Does Albania allow dual citizenship? (2026)

Does Albania allow dual citizenship?

Yes. Albanian nationality is governed by Law no. 113/2020 "On Citizenship" (in force since 2020 and amended by Law 77/2023), which replaced the older 1998 statute. Under it, an Albanian citizen who acquires another nationality does not automatically lose Albanian citizenship, and Albania does not impose a general requirement to renounce a prior passport when a foreigner naturalises. Whether you actually keep both depends on the rules of your other country, not on Albania.

The catch to watch

Albania is tolerant of dual nationality, but the constraint usually comes from the other side. Some countries (for example China, India, or the Gulf states) strip or refuse to recognise their citizenship when you take on another — so check that partner country's rules before you act. Albania will not force the choice, but your other nationality might.

There is no Albanian citizenship-by-investment programme

Albania does not sell passports. There is no golden-visa-to-citizenship track and no citizenship-by-investment fund like the Caribbean or Turkish programmes. The one discretionary route is a grant "in the interest of the state" — reserved for exceptional economic, cultural or scientific contribution, decided case by case by the authorities. It is not a product you can buy, and you should treat any agency marketing "Albanian citizenship by investment" with caution.

How Albanian citizenship arises

Mostly by descent: a child with at least one Albanian parent is Albanian regardless of where they are born, which is the main route for the diaspora. Otherwise by birth in Albania in limited cases (e.g. to avoid statelessness), by naturalisation after seven years' continuous legal residence — reduced to three years with proven Albanian ancestry, or one year after three years of marriage to an Albanian — or by the rare discretionary grant. Naturalisation also asks for basic Albanian, lawful income, and a clean record.

At a glance

Where it fits in a borderless plan

An Albanian passport pairs low living costs with visa-free Schengen access and an EU-accession trajectory. See how the passport travels in our Albania visa-free guide, sort out day-to-day money with banking in Albania, or land first as a remote worker via the Albania digital nomad visa. New to second nationalities? Start with which countries allow dual citizenship or claim one through ancestry.