Albania: Categories of foreigners working in Albania

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Albania: Categories of foreigners working in Albania

lena.jpg

Erion Lena

Individuals who are foreign citizens, employees, employers or self-employed in registered entities for fiscal purposes in the Republic of Albania, are secured and protected mandatorily under Albanian legislation. The Council of Ministers, by decision no. 77 dated January 27 2015 (published in the Official Gazette No 9 on February 3 2015) excluded the following foreigners working in Albania from paying obligatory contributions and benefiting from the social insurance and healthcare system:

  1. Foreigners working for foreign entities which, according to a treaty, have no obligation to register with the tax authorities in Albania;

  2. Foreigners that are employed in foreign entities that have no obligation to register with the Albanian tax authorities, which enter Albania to work at a job or qualified service, under a service contract associated with a subject registered to the Albanian tax authorities, that is not a branch or unit of the contracting subject. Extension of residence or service period is performed according to Law no. 108/2013 "For the foreigners";

  3. Foreigners that are employed in foreign entities that have no obligation to be registered with the Albanian tax authorities, and are to be sent to Albania to work at a job or service, according to a contract entered into by the employing foreign entity with a registered entity in the Albanian tax authorities, that is not a branch or unit of the contracting entity, if the following conditions apply:

    • To have an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation concluded between the Albanian state and state of the foreign employer;

    • Registration procedure, the work permit and its duration is to be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Law no. 108/2013 "For the foreigners";

    • The residence and the payment of obligations, according to the fiscal legislation, should be implemented according to the specifications under Law no. 9920, dated May 9 2008, "On procedures tax in the Republic of Albania";

    • The contracting entity, registered with the Albanian tax authorities, requires (every three months) from the foreign employer entity, confirmed document by the social insurance structures of the relevant state for the payment of the social security contributions, together with the names of foreign workers, and administers it along with the transfer documents in favour of the foreign employer.

  4. Foreigners with residence and permanent living location outside the territory of Albania, who have activities registered in their name in both states where they perform the task of the administrator, along with another administrator, with permanent residence in Albania. In this case, the persons shall be subject to protection and compulsory social insurance in the state where they have residence and, simultaneously, prove with documents social insurance protection from the relevant state.

  5. Foreigners are exempted from paying social insurance contributions and healthcare insurance in Albania under an agreement between their state and the Albanian state.

Exempted from the payment of mandatory contributions for healthcare insurance are economically active persons, which do not have permanent residence in Albania, which are employed, self-employed, unpaid family workers or individuals with regular income from movable and immovable property and other comparable resources.

Erion Lena  (erion.lena@eurofast.eu)

Eurofast Global, Tirana Office

Tel: +355 69 533 7456

Website: www.eurofast.eu

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

Landmark legal updates in India have led companies to prioritise specialised tax advisers over accountants, ITR has found
Brazil’s shift to a nationwide consumption tax is more than conceptual; it fundamentally transforms municipal revenue, enforcement, and administrative disputes
While some advisers praised the ruling’s definition of a ‘voucher’ for VAT purposes, a UK partner said the case left unanswered questions
While pillar two has been enacted on paper in Brazil, companies are encountering a range of practical compliance issues, ITR has heard
Moore, founding partner of the Chicago tax boutique which bears her name, shares her career wisdom for ITR’s new Women in Tax interview series
But partners at the firm admit that jumping ship to the US would not be as easy as some believe
Governments are rewriting tax policy for the AI era, deploying digital taxes, tailored incentives and algorithmic enforcement that redefine where value is created
Wingrove will succeed Bill Thomas, who has served in the role since 2017; in other news, Andersen unveiled a sharp increase in revenues for 2025
Partners are divided on Italy vs PDM D’s analytical depth, evidentiary standards, and what the judgment signals for future intra-group financing cases
As GCCs increasingly become strategic hubs, multinationals face heightened risks around permanent establishment and place of effective management
Gift this article