Choosing to expand your company to Albania is an important decision that can earn you significant financial and interpersonal gains. However, you won’t experience those benefits until you assemble a team to work in the country.
If you’re hiring nationals from other countries, you must know how to get an Albania work visa for each of them to stay compliant.
Types of work visas in Albania
The first step to bringing employees to Albania is understanding who needs a work permit. Citizens of the European Union, the United States, and Western Balkan countries (Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia) can reside in Albania for up to 5 years under the Unique Permit. After this period, they are eligible for a Permanent Residence Permit in Albania.
The Unique Permit combines existing visa, work, and residence permit applications into a single, streamlined application. However, some legislation may require Albanian citizenship for certain positions.
Everyone who is not an Albanian citizen and wants to work in the country for more than 3 months must apply for a work permit. Employees have to complete their work permit requests before starting a job. It typically takes no more than 30 days after submitting the documentation to get an approval or denial. Some work permits have time restrictions, but the overall validity period of the permit depends on the type.
There are 4 main Albanian work permit categories:
- Type A: Economic activities as an employee permits
- Type B: Independent economic activity permits
- Type C: Permits for special occasions
- Type D: Permanent work permits for eligible nationals from other countries
All nationals from other countries also need a visa to enter Albania and a residence permit to live there.
Requirements to obtain Albania work visas
The process involved in securing a work permit in Albania can vary depending on the type of permit. However, the most common documents required include:
- Standard application form signed by the employee.
- A National Registration Center extract confirming registration as an employer.
- The applicant’s employment contract.
- Copy of the employee’s passport.
- 5 photos.
Employees will also need to pay the required fee to obtain a work permit from the General Directorate of National Employment Service or the Employment Office at the regional level CoR – Albania Employment of the relevant territory, which is a part of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
Application process
All employees applying for a work permit in Albania must submit the documents above to the respective labor office in Albania or the Albanian Consulates in their home country. Albania’s Regional Employment Office looks at the development and needs of the country’s labor market before issuing any work permit. They also take into account whether the job can be obtained by:
- An unemployed Albanian citizen.
- Nationals from other countries who are the family members of Albanian nationals.
- EU or Schengen citizens.
- Family members of immigrants living and working in Albania.
- Nationals from countries with bilateral and multilateral employment agreements with Albania.
- Any jobseeker with priority in the domestic labor market.
Keep in mind that international employees can work in the public sector but cannot hold any leadership positions within the public administration.
Other important considerations
All employees must obtain a working visa in Albania as well as a work permit. Visa types include:
- Type C: Short-term visas
- Type D: Long-term visas
All international citizens planning on staying in the country for more than 90 days will need a residence permit as well. Albania has 6 different types of residence permits, so it’s important to find the right one for your needs.
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