Registration in Albania: your certificate as an EU citizen, the civil registry, the NIPT and the embassy in Tirana
As a Dutch citizen you register online as an EU citizen within three months of arrival and receive a registration certificate. You then enrol with the gjendja civile, the civil registry of your municipality; only then are you a temporary resident. With a business of your own you receive a NIPT, the tax number, from the QKB. The Dutch embassy is in Tirana, but you apply for a passport in Skopje or in the Netherlands.
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In Albania your registration takes two steps. First you register online as an EU citizen, within three months of arrival, and receive a registration certificate (certifikatë regjistrimi). Then you enrol with the gjendja civile, the civil registry of your municipality. Only then are you officially a "temporary resident". If you start a business of your own, you also receive a NIPT, the Albanian tax number. The Dutch embassy is in Tirana.
Which papers and numbers do you need?
| What | Where | Deadline or cost |
|---|---|---|
| Registration certificate as an EU citizen | online with the border and migration service, according to the draft decision via e-Albania | within 3 months of arrival; free according to the draft |
| Enrolment with the gjendja civile | the civil registry of your municipality | after your certificate; report every move |
| NIPT, the tax number | through the QKB, the business register, when you register a business | when your business is registered |
| Reporting within 10 days | does not apply to EU citizens | |
| Permanent residence | the migration service | after 5 years of continuous legal residence |
| Tax return | the Albanian tax authority | before 31 March of the following year |
How do you register as an EU citizen?
The law (article 33/1 of the Law on Foreigners) says: register online with the border and migration service where you live, no later than three months after arrival. We could not open the implementing decision, VKM 240 of 1 April 2026. Its draft lists these documents:
- Your passport or ID card, and proof of your entry.
- A statement of your address and a passport photo.
- A statement that your details are correct.
- The documents for your ground: an employment contract, proof of your business and your NIPT, or proof of means with a health policy in Albania.
According to the draft the certificate is free, the service checks within five working days and you receive it electronically. Whether it works like this in e-Albania, ask the border police (Policia e Shtetit) or check e-Albania. Many sites still describe the old residence permit with a biometric card; that no longer applies to you. See the residence routes to Albania.
The old rule that a foreigner reports to the police within ten days of arrival does not apply to EU citizens. Your deadline is the three months for your registration. Those coincide with your 90 days without a visa: so do not wait until the last week.
What does the gjendja civile do?
With your certificate you enrol with the civil registry of your municipality. This puts you and your address in the Albanian register, and makes you a temporary resident. If you move within Albania, you report it. You will also need your address later for your bank, your car and your driving licence.
What is the NIPT?
The NIPT (Numri i Identifikimit për Personin e Tatueshëm) is the tax number in Albania. A business or self-employed person receives it when registering with the QKB (Qendra Kombëtare e Biznesit), the business register. A bank asks a non-resident for a tax number; how you obtain one as a private individual without a business, we did not find officially. Ask your bank or the tax authority. See banking and payments in Albania.
Which papers do you bring from the Netherlands?
Under the old system, documents from the Netherlands had to carry an apostille, be translated into Albanian and be at most six months old. Stick to that. Albania has been party to the Apostille Convention since 2004, so an apostille is enough. Think of an extract from the BRP, your marriage or birth certificate and possibly a VOG certificate of conduct. The draft decision asked everyone aged 16 to 75 for a criminal record certificate; whether that is in the final decision has not been confirmed.
How do you keep your residence?
After five years of continuous legal residence you obtain permanent residence; earlier if you retire after a year of work and have lived there for more than three years. For tax you are resident at 183 days of the year in Albania or with a permanent home there. What you close down in the Netherlands is in deregistering from your municipality.
Who is there for Dutch citizens?
The Dutch embassy is at Rruga Asim Zeneli 10 in Tirana, telephone +355 42 24 08 28 or +31 247 247 247. You cannot apply for a passport or ID card in Albania: you do that at the embassy in Skopje (North Macedonia) or in a Dutch border municipality. You can collect it in Skopje, or have it sent to the embassy in Tirana. You then show your Albanian residence document as proof that you may live there.
The Albanian embassy in The Hague (Hoge Nieuwstraat 22) helps with consular matters, by post only and without cash.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.1: 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 5.1 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.
- Ligj 79/2021 "Për të huajt", consolidated with law 43/2025 — article 33/1 (registration, civil registry, permanent residence) and article 29 (reporting within 10 days) — asp.gov.al
- Draft amendment of VKM 858 (consultation 2026) — the registration certificate, free, via e-Albania, and the documents per ground — konsultimipublik.gov.al
- VKM 858/2021, consolidated to May 2024 — the exemption from reporting for EU citizens (annex 1), the translation and the six months — asp.gov.al
- HCCH — Albania has been party to the Apostille Convention since 2004 — hcch.net
- NederlandWereldwijd — the Dutch embassy in Tirana — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- NederlandWereldwijd — applying for a passport or ID card when you live in Albania — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- Embassy of Albania in The Hague — consular services — ambasadat.gov.al
- Ligj 29/2023 on income tax, consolidated — article 8 (resident at 183 days) and article 61 (tax return) — tatime.gov.al
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