Guidance

Albania: Knowledge Base profile

Published 15 May 2024

About: Albania

This document contains useful information about Albania which will assist HM Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email HM Passport Office’s Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0
• published for Home Office staff on 9 May 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Albania: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Albania.

Names in Albania consist of:

• personal forename
• family name

Names may also include:

• names that indicate which area they descended from
• patronymic names, taken from the father or grandfather

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Albania.

Names must be changed in Albania and will only be considered for marriage, divorce or legal reasons such as a name being offensive.

Names changes in Albania cannot be done using a change of name deed.

The wife may take the husband’s surname after marriage. The name after marriage is recorded on the marriage certificate.

Name alignment

Updating an Albania passport with a change of name can only be done in Albania.

Albania: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Albania.

Dual nationality is allowed in Albania.

Albania: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Albania.

Legitimacy

Albania does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means all children are born legitimate whether their parents are married or not.

Parental responsibility

Both parents have parental responsibility if they are named on the birth certificate.

Albania: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Albania.

Adoption is legal in Albania.

Albania: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Albania.

Surrogacy is not legal in Albania.

Albania: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Albania.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are not legal in Albania.

Only civil marriage is legally recognised in Albania.

Albania: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Albania.

The Albanian authorities do not laminate official documents.

Birth certificates

Births must be registered with the Civil Registry Office:

• within 60 days, if the birth took place in Albania
• within 90 days, if the birth took place outside Albania
• through a court order if registration is late

Birth certificates may only record the parents forename and the date it was issued. The date of registration is not shown on the birth certificate.

If a child’s parents identify an error on an Albania birth certificate, the Civil Registry Office will reissue the birth certificate:

• in the new details; or
• showing the error, correction and reason the correction was necessary if requested

If a father does not recognise the child, the father’s name on the birth certificate will show as either:

• Unknown
• xxx

The Civil Registry in Albania issues electronic birth certificates with a digital stamp through the e-Albania government portal. These are not acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes, as hard copies of the certificates with a wet stamp are still available on request.

An electronic central National Register of births has been held since 2009. Prior to this date, all certificates were handwritten.

Birth certificates can be issued in 6 different languages, these are:

• English
• French
• Italian
• Spanish
• German
• Russian

Marriage certificates

Marriages are registered in the Marriage Civil Register when a marriage has taken place at the Civil Registry Office. There are no provisions for late registration, as the marriage should be registered during the ceremony.

The Civil Registry Office can issue the marriage certificate in Albanian or 6 other languages, these are:

• English
• French
• Italian
• Spanish
• German
• Russian

Marriages conducted by Albanian Diplomatic Missions are sent to the main Civil Registry Office once a year.

There is no central registry of marriages in Albania.

Death certificates

Since 2009 deaths in Albania are registered in the National Register of the Civil Registry. Before 2009 death registrations were handwritten in the death registers which are now kept in the Civil Registry Offices of the Prefectures.

Deaths in Albania must be reported to the authorities within 10 days. If a citizen dies outside of Albania, their death must be reported within one month. Late registrations are allowed.

There is one type of death certificate.

Identity documents

Albania citizens and permanent residents over 16 years must hold an identity card.

The Civil Registry Office will attach a photo to the Personal Certificate if the person is under 16 years old as they cannot apply for an identity card.

Border and Migration police process applications for residence permits in Albania.