STRETCH Get the app

Albania · digital nomad visa · 2026

Albania's digital nomad visa

12months
Leje UnikeOpen · checked 2026-08-18 · e-albania.al

Albania runs the Leje Unike (Unique Permit) — digital mover motive, plus a Type-D visa for digital mobile workers, an initial 12 months.

Next step

One email when the app can count this stay for you.

How we know

Every figure here is as e-albania.al publishes it, checked 18 August 2026. Where a number is our own arithmetic rather than a printed figure, the row says so.

Status
Open
Visa
Leje Unike (Unique Permit) — digital mover motive, plus a Type-D visa for digital mobile workers
Initial stay
12 months
Renewal
Yes — the permit is issued for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years (the English checklist adds permanent), and a separate live renewal service exists (e-Albania 15386)
Processing
8 days from application if the documentation is correct; up to 12 weeks if there are irregularities, with each responsible institution reviewing within 2 weeks. Deficiency notice within 5 days, 30 days to cure. Renewal: 12 weeks.
Who qualifies
The Unique Permit covers employment, self-employment, highly qualified workers, intra-company transferees, investors and "Levizes Digital" (digital movers). A Type-D visa sub-type for digital mobile workers exists alongside it. Legal basis: Law 79/2021 on Foreigners as amended by Law 43/2025, and VKM 858/2021 as amended through VKM no. 240 of 1.4.2026.
Family
Not covered by the Unique Permit checklist; family reunification runs through a separate live residence-permit service (e-Albania 15308), with validity from 3-6 months up to permanent and fees depending on the term and motive.
Where to apply
Fully online through e-Albania service 15146 (Aplikim per Leje Unike), owned by the General Directorate of the State Police; physical presence of the foreigner in Albania at the moment of application is eliminated. A free preliminary assessment (service 16406) is available first.
Official page
e-albania.al
Checked
18 August 2026

Sources are listed further down the page.

What to know before you apply

The digital-nomad route is a motive inside the Unique Permit rather than a standalone visa. The text of Law 79/2021 itself could not be read (the official gazette portal is a JavaScript application and the ministry sites serve bot-protection stubs), so the legal basis is taken from the State Police's own service records and checklists which cite it. The widely repeated claim that US citizens get a year of visa-free stay in Albania could NOT be verified against any official page — all that is confirmed is that the United States is absent from the official 113-entry visa-required list.

What it means for your tax days

Albania taxes an individual as resident who stays 183 days or more in the tax year, counting the day of entry and the day of exit each separately as days of presence (Ligj 29/2023 Neni 8, consolidated including Ligj 81/2025). Tax year is 1 January to 31 December. A visa is permission to stay; tax residency follows the days you actually spend. Check Albania's tax authority for the day test that applies to you — and count the days either way.

Sources

Questions people ask about Albania

Does Albania have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Albania runs the Leje Unike (Unique Permit) — digital mover motive, plus a Type-D visa for digital mobile workers, which grants an initial stay of 12 months (yes — the permit is issued for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years (the english checklist adds permanent), and a separate live renewal service exists (e-albania 15386)). Checked 18 August 2026 against e-albania.al.

How long can you stay on the Albania digital nomad visa?

12 months on the initial permission; yes — the permit is issued for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years (the english checklist adds permanent), and a separate live renewal service exists (e-albania 15386). Stretch counts the days either way and tells you the date you must be out.

Does a digital nomad visa in Albania make you tax resident?

Albania taxes an individual as resident who stays 183 days or more in the tax year, counting the day of entry and the day of exit each separately as days of presence (Ligj 29/2023 Neni 8, consolidated including Ligj 81/2025). Tax year is 1 January to 31 December.

How does Stretch help with the Albania digital nomad visa?

Log the day you land and Stretch counts the days against the permission you are on, shows the date you must be out, and reminds you at 14, 7, 3 and 1 days. It also tallies the days that count towards tax residency, so the 183-day question answers itself. The counting and the alerts are free, forever.

Other digital nomad visas

Albania, the rest of it

Stretch is a tracker, not legal advice, and this is not tax advice. Visa and tax rules change and are applied by the authority, not by an app — every figure here shows its source and the date we checked it. Checked 2026-08-18; confirm on the official page before you apply or file.