Travel to Albania. Without a visa: going to Albania Travel to Albania

It boasts an ideal climate for summer holidays, the hospitality of its residents, hearty and varied cuisine and magnificent nature. Some of its backwardness from the tourist-advanced powers of the region is more than compensated for by its untouched landscapes and perfectly clean sea. What else does a person who decides to devote his vacation to traveling to Albania need?

Important points

• If you have citizenship and are going to go to Albanian beaches or take a walk along the old town from June 1 to October 31 inclusive, you will not need a visa for up to 90 days. Those wishing to fly to Albania at other times of the year will have to register at the country's consulate and pay a fee of 15 euros. Having a valid Schengen visa, a tourist can enter the country at any time.
• Don't rely too much on credit cards in Albania. They are accepted for payment only in large hotels and expensive restaurants. You can find ATMs for withdrawing money from your card in almost any major locality in the country.
• Do not delve into political and religious topics in conversations with Albanians. Citizens of the republic are still too conservative in such matters.

Choosing wings

Nightingales are not fed fables

Excellent Balkan cuisine, based on olives and homemade cheeses, fruits and vegetables, selected lamb and seafood, is the main advantage of Albanian catering. There are still few overly luxurious restaurants even in Tirana, but small cafes with homemade dishes and a cozy, comfortable atmosphere look much more authentic here.
The average bill for two for lunch with hot food and wine in a cafe in Albania is unlikely to exceed 20 euros. At the same time, the portions in local restaurants are so substantial that one salad or main course can easily be shared between two people.

Useful details

• When finding out the price of a particular product, do not forget to ask whether it is indicated in the old or new system. Unscrupulous sellers may add an extra zero, taking advantage of tourists’ ignorance.
• The majority of the country's population professes Islam, and therefore the rules of behavior in public places, the dress code adopted in such states and special politeness towards women and the elderly should be strictly observed.
• Fines for not wearing a seat belt or talking on a mobile phone while driving in Albania are not too high and amount to no more than ten euros in European currency.
• The price of one liter of gasoline fluctuates around 1.16 euros.
• Intercity bus services between Albanian cities have a fairly stable schedule. Still, it is better not to plan trips in the evening - these are the flights that are most often cancelled.

The perfect trip to Albania

Washed by the Ionian and Adriatic seas, Albania is a country with a classic Mediterranean climate. Summers are dry and quite hot, and winters are mild and humid. At the height of July, the air temperature on the sea coast in Albania reaches +35°C, and in January it usually does not fall below +10°C. Sunbathing and swimming on the beaches of Albania, despite the heat, is quite comfortable, as sea breezes bring freshness and coolness.
Most precipitation falls in early spring and late autumn. There are at least three hundred sunny days a year.

The post was inspired by previous posts in the community about where to go on your own without going bankrupt.

Let's be honest, one way or another, most of the popular European cities are not cheap places. Yes, in Paris or Rome you can always find relatively inexpensive accommodation, but this is offset by the rather costly travel around the city, the need to pay in advance for a visa (with the risk of not getting one) and other attributes of developed tourist cities and countries, such as serious entry prices museums or various tourist fees. Of course, you can prepare well and cut rough edges. Eat where it’s cheaper, walk more, or get sophisticated in buying travel cards and the like. And of course, this is also worth doing, because these conditional Paris or Rome are really cities that you still need to visit at least once. But, it is also worth remembering that they are not the only ones and that at a comparable distance from Ukraine you can find less popular, and therefore not so expensive, but no less interesting cities and countries.

Causes:
Visa-free entry for up to 90 days;
A huge number of attractions per square kilometer;
Low prices for food and travel;
Well, the color, of course, this is the Balkans.

