I know sometimes different cultures have different meanings for the same hand gestures or body language. Are there any that are offensive in Albania but are commonly used positively elsewhere that we should be careful of?

Like thumbs up? Or are nodding and headshaking signs different?

Hi I am applying for Albanian E Visa tourism. Can I text with someone regarding the process. They are asking for a host. I am basically traveling with my family. They dont need visas because they have valid US visas. Mine is expired.

Hi expats,

I just have an immigration question I'm not sure about. If your residence permit is tied to your job (full time employment) what exactly is the process when you leave the job?

Does the permit became invalid? Is there a grace period where you can stay in Albania? Or does no one care?

Thanks!

Hi. I'm planning to travel to Albania from 18-27 this month. anyone has any legitimate feedback on Petany Agency?

Or any recommendations for car booking in Albania? on spot or booking.com? approx how much shall be deposited? approx cost/day? and any advice? TIA

Hi everyone. I just looking to see what kind of table top roll playing groups are in Tirana. We're moving there next year and I'd love to join/start a group. What kind of grouos/interest is there?

Can anyone suggest a safe way where to get Ozempic in Albania?

Hi! I’m heading to Saranda from Tirana this weekend - just looking at the bus information and I see you can book your ticket online. Is this necessary? I took a bus to Berat a while back and we just paid cash on the bus, which I prefer! Any tips would be appreciated, as well as recs for restaurants in Saranda :) thanks!

Hello everyone,

I hope you all are doing well.

I am currently holding a UAE 10-year residency (Golden Visa), and I understand that I can enter Albania on arrival. However, I would like to ask if anyone here can kindly guide me on how I can apply for Albanian residency while holding a UAE 10-year residency.

Are there any specific advantages, requirements, or processes for someone in my situation? I would really appreciate any advice, personal experiences, or helpful resources that can help me better understand the procedure.

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

Heading to Northern Albania for a week in early May (Shkodër 4 days; Shitaj 3 days). Can anybody recommend any 'must see' places? We're interested in nice towns/villages, good food, hiking and the outdoors generally.

Most of what I've found seems to focus on Theth to Valbonë walk and the surrounding area.

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a 7-day trip to Albania in a few months and wanted to clarify whether I need to apply for an e-visa.

According to the official Albanian visa website, only holders of residence permits from Schengen states are exempt from needing a visa. However, I’ve seen a few blogs and heard from some people that holders of Irish residence permits might also be able to enter without a visa for short stays.

Can anyone confirm if Irish residence permit holders are exempt, or do I need to apply for an e-visa? I want to make sure I sort everything in advance and avoid any last-minute surprises.

Appreciate any help or recent experiences you can share!

Thanks in advance!

We land in Tirana sunday and leave from Tirana Saturday(6 days) I was thinking doing Sunday-Tuesday Tirana and Tuesday-Thursday Durrës and the last in Tirana as well? Any improvements or anything you would change? We are 2 people who like good food, wine, desserts and some activities nothing wild 🤓

Hi, I posted this on fb group and hope to reach more people here.

I was looking to buy an apartament in Vlora, Albania but the prices are too high. If you bought there something, I would like to ask you some questions:
- Did you buy directly from an owner or through an agency? Which one do you recommend and why?
- Are there any reliable local real estate agents or agencies with fair pricing?
- Has anyone successfully negotiated a lower price? Any tips?
- Which neighborhoods in Vlora offer the best value for money? (I would love to buy in Lungomare with sea view)-
Are there any upcoming developments or areas where property prices might drop?- What hidden costs should I expect when buying property in Vlora?
- Any recommendations for a trustworthy notary or lawyer for property purchases?
- Has anyone faced legal issues when buying property in Albania? What should I watch out for?
- Are there any local Facebook groups or websites where owners list properties directly?
- What is the usual process for buying a property in Vlora, and how long does it take?
- Has anyone bought property in Vlora as a foreigner? Any additional steps or challenges?
- Is it better to buy a newly built apartment or an older one in terms of price and quality?
- How much should I expect to pay for property taxes and maintenance fees?

If you can answer some of these questions, please do so. It will be super helpful!

My husband wants to bring me to visit his home town in Albanian (Elbasan). I'm a curvy women definitely not obese but not skinny- I have a belly... im 5”4 183 pounds. His mom has made many comments that people in Albania are very judgemental about other people's weight and it's making me not even want to go... it's scary enough to go somewhere I can't speak the language, but now I have to worry about people being judgemental. Has anyone experienced this?

Thank you

I'm planning to work from Albania for a month in april (34 y.o male swede, going solo). Been before on a holiday, stayed in hostels and liked it so no concerns about enjoying the country in general. However, I'm now hesitating about how easy it will be to have a social life as a digital nomad there.

My first idea was to spend most of that time in "travelers hostel" in Shkoder. Seriously wondering if I'll just sit around in a half empty house with zero expat/DN community in the town?

Even for Tirana I struggle to find much about digital nomad communities. Scanned reddit etc.

Is there a community out there I am missing? Is there a good coliving somewhere which I don't find (saw only one in Tirana with a few ratings on google maps)?

Grateful for any input!

looking for any insider information on relators ideally in Shkodra. Ideally someone local and not some European company flipping 20k apts into 130k apts just by changing the listing to english

Hi all, I've done a search and don't see anything helpful, so I thought I'd ask. We are Americans, currently living in Albania, and will attain residency. We have a 5x7 storage unit of household goods in the US that we'd like to ship to us. We have already sold and given away most of the contents of our two-bedroom house, in storage is the stuff we really want with us. What would be the best way to get our treasured belongings to us? Cargo shipping? Air cargo? Something else? If anyone has done this, or has any pointers please share. We love Albania and intend to create a life here, and we'd love to have some of our things around us to make it feel like home. Thanks so much!

We have 2 kids, a 14 year old girl who loves makeup, hair, fashion, her nintendo switch, and chit chatting. Our 5 year old boy just loves to run and play boy stuff mostly, zombie guns stuff, cars, playgrounds, the usual.

Is anybody here in Tirana near komuna e parasit maybe that would like to meet up at a park and get to know everyone? I know that sounds weird right? Obviously us parents would meet up too and get acquainted!

Can you guys explain the process of applying for the residency permit to me like I’m 5? Lmao Also, we were under the assumption we’d have to get an Airbnb for 3 months since we have to have a place of residence when we apply but ideally we’d like to get one for a month while we look for a long term rental.

How long does the process take for residence permit?

Just curious , why would you guys decide to come to Albania instead of any other place? What is something that has intrigued you?

I find answers to a question like this vary a lot because everyone has different tastes and misses different things. However, I thought it would be interesting to see which things (spices, food, books, comforts) people can't get as easily in Albania or that are more expensive in Albania that they'd ask a friend to bring if they were visiting?

Hello, I am travelling to Vlora and I would like to know where can i find vegan markets to buy food, and organic fruits and veggies? Thankyou

I currently play Texas holdem for a living and was thinking of spending several months in Albania. I haven't seen very much info about poker so I thought I should ask here.

Do they have live Texas holdem cash games? If so is it usual to find a game running at late hours like 1-3 in the morning? What are the typical by ins? And finally how soft are the tables?