How do I apply for an Albanian type D visa?
Online, through the e-Visa site, no more than 90 days before the date you plan to arrive. Once you are in the country, you then have 30 days to apply online for your single permit.
Can I work in Albania while I study there?
Yes, once you have done your first year of study, you can work up to 15 hours a week, and you do not need the job agency to clear it first.
Can people from the EU work in Albania without a permit?
Yes, people from the EU can live and work there for more than 90 days with no residence permit. They must still sign up online with the migration office within three months of the day they arrive.
Can I use an EU Blue Card to take a job in Albania?
No, since the country is outside the EU, an EU Blue Card does not carry over. Albania has its own card for highly skilled staff, called the Blue AL Card, which follows its own rules.
How does EU Helpers help people who want to work in Albania?
EU Helpers is with you at each step, from the job offer to your card. We check your papers, guide you through your D visa and e-Albania forms and help you get ready for your prints and photo, while the Albanian authorities decide.