School in Albania: nine years of basic education from 6 to 16, lessons in Albanian, and Dutch child benefit stops
In Albania basic education is compulsory from 6 to 16: nine school years, in Albanian. There are public and private schools. Whether compulsory schooling also applies to foreign children, the government does not say in so many words. Your child registers as an EU citizen in their own right, with documents bearing an apostille and an Albanian translation. Dutch child benefit stops, and for Dutch there is distance learning.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
If children are coming with you to Albania, the first question is: which school? Albanian basic education lasts nine school years and is compulsory from 6 to 16. Lessons are in Albanian. Besides the public schools there are private schools. Something also changes in your wallet straight away: Dutch child benefit stops as soon as your child lives in Albania. For Dutch language and culture there is distance learning.
What does the Albanian school system look like?
The Ministry of Education describes the system in its statistical yearbook.
| Part | Age or grade | Compulsory? |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-school | 3 to 6 years | no |
| Primary education | grades 1 to 5 | yes |
| Lower secondary education | grades 6 to 9, with a final exam after grade 9 | yes |
| Upper secondary education | grades 10 to 12 or 13 | no |
A child starts grade 1 if they are 6 on the first school day. The right to full-time basic education runs until 17. A child who was in group 3 in the Netherlands therefore joins at roughly the same point.
The ministry writes that compulsory schooling applies to "children who are Albanian citizens" living in Albania. Whether that includes foreign children is not stated. We could not open the law itself (law 69/2012). Assume your child must go to school, and check with the school or the municipality.
Albanian, or another language?
At a public school everything is in Albanian. The older your child, the more that weighs: from grade 6 onwards, subjects and a final exam come in a new language at the same time.
Albania also has private schools ("jopublike"). In Tirana there are international schools teaching in English. We have not checked these against an official source; ask yourself about the curriculum, recognition and fees. Outside Tirana the choice is probably smaller. That counts when you decide where to live.
If you want your child to keep reading and writing Dutch, Nederlandwereldwijd refers you to Stichting NOB. With the NOB school finder you can see what exists per country. If there is no school nearby, online lessons in Dutch language and culture (NTC) or lesson packages are an option. Affiliated schools are supervised by the Dutch Inspectorate of Education.
Which documents do you need?
Your child is an EU citizen in their own right. Since the 2025 amendment, every EU family member registers with the border and migration service within three months of arrival, and receives their own registration certificate. A family member who is not an EU citizen receives a family card valid for five years. Read residence routes in Albania.
Under the Albanian rules, documents from the Netherlands, such as a birth certificate, must:
- Have an apostille. That is the stamp that makes a Dutch document valid abroad; Albania is a party to the Apostille Convention.
- Be translated into Albanian. Have this done by a sworn translator.
- Be at most six months old. So request an extract shortly before you leave.
For the school, also bring the latest school reports and the RIVM vaccination record. What a school asks for exactly differs per school; ask in advance.
What changes for your family?
Child benefit stops. Under article 7b of the General Child Benefit Act, you receive no child benefit for a child who does not live in the Netherlands on the first day of a quarter. The exception applies only within the EU rules, and Albania is not an EU member. The SVB confirms: anyone living outside the Netherlands is not insured for child benefit. Read AOW, pension and tax in Albania.
You arrange your child's healthcare yourself. Albania is not a CAK treaty country, so Dutch health insurance stops when you leave. How Albanian health insurance works for your family is explained in healthcare in Albania.
Where you live counts. Choose where to live with the school in mind: you will find an English-language school mainly in Tirana. If a partner is coming without a job of their own, also read emigrating with your partner.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.5: 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 3.5 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.
- Albanian Ministry of Education — statistical yearbook on education 2023–2024, with compulsory schooling from 6 to 16 and the structure of basic education — arsimi.gov.al
- Ligj 79/2021 "Për të huajt", consolidated with law 43/2025, article 33/1 — registration of EU citizens and their family members, and the family card for those who are not EU citizens — asp.gov.al
- VKM 858/2021, consolidated — documents from abroad with an apostille, translated into Albanian and at most six months old — asp.gov.al
- General Child Benefit Act, article 7b — no child benefit for a child living outside the Netherlands, outside the EU rules — wetten.overheid.nl
- SVB — child benefit if you do not live in the Netherlands — svb.nl
- CAK — the treaty countries; Albania is not among them, so you arrange health insurance in your country of residence yourself — hetcak.nl
- Nederlandwereldwijd — Dutch education abroad, with the referral to Stichting NOB — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
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