Services · Company formation

How to register a company in Albania as a foreigner

Updated 1 October 2026

Capital of 1 euro and 0% corporate income tax until the end of 2029, but an application cannot be filed without an Albanian electronic signature. We cover the Sh.p.k. and Sh.a. forms, registration by power of attorney, fees, taxes, reporting, banks and restrictions for citizens of Russia and Belarus.

Is it worth opening a company in Albania

ALL 100 of share capital is about 1 euro, the fee for online filing is ALL 0, and the registry decides within one business day. That makes Albania one of the cheapest places in Europe to register a company. The lek (ALL) is the national currency; at the Bank of Albania official rate in 2026, 1 euro is roughly 92 lek.

The main argument is tax. Article 69 of Law No. 29/2023 On Income Tax gives companies with annual turnover of up to ALL 14 million (about 152,000 euros) a 0% corporate income tax rate until 31 December 2029. For comparison: Serbia taxes profit at 15%, Montenegro at 9-15%, Greece at 22%.

Cheap does not mean remote or carefree. The registry accepts applications only through the e-Albania state portal and only with an Albanian electronic signature, so a founder abroad acts through a representative under a notarised power of attorney. The bank, as a rule, expects the director in person. The 0% relief works like a cliff: at ALL 14.1 million of turnover, 15% applies to the entire profit, not to the excess. Dividends carry an 8% withholding tax in any case.

Albania is an EU candidate, not a member: an Albanian company gets no EU VAT number and no freedom to provide services inside the EU. EU sanctions against Russia, however, apply in full.

A good fit for those who live or plan to live in Albania, run an IT studio, agency, guesthouse, cafe or travel firm with turnover of up to ALL 14 million a year, or need their own company as the basis for a residence and work permit. Not a fit for those who need an EU company, count on a firm with no real address or bookkeeping, or want a bank account without travelling. For life in the capital, see Tirana.

Which company to open in Albania: Sh.p.k., Sh.a. or a branch

The capital of the most popular Albanian form, the Sh.p.k., is 35,000 times smaller than that of a joint-stock company: ALL 100 against ALL 3.5 million. The Sh.p.k. is a limited liability company that one founder can set up. Company forms are set out in Law No. 9901 of 14 April 2008 On Entrepreneurs and Commercial Companies.

An Sh.p.k. has two bodies: the general meeting of members and the director (administrator). There can be several directors; the meeting appoints them for up to 5 years and may reappoint them. A director need not hold a share. Law No. 9901 does not require a company secretary as English law does.

The law does not limit the citizenship or residence of the director and members: a foreigner may own 100% of the company and run it. Restrictions remain in a few sectors, such as passenger air transport and television broadcasting. A foreign director who works while physically in Albania needs a residence and work permit.

Capital of ALL 100 is a formality, not protection: the bank and counterparties look at real money and turnover. For licensed activities, sector laws set their own, higher minimum.

Can you open a company in Albania online and without a visit

A company in Albania can be registered without a trip: since 2022 the commercial register has accepted applications online only. The register is kept by the QKB (Qendra Kombëtare e Biznesit - the National Business Center), and documents are filed through e-Albania, the state e-services portal. The problem is the signature. The form cannot be submitted without an electronic signature issued in Albania, and in practice a foreigner without an Albanian residence permit cannot get a full portal account.

So a founder abroad issues a notarised power of attorney to a representative in Albania who has an e-Albania account and an electronic signature. The representative files the application, the statute and the beneficial owner data, receives the registry decision and hands the documents and access over to the director.

A power of attorney issued in Albania is accepted straight away. One from another country needs a certified Albanian translation and legalisation: for 1961 Hague Convention countries this means an apostille, a stamp confirming a document is genuine for use abroad. Russian citizens have an unexpected advantage: the QKB states that documents from Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Kosovo are accepted without legalisation or an apostille. Documents from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine need an apostille.

All documents are filed in Albanian. The QKB publishes model statutes for the Sh.p.k. and the Sh.a. and a model assembly decision on its website.

Who still has to travel:

• the director - to the bank: banks, as a rule, open a company account after identification in person;
• a director who plans to live and work in Albania - for the residence and work permit.