Housing:
It’s more difficult here, since Albania is still a country where tourism is just gaining momentum, so in order to book budget accommodation via the Internet, sometimes you need to spend more time than usual. Perhaps even surf forums like Tripadvisor if the city you want to go to is far from the main tourist trails. But hardly anyone will visit them during their first trip, but otherwise the same algorithm works as everywhere else:
Booking.com
Hostels.com
I also like taniehotele.be, where you can compare offers from different resources.
Example prices:
A room for a person in Shkoder - 14 euros with breakfast.
A room for two in Gjirokastra - 17 euros.
Bed in Ses (Theth) - 11 euros.
You can find it cheaper locally. I suspect there is a point to bargain.

Food.
Cheap. A full meal with meat, potatoes and juice will cost five euros (or less) in a good cafe.
The king of local street food is burek, which costs somewhere around 15-30 euro cents.
Also very cheap fruit.
Not really food, but it was important to me. Tobacco products are 15-20 percent cheaper than ours.

Attractions:
Here there is where to turn around for those traveling on their own. Despite the fact that the country, if you look at the map, looks a little larger than the Kyiv region, from the inside it seems huge. It is quite possible to spend three weeks in Albania and not see everything that it can boast of.
I will write very briefly only about those cities and places where I have been:

Shkoder.

Shkoder is the largest city in northern Albania. It is known primarily for its Rozafa fortress.

The fortress dates back to the third century BC. However, now it looks completely different than it did then, and the reason for this is the history of these places, which is rich in military actions.

Rozafa, like many European fortresses, boasts an interesting legend about its creation.

The fortress is huge and in good condition. There is a museum. Entrance is about 150 lek. (1 euro).

The city itself leaves a double impression. There is a lot of trash and spontaneous markets that spoil the impression, but there is also a pleasant and well-kept old center, and also a beautiful embankment of Lake Skadar.

Tirana.

The capital and largest city of Albania. It is in Tirana that it is easiest to feel the socialist past of this country. The squares and government buildings are reminiscent of the era of the reign of the local Stalin - Enver Hoxha. A most interesting character, by the way, albeit a negative one. Hoxha prepared the entire country for the proposed war for more than forty years, and also built an iron curtain worse than the Soviet one.

At the same time, Tirana is a developing city and a lot of things are changing here for the better literally before our eyes. There is a good public transport system here. There are many local attractions, churches and mosques.

Tirana is surrounded by mountains and places for active recreation, but for me, above all, it is the city with the strongest urban culture in Albania. It’s cool here, although it’s hard to convey in a photo.

Gjirokastra (or Gjirokastra)

The birthplace of that same Enver Hoxha. The city is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Gjirokastra is one of the most famous Albanian cities today.

There is a fortress built in the twelfth century.

With good historical and military museums.

Its territory sometimes becomes the venue for rock festivals.

Ses (Theth)

Albania has mountains that are called the Albanian Alps. In fact, it is part of the Prokletije mountain range, which also runs through Montenegro and Kosovo.

The mountain village of Ses is located seventy kilometers from Shkoder.

There is no road to Ses as such, so these seventy kilometers are covered in four hours along a dirt serpentine road. In winter it is impossible to travel to Ses and this place remains cut off from civilization for several months.

Ses is an amazing place. There are crystal clear rivers and mountains here, many of which are higher than our Goverla, and also, which has not changed much in recent years fifty , way of life of the local population.

Ses is already attracting travelers from all over the world. I met Poles, British, Germans, Czechs, Australians and French here. Many come with their own vans.

At the same time, SES still remains inexpensive. Perhaps these are generally the cheapest mountains in Europe, but that makes them no less fascinating.

Albanians:

Mostly simple and open people. The attitude towards foreigners is positive, sometimes even ingratiating. It seems that many are trying to demonstrate as much as possible that Albania is a normal and hospitable country and thereby break the stereotypes that have developed about it.
A guy I met by chance at a gas station took me for free all day around the outskirts of Shkodra and showed me the sights. There were people who, when asked how to get somewhere, dropped what they were doing and took them to that very place, almost by the hand.
I didn’t encounter any aggression. Among the problems, one can only note that a relatively small percentage of the population speaks English.

