AlbaniaHouse
Blog
Sim card in Albania: How does an eSIM work?
Looking for information about a SIM card or eSIM in Albania? We explain how it works and, above all, how to get an eSIM, so you do not need a physical SIM card and can stay online throughout your stay in Albania.
Paying in Albania: how does it work?
The lek, cash, cards, and the part people skip: how you actually pay for a property without a suitcase of notes.
Vlora airport and property prices: did it open in 2026?
Vlora International Airport missed 20 February 2026. After the cure period the government terminated the concession. There is no measured price lift from an opening, because the airport did not open.
Retiring in Albania: the pensioner permit, plainly
Most retirees use the Law 79/2021 pensioner permit. People cite a pension floor of ALL 1.2 million a year, about EUR 967 a month, paid into an Albanian bank, plus private health cover. Buying a flat does not replace that file.
Albania reference prices 2026: what is the tax floor?
The 2026 fiscal reference prices are the minimum Albania uses for property tax. They are not listing prices. Vlore, Sarande, Durres, Himare, and Tirana zones moved by very different amounts.
Albania property revaluation: can you pay 5% until 2026 ends?
Law 85/2025 lets you revalue property you already own until 31 December 2026 and pay 5% on the gap instead of 15%. The new base comes from ASHK or a licensed expert.
Airbnb rules in Albania: do you need an NIPT in 2026?
In 2026 an individual who lets a home by the day, and runs no other business, does not need an NIPT. The income is still declared. The 15% base is disputed, VAT depends on a tourism certificate, and foreign guests must be registered within 24 hours.
Albanian Riviera beach property: four prices, one road
The Riviera is several markets. Vatreja Q3 2026 asking levels run from about EUR 2,017 per square metre in Sarande to about EUR 3,410 in Dhermi. You still arrive through Tirana airport, then the road.
VAT on new-build property in Albania?
A registered developer generally adds 20% VAT to a new build. A private resale often does not. Rank the two by the cash that actually leaves your account.
Albania vs Croatia property: what you are really buying
Croatia is the more mature, more expensive, and more liquid tourism market. Albania is earlier, with lower asking prices in several coastal towns and a thinner resale market. Montenegro gets one row, then it needs its own work.
Rental yields in Albania: what does an empty winter do?
Peak-season gross yields in the high single digits fade after five or six empty winter months, management of 15 to 25 percent, building charges, and 15 percent tax. Stress occupancy by a further 20 percent before you buy.
Best places to buy property in Albania: match the weeks
Choose the town that matches how you will use the apartment. Vatreja Q3 2026 asking prices are listings, from about EUR 1,538 per square metre in Durres to about EUR 3,410 in Dhermi.
Cost of living in Albania: what a month takes
A comfortable single in Tirana often spends EUR 900 to 1,300 a month in 2026, rent included. Couples sharing a flat often land between EUR 1,300 and 2,000, and the coast jumps in high summer.
Albania residence permit: a deed is not a stay
There is no Albanian golden visa. Owning a flat does not grant a residence permit. Law 79/2021 keeps a property-use permit and a pensioner permit, around ALL 1.2 million a year, as separate files.
Relocating to Albania: stay, city, and cash
Owning an apartment does not grant Albanian residency, and there is no golden visa. Law 79/2021 keeps permits on their own file, including a pensioner route scaled around ALL 1.2 million a year. Pick the city for the months you will actually live.
Off-plan property in Albania: what can slip?
You are paying for a future apartment. Delay, a changed finish, weak milestones, and a permit for the wrong phase decide whether that contract is worth funding.
Investing in Albanian property on net cash
Judge an Albanian apartment on what is left after empty weeks, running costs, and tax. Vatreja Q3 2026 asking prices are listings, not closed sales. Most foreign buyers pay cash.
Mortgages for foreigners in Albania?
Non-resident buyers rarely get a local loan without residency and income a bank can verify. Most wire cash, or borrow at home and then transfer the price.
Property taxes in Albania: what you actually pay
Buyers do not pay a 2% transfer tax. The seller typically pays 15% on the gain under Law 29/2023. After ASHK registration, the annual residential building tax is 0.05% of the fiscal reference value.
Buying property in Albania remotely?
A remote purchase still ends in a notarial deed. You need a narrow power of attorney, an apostille, a translation, and an ASHK kartela you have actually read.
Due diligence and title checks in Albania?
Check the ASHK kartela, the permit, and the burdens before any large sum moves. A seller PDF is a copy, and farmland is closed to a foreign individual.
Cost of buying property in Albania?
What you add on top of an Albanian apartment price: the notary, ASHK, a lawyer, and the seller's 15% on the gain, which is not a 2% buyer tax.
Buying property in Albania: what you can own
Foreign individuals can own an apartment or a building in their own name. Agricultural land, forest, and pasture stay closed to a direct personal purchase. Closing often sits around 4-7%, and the name on the ASHK extract is what counts.