Notarial acts and representation before the QKB are handled by Murblz specialists together with locally licensed partners. For translations and apostilles, see translation and legalisation of documents.

How to register a company in Albania: steps and timing

One business day is what Law No. 9723 On Business Registration gives the QKB to decide on a complete file; in practice the entry appears within 1-2 days. Most of the time goes on preparing the papers before filing and on the bank afterwards.

A registered office (selia) is mandatory: it is entered in the register, determines the tax office and receives notices. The address must be real - the tax administration checks that the company can be found there.

How much does company registration in Albania cost

The state receives ALL 0 when an Sh.p.k. is registered: online filing with the QKB is free, and the ALL 100 of capital stays in the company's own account. The real budget is everything around it: the power of attorney, translations, the address, bookkeeping and fiscalisation.

Mandatory costs that do not go to the state:

• a notarised power of attorney and, if it is issued abroad, an apostille and a certified translation;
• translation of passports and of the corporate documents of a founding company into Albanian;
• a registered office - your own premises, a lease or an address agreement;
• bookkeeping: payroll and VAT returns are filed monthly, the annual return even when the tax is zero;
• connection to the fiscalisation system for invoices and receipts.

The municipality also charges local fees; the amount depends on the city, the type of activity and the turnover. The main cost is not registration but bookkeeping and the address: these payments repeat every month.

What taxes does a company pay in Albania

0% instead of 15% is what an Albanian company pays on profit while its annual turnover stays within ALL 14 million (about 152,000 euros). The relief comes from Article 69 of Law No. 29/2023 On Income Tax and runs until 31 December 2029. From 2030 small business returns to the standard rate.

• Corporate income tax - 15%. For turnover of up to ALL 14 million - 0% until the end of 2029. The threshold is measured by gross turnover, not by profit.
• VAT (tatimi mbi vlerën e shtuar, TVSH) - 20%. A reduced 6% rate applies, for example, to hotel accommodation services. Registration is mandatory once annual turnover exceeds ALL 10 million (about 109,000 euros) and voluntary below the threshold.
• Dividends - 8% at source: the company withholds the tax when it pays a member.
• Interest, royalties, technical and management services of non-residents - 15% at source unless a double tax treaty gives a lower rate. Albania has 42 treaties in force.
• Payroll contributions - the employer pays 16.7% (15% social insurance and 1.7% health insurance), and 11.2% is withheld from the employee's salary.

A sample calculation. A studio with turnover of ALL 12 million and profit of ALL 4 million pays no corporate income tax. If the whole profit is paid out to the owner, 8% is withheld - ALL 320,000 (about 3,480 euros). The same studio with turnover of ALL 14.5 million loses the relief entirely: 15% of ALL 4 million is ALL 600,000, plus 8% of the remaining ALL 3.4 million is ALL 272,000. The total is ALL 872,000 (about 9,480 euros) instead of ALL 320,000. Crossing the threshold by ALL 500,000 cost ALL 552,000 in extra tax.

The second trap is VAT. The VAT threshold is lower than the income tax threshold: a company with turnover of ALL 11 million pays no tax on profit but already adds 20% to its invoices.

The zero rate does not cancel reporting. The corporate income tax return is due by 31 March, advance tax payments are made monthly or quarterly, and every invoice goes through the fiscalisation system under Law No. 87/2019. Rates for other countries are in the taxes by country section.

Reporting, audit and the beneficial owner register: what to file each year

ALL 60,000 (about 650 euros) is the fine for annual financial statements not filed with the register on time; it used to be ALL 15,000. An Albanian company is cheap to open but demands discipline: fixed annual deadlines and a standing duty to keep its register data up to date.

• By 31 March - the annual corporate income tax return to the tax administration. It is filed even at the 0% rate.
• By 31 July - annual financial statements to the QKB. Law No. 9723 allows 7 months after the end of the financial year; filing is through e-Albania only.
• During the year - monthly payroll and contribution returns, VAT returns for registered taxpayers, advance payments of corporate income tax.

