Is Albania in the EU and what are the entry requirements?

ALBANIA is in one of the poorest countries in Europe.

Since the fall of communism in 1991, the country has been on a slow road to recovery which has seen big improvements nationwide, making it now a top tourist destination.

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Is Albania in the EU?

Albania is part of Europe, sitting between Montenegro and Greece on the Adriatic coast.

As part of the country’s transformation from one of the region’s poorest, it has held on to the hope of joining the EU.

Albania has made an incredible recovery from its darker days under communism to become a thriving country with some beautiful locations that make it well worth a visit.

The mountainous region has been trying to improve its image among countries across the region in the hope of becoming a member of the European Union.

It first applied for membership in 2009 but the road to acceptance has not been easy.

Albania had to wait five years until its request to join was officially recognised and it was awarded EU candidate status in 2014.

The path to becoming a member still seems a long road for the country but it is taking positivity from the change of mindset of the union in recognising its will to join.

As it stands, Albania is still not a member of the EU.

Many travellers have previously been worried of their safety in the region but the country has taken huge steps to relieve fears.

What are the entry requirements for Albania?

Like many other countries, access was ravaged by the global pandemic of Covid-19.

Thankfully, the region has been able to access its rules as it has experienced a recovery from the effects, no longer having stringent entry laws and testing.

It has always offered British citizens a favourable entry to the country with passport holders able to stay for up to 90 days within any six-month period.

Those who have a valid permit of residence for the Republic of Albania can now apply for a biometric card for foreign citizens.

This is very similar to the national ID card issued to Albanian residents, making it a far more viable option for UK citizens to relocate.

Do I need a visa to go to Albania?

Anyone planning to travel to Albania needs to ensure that their passport has a minimum of three months of validity remaining from their date of entry.

Providing you have this, there is no need to obtain a visa and visitors are able to stay for a 90 day period.

Should you require your stay to exceed this, you would need to travel to a local police station to apply for a residence permit.

Once you have this, you can apply for the biometric card for foreign citizens which will then grant you access to many of the services on offer within the country.

The card will also allow registration to the e-Albania platform, granting the holder with access to services offered to foreign citizens.