Difficulties.
The most significant difficulty is moving around the country. There are no bus stations as such; you need to ask locals where exactly the minibus/bus departs to another city. You cannot buy a ticket in advance either. The only exception is international flights.
There are few good roads. I immediately remember only Shkodra-Tirana. This, in turn, takes a lot of time to move over ridiculous, in our understanding, distances. For example, a bus from Tirana to Gjirokastra, which is just over two hundred kilometers, takes about seven hours. On the other hand, travel prices are low. The above mentioned transfer will cost no more than 1000 lek (1 euro - 140 lek).
There is also a railway in Albania, but this is an option for aesthetes. The trains are old, and the ride is even longer than by bus.
All this tells us that when traveling around Albania, you need to be calm about forced changes in the route. This, however, also applies to travel to other Balkan countries.

How to get:
Flying to Albania is perhaps the most difficult thing you can face when planning a trip. There are no direct flights from Ukraine to Albania (even charter ones), which in turn means that you need to fly with a transfer.
The best option is to fly to Tirana via Istanbul with the help of Pegasus airlines, which covers Kharkov, Donetsk and Lviv.
Prices vary, but sometimes they are delicious. But the main advantage of this option is complete visa-free travel (and in addition, you can see Istanbul if you choose a long layover). Pegasus docks (something Wizz’air doesn’t do), which means you won’t have to think about what to do with your luggage during the transfer.

An option is to fly Air Serbia to Belgrade and then overland to Montenegro, from where at least two buses depart daily from a small town near the border - Ulcinj - to Shkodër.

You can get to Tirana from Sofia, where Wizz’air flies, in transit through Macedonia, but you need a Bulgarian or Schengen visa, so this option is not suitable for everyone.

Quite recently, inexpensive Belle Air flew to Albania from many European cities, but it seems that since November last year, the company has died for a long time.

A flight to any of the neighboring countries is also suitable. Bus routes in this region are developed.

Of course, all these options are not without flaws. Here it’s “maymo sho majemo”...

One way or another, I am sure that whoever is looking will find and will definitely fly away.

P.S. Albania is sometimes called Hidden Corner of Europe, but it seems to me that this will not last long and will be here very soon willthere are a lot of tourists and much more expensive. But so far, fortunately, this is not the case. And you need to use this.

We left by car from Ulcinj (the southernmost city in Montenegro on the coast). Initially we were going to go through Podgorica to Shkodër, but in one of the guidebooks I saw a direct road from Ulcinj to Shkodër.

I asked the locals - they said that the road is good, you can drive without problems, but it’s better not to go there at all. Looking at my determination, they advised me at least not to abandon the car, since with someone else’s license plates a new car could be quickly stolen. Poles lived in the apartments next to us, and I asked if they had been to Albania. It turned out that they were. They confirmed that the road from Ulcinj is good, but the road from Podgorica to Shkoder is very bad.

They also warned that at the entrance to Shkoder there is a one-way bridge, that is, you can only go in one direction, and on the other side they wait for the flow to end and only after that they begin to move in the other direction. So, they recommended that at this moment, while you are standing waiting for your turn, all the doors and windows should be closed, because there are crowds of children who are climbing into cars and stealing everything they can reach.

We left in the morning following the signs for Vladimir. There are only 2 roads to the south from Ulcinj - to Ada Boyana and Vladimir.

Very quickly we reached the Montenegro-Albania border from the Montenegro side, the border town is colorfully called Sukobin. There is a queue for 3-4 cars, passports and documents for the car are checked, and after 10 minutes we go through border control.

Since I did not find clear information about the procedure for crossing the Albanian border, I prepared in advance as best I could, especially since people shared information that some were not allowed in by car, some only with a group, and some not at all. I printed out a page about the visa regime from the website of the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, kindly provided in the ru_travel community, inserted the coat of arms of Albania there, highlighted the headings and text in different fonts, in short, got creative, and in the end it looked almost like an official document for border guards. NOT NEEDED!

On the Albanian side, the border town is called Muriqan. After passing this town for another 10 kilometers, I began to strongly suspect that there would be no Albanian control. And so it turned out - the Montenegro-Albania border control is a joint point.