Audit. Under Article 41 of Law No. 10091 of 5 March 2009 on statutory audit, annual statements must be audited if for two years in a row the company exceeds two of three indicators: assets of ALL 50 million or more (about 543,000 euros), turnover of ALL 100 million or more (about 1.09 million euros), an average of 50 or more employees. Banks, insurers and other public-interest entities are audited regardless of size. A small Sh.p.k. is not subject to audit.

Beneficial owner register. Law No. 112/2020 obliges every company to disclose its beneficial owners - individuals who directly or indirectly hold 25% or more of the capital or votes. The register is kept by the same QKB. The data are filed together with the application to register the company, changes within 90 calendar days. The fine for late changes is ALL 400,000 (about 4,350 euros), for a missing initial record from ALL 50,000 to ALL 600,000. The QKB gives the offender the status "suspended" and stops providing services until the fine is paid and the data are entered.

Changes and closure. A change of director, address, members or statute is registered with the QKB. Closing a firm is harder than opening one: before removal from the register the tax administration checks its tax position, and deregistration does not write off old debts.

Bank account and restrictions for citizens of Russia and Belarus

12 banks and one branch of a foreign bank make up the entire Albanian banking market, according to the Bank of Albania. The choice is narrow, and each bank decides for itself whether to take a company with foreign owners.

The bank checks the director and the beneficial owners, the source of funds, contracts with counterparties and the link between the business and Albania. Banks, as a rule, identify the director in person. The decision rests with the bank.

Citizens of Russia and Belarus should take three things into account.

• Sanctions. As an EU candidate, Albania has aligned with all the union's decisions on Russia. Government Decision No. 597/2025 extends restrictions to more than 2,500 individuals and entities, and the EU sectoral bans apply as well. Compliance is monitored by the Bank of Albania and the financial intelligence agency. A Russian or Belarusian passport in itself does not block company registration, but settlements with banks under EU sanctions are impossible, and the bank scrutinises any payment connected with Russia or Belarus especially closely.
• Entry and status. Since 2023 Russian citizens have needed a visa to travel to Albania; entry without one is allowed, among other cases, with a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa that has already been used to enter the Schengen area. From 2022 to April 2026 the police refused entry to 207 Russian citizens, rejected 31 residence applications and revoked 15 permits. For Belarusian citizens the visa rules changed in 2025 and need to be checked before a trip.
• Double taxation. The 1995 convention between Russia and Albania is formally in force, but by Decree No. 585 of 8 August 2023 Russia suspended its Articles 5-23 and 25. Treaty relief on dividends and interest cannot be relied on on the Russian side. Belarus is not on the list of Albania's tax treaties.

A company and a residence permit. Registering a firm gives no right to live in the country. Law No. 79/2021 On Aliens provides for a single permit (leje unike) - one document for residence and work. For the self-employed and business owners it is issued for up to three years (Article 67), for investors for two years with renewal for three (Article 69), and an investor must keep a ratio of one foreign worker for every five Albanian ones. The border and migration authority decides.

For choosing a bank and preparing the file, see business accounts and personal accounts; for the move itself, see relocation.

What we do

Registration with the QKB takes a day. Preparing for it and launching the company afterwards - documents, translations, the tax administration, the bank - takes far longer. That is the part we take on.

• we match the task to the form - Sh.p.k., Sh.a., branch or representative office - and say plainly if Albania does not suit it;
• we calculate the taxes in advance: whether the business fits within the ALL 14 million threshold, when VAT kicks in, how much is left after dividends;
• we prepare the statute, decisions, the power of attorney, and the translation and legalisation of the founders' documents;
• we arrange the filing of the application and the beneficial owner data with the QKB through a representative with an electronic signature, and obtain the NUIS and the register extract;
• we help with a registered office in Tirana or another city;
• we bring in Murblz accounting and tax specialists: the tax account, fiscalisation, monthly returns, annual statements to the QKB;
• we prepare the document file for the bank and support the account opening;
• we keep the commercial register and the beneficial owner register up to date so that the company does not get a fine and the status "suspended".

Legal representation - notarial acts, representation before the QKB, the tax administration and the courts - is handled by Murblz specialists together with locally licensed partners.

To compare Albania with its neighbours, see company registration in Montenegro, in Serbia and in Greece. All jurisdictions are in the company registration and company registration abroad sections.

See also

Business account · Personal account · Investment property

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