How to obtain the Albanian citizenship

This article is for all the foreigners interested in obtaining the Albanian citizenship. According to the law an Albanian citizen can be the holder of another citizenship simultaneously. This means that if you are the holder of a citizenship you can apply and obtain the Albanian citizenship. The authority that grants the Albanian citizenship is the President of Albania. The Albanian citizenship is object of the law no.8389, date, 05.08.1998.

The ways to get the Albanian citizenship

- By birth
- By naturalization
- By adoption

In this article I will focus on the way to get the Albanian citizenship by naturalization.
A foreigner can apply for the Albanian citizenship after fulfilling the following requirements:
- Should be more than 18 years old at the day when he submits the application
- Should have Albania legally for not less than 5 years as an habitual and continuous residence
- Should have a home in Albania and sufficient income to support himself
- Should not have been sentenced in his country of origin or Albania for an offense for which the law provides not less than 3 years of detention. This requirement will not be applied if it is proved that the sentence has been for political reasons.
- Should have at least elementary knowledge of Albanian language
- His/her Albanian citizenship should not risk the security of the Republic of Albania

If the person seeking the Albanian citizenship proves that has an Albanian origin from one of his parents till second grade, the required legal and habitual residence in Albania will be reduced in 3 years.
The foreigner married to an Albanian citizen for a period of 3 years can obtain the Albanian citizenship if he has lived continuously for 1 year.

Eliza Dushku receiving Albanian citizenship

The procedure to obtain the Albanian citizenship

The whole procedure to get the Albanian citizenship can last at the maximum 9 months after you have presented the formal request.
The request with all the accompanying documents to obtain the citizenship should be presented at the offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the place you reside in Albania (at the Police Station in your residing area). If you are living abroad you should present the question for the Albanian citizenship in the Albanian diplomatic representative offices abroad.
Within 6 month the Albanian authorities will review the documents and will decide to present them to the President of the Republic. The President will decide within 3 months on your request about the citizenship.
If the Albanian authorities of the Internal Affairs will decide not to present your request to the President of the Republic they have to inform you on doing so. If you will oppose this decision you can bring the case before Tirana District Court.
In case the Albanian state has some economic, cultural, scientific, or national interest on the person seeking the Albanian citizenship the procedure explained above can be circumvented or avoided.