Albania family reunification visa and permit

A foreign family member of an Albanian citizen receives a permit for up to one year at first, then renewed for two years; this applies to the spouse and to unmarried minors under the foreigner's legal guardianship. A foreigner holding an Albanian residence permit valid for at least one year and renewable can sponsor family members who are outside Albania if the sponsor has normal housing, health insurance for the family and stable income without social assistance.

Unmarried children may apply up to the age of 30 if the sponsor covers all their living costs, and unmarried children and ascendants who objectively cannot support themselves for health reasons may be admitted as exceptional cases. Cohabiting partners qualify with a notarial declaration of cohabitation for more than 12 months. Family members of seasonal workers are excluded, and family members of refugees follow the asylum legislation.

For the D/BF visa e-Visa lists the photo and passport scan plus a certificate issued no more than one month before the application proving the family link, or a notarial cohabitation declaration with certificates showing both partners are single; proof that the host has suitable housing in Albania (a notarised lease or ownership document); a notarised document showing that a foreign host is employed or self-employed with enough income; and the host's invitation with a copy of their ID and residence permit.

For the permit e-Albania asks for proof of accommodation, proof of health insurance in Albania and a marriage or family certificate issued within the last six months, legalised, translated and notarised. Civil partners add the notarial cohabitation declaration and single-status certificates; minors need the notarised consent of the parents; and applicants joining a foreigner, or partners and parents, also show sufficient financial resources.

Where the decision asks for proof of means, it accepts either a deposit certificate from a second-level bank in Albania of at least ALL 300,000 per person for a calendar year or proof of a monthly income of at least ALL 32,000 per person. For family members of Albanian citizens the means test applies only to civil partners; for family members of foreigners the foreign sponsor must prove means sufficient to keep the family within Albanian standards without economic assistance.

The residence permit application is filed online on e-Albania within 30 days of entering Albania, while you are in the country. The Border and Migration office checks it and, within 10 days, notifies any deficiencies, which you must complete within 30 days. Once the file is accepted you receive an emailed invoice for the permit fee, payable within 24 hours at any second-level bank, and you must post the original documents, two photos, the payment slip and the signed form within 7 days; otherwise the application is rejected. You then receive an electronically signed provisional permit valid for up to two months. The decision follows within 30 days; if approved, you appear at the local migration office to prove your identity and apply for the biometric residence card, and within 30 days of receiving it you register your address at the civil registry office.

The permit is renewed within 60 days before expiry if the conditions still apply. After at least five years of continuous residence on family grounds, spouses, partners and adult children may obtain an autonomous permit, provided they did not hold another type of permit in that time; for family of Blue Card AL holders the period is two years. If the relationship ends within five years the right is lost, except for victims of domestic or gender-based violence holding a protection order, who may receive an autonomous permit regardless of the length of the marriage. After a sponsor's death, family members who lived in Albania for at least three years may apply independently. Sham marriages lead to refusal or cancellation.

A permit can be refused or cancelled if you miss deadlines without good reason, cannot prove the conditions, are a threat to public order or security, obtained it with false documents, or stayed more than 180 days outside Albania within one year of the permit. The written refusal states the reasons, your obligations and the appeal route. You can appeal to the authority directly above the one that decided, within the deadlines of the Code of Administrative Procedures; the appeal must be decided within 30 days and the decision can be challenged in the administrative court. A visa D refusal is appealed within 5 working days to the Directorate for Consular Affairs.