Buying a house in Albania: no agricultural land, building land only after an investment, and to the land registry within 30 days
As a foreigner you may not buy agricultural land, forest or pasture in Albania, but you may lease it for up to 99 years. You buy building land only once you have built on it for at least three times the land value. You submit your deed to the land registry, the ASHK, within 30 days. Many buildings still have no title deed: have the registry extract and a lawyer check everything. A house gives you no right of residence.
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As a Dutch national you can buy a home in Albania, but not everything. You may not buy agricultural land, forest or pasture; you may lease it for up to 99 years. You buy building land only once you have already invested at least three times the land value in it. You submit your deed to the land registry within 30 days. And because many buildings in Albania still have no title deed, the most important step is the check beforehand. A house also gives you no right of residence. For most people, renting in Albania is therefore the first step, and buying something for later.
What may you buy as a foreigner?
The rules are on the website of AIDA, the Albanian investment agency. The page cites no articles of law, but refers to the Civil Code and special laws.
| What | May you buy it? |
|---|---|
| Agricultural land, forest, pastures and meadows | no; you may lease it for up to 99 years |
| Building land | only after you have made the investment under the building permit, worth at least three times the land value |
| Through a newly founded Albanian company | the restrictions do not apply, even if you own all the shares |
For an apartment the AIDA page mentions no restriction; it only covers land. That foreigners can buy an apartment freely is something we read only from advisers, not from the government. How the share in the land under an apartment building is treated is not stated either. Have an Albanian lawyer confirm this before you sign.
How do you know the property really belongs to the seller?
In Albania this is the heart of a purchase. The land registry is the ASHK (Agjencia Shtetërore e Kadastrës). In October 2026 the ASHK is still working on procedures for buildings without a title deed (objekte pa titull) and on informal construction, including in Shkodër, Berat and Dibër, and on converting agricultural land from use to ownership. A property that looks fine may therefore not belong to the seller on paper.
This is how you check:
- The extract. Request the service "Informacion zyrtar i pasurisë" via e-Albania, the government portal: the official information about the property from the land registry.
- The lawyer. Have an Albanian lawyer who does not work for the seller or the estate agent check the extract, the building permit and the ownership history.
- The notary. Have the purchase go through a notary, and ask the notary to check the title too.
Never buy a home for which the land registry does not show a clean title deed in the seller's name, not even with a promise that the papers are "still coming". Without a title you cannot have the property registered in your own name.
What has to happen after the purchase?
A title deed must be submitted for registration with the land registry within 30 days. If you are late, you pay a fine of 10 percent of the registration fee per day, up to a maximum of 300,000 lek (about €3,300). The paper documents go to the local directorate of the ASHK. Agree in advance who does this, the notary or you, so that nobody waits for the other.
What does a house cost each year, and when you sell?
| Tax | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Building tax (taksa mbi ndërtesat), collected by the municipality | 0.05 % of the value per year for a home; 0.2 % for business use | law 9632/2006, art. 22 |
| Gain on the sale of real estate | 15 %, payable before registration with the land registry | law 29/2023, art. 17 and 24 |
| Rental income if you let the property | 15 %, with no deduction of costs | law 29/2023, art. 24 |
| Inheritance and gifts, for residents | 15 %, with exemptions for close family | law 29/2023, art. 60 |
The municipality (bashkia) calculates the building tax using a method set by the government. Ask the municipality what that means for your home. For a household consisting only of pensioners, the law has an exemption; whether it also applies to a foreign pension is not stated.
We do not cover the purchase costs themselves here: what the notary, the lawyer and any transfer charge cost, we could not check at an official source. Ask for all of it in advance, in writing.
Does a house give you a right of residence?
Not as such. There was a separate residence permit for owners (article 84 of the aliens act), but that is for people who are not EU citizens. As a Dutch national you have registered as an EU citizen since 2025, within three months of arrival. If you live in your own house and do not work, you do so on your own means, with a health insurance policy in Albania. Read residence routes in Albania.
What happens on death?
Albania levies 15 percent on an inheritance or gift to a resident. Exempt are the legal heirs in the first and second degree, and brothers and sisters among themselves. Others have an exemption of up to 5,000,000 lek for real estate (about €55,000).
The Netherlands does not let go of you straight away. Under article 3 of the Dutch Inheritance Tax Act, as a Dutch national you are deemed to live in the Netherlands for another ten years after you leave. If you die within that time, your heirs pay Dutch inheritance tax, including on the house in Albania. The tax treaty with Albania does not cover inheritance tax. Read inheritance tax after emigration and AOW, pension and tax in Albania.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.6: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Albania or go straight to step 5.6 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- AIDA, the Albanian investment agency — what foreigners may buy or lease in land, and the rule of three times the land value — aida.gov.al
- ASHK, the Albanian land registry — frequently asked questions, with registration within 30 days, the fine and the extract via e-Albania — ashk.gov.al
- Ligj 29/2023 on income tax, articles 17, 24 and 60 — 15 percent on the gain on sale, and 15 percent inheritance and gift tax with exemptions — tatime.gov.al
- Ligj 9632/2006 on local taxes, article 22 — the building tax of 0.05 percent a year for a home — tatime.gov.al
- Ligj 79/2021 "Për të huajt", consolidated with law 43/2025, articles 33/1 and 84 — registration of an EU citizen and the old permit for owners — asp.gov.al
- Dutch Inheritance Tax Act 1956, article 3 — ten years of Dutch inheritance and gift tax after emigration — wetten.overheid.nl
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