Albania retirement visa and pensioner residence permit

Article 85 of the Law on Foreigners lets foreign nationals who are retired in their own country apply to the Border and Migration authority for a pensioner permit. Following Law No. 43/2025 the detailed criteria are set by the Council of Ministers. Decision No. 858 and e-Albania require a pension document and proof of annual pension income above ALL 1,200,000 from the country of origin, evidence from a second-level bank in Albania that the pension is transferred there, health insurance in Albania, a criminal record certificate for the first application and a personal declaration of the reason for staying in Albania.

For the D/P visa: the general visa documents (online form, photo of 47 x 36 mm, passport scan), the pension document and the certificate of annual pension income of at least ALL 1,200,000; pensioners need no invitation. For the permit e-Albania lists a passport copy, photo, proof of accommodation meeting housing standards, the pension income evidence, the Albanian bank evidence of pension transfer, health insurance in Albania, a criminal record certificate from the country of origin issued within six months, legalised, translated and notarised (first application only), and an individual declaration of the reason for staying.

The threshold is an annual pension of ALL 1,200,000 from the state of origin, about ALL 100,000 a month. For the D/P visa you certify this income with a pension document from the country of origin or residence. For the permit you add proof that the pension is transferred through a bank in Albania. Other savings do not replace the pension requirement in the official document lists.

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 every year if you still meet the criteria, with the application filed within 60 days before expiry. Renewals of temporary permits also require proof that taxes and local taxes for the last calendar year have been paid. A pensioner may request family reunification for a spouse or partner who is not retired. The permit does not allow any economic or professional activity. Absences of more than 180 days within a year can lead to 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.