About navigation There is no electronic map of Albania! I haven’t seen a paper map of Albania - but I suspect it doesn’t exist either. There are main roads - without details. I drove using iGO, which knows only 2 roads, from Shkodra (Podgorica) to the center of Tirana and from the center of Tirana to the port of Duress.

That? It’s true that there are a lot of Mercedes on the roads. Not 90 and not 100%, of course, but a lot.

From wrecked ones to turbocharged compressors and others with them for a lot of money. Especially in Tirana. But in percentage terms it’s not Moscow, of course.

There are traffic cops on the roads. They blinked at me once before an ambush with a radar, very useful. But I was surprised that out of 10 cars only one blinked.

Either this is not accepted among them, or perhaps there will be severe sanctions for this, or they didn’t like my license plates (Croatian) with a sticker (RUS) - (how can you see all this from afar while moving?) - I don’t know in one word, but it’s a fact that the warnings are not very active, to put it mildly.

From border control to Shkodër it is only 30 km, from Shkodër to Tirana another 100.

The road is normal by Russian standards, you can drive, in many places repairs are widening the road and making 2-3 lanes in each direction. In 2 years I think driving will be much more pleasant.

There is a road junction 20-30 kilometers before Tirana. Using iGO you need to go right, get to the highway to Durres and then follow it to Tirana. But the sign shows that you need to go straight. I followed the sign straight and found myself in the very center. By the way, Google already knows this road, I discovered it when I returned. I didn't know in the summer.

Tirana

We were in Tirana on a weekday, in the very center. The traffic is amazing, but they climb more and more brazenly than ours and beep a lot in the manner of the Arabs (but still less). Despite the fact that there are signs everywhere, everyone who is bolder climbs the rings. But again, our people can go, you can squeeze/cut in here, you can get through there, they’ll cover you here. Nothing supernatural in principle. The only thing is that I have to be more careful, since in this country, with a rented car, I can’t imagine the disassembly and consequences of an accident. Considering that no one speaks English.

It is impossible to park in the center. Having made three circles around the central square and surrounding area, I found two taxi ranks. Parked there. As soon as I got out of the car, the men from the newsstand began to actively explain to me in Albanian that I had parked the car in a taxi rank and there was no need to do that and it would be very bad. Then one saw a RUS sticker on the bumper and said - well, you are Russians - you can, OK, in short. Despite the fact that we were warned about the possibility of the car being stolen, no one wanted to stay in it. We left the car and went to see the sights.

We looked, took pictures, bought souvenirs. The city is noisy, everyone is noisy, running somewhere, throwing themselves under the wheels. After walking around the center we decided to slowly get out. Luckily for me, the car was still standing there two hours later. We loaded up and moved along the “Durres highway” towards coastal Durres. The Tirana-Durres road was built by Italians 30 years ago and is in excellent condition. 2 lanes in 2 directions with reinforced concrete divider. Free. Despite the fact that at that moment a terrible downpour began, I drove along it at 140-150 in my small Chevrolet Aveo, overtaking the ML and other compressors. Duresse is only 30 km away.

Duress

Large port and resort city. Since there is no map, before the trip I just recommend seeing what it looks like via GoogleEarth. The highway goes all the way to the sea and then a roundabout to the port (we don’t need it - although someone may need it) and to the resort coast. It is on this embankment that the entire center of local tourism is located, many hotels and houses and a narrow beach with sand, but very long.

The group got hungry and decided to go somewhere to eat. In the first place we encountered a problem - only Albanian and Italian languages. In the second place the situation is the same. And in 2 more it’s the same. We sat down - the menu is in Albanian and Italian. We decided not to experiment with ordering pizza. In Italian, you can basically understand what tomatoes and some other things are. With tea and dessert it was a little more complicated. Intuitively, I understood several times what the waitress wanted from us in Albanian, after which she mistook me for a person who actually understood Albanian, but pretended not to. And in a provocative way she spoke to me in Albanian slowly with good diction and looked straight into my eyes with hope all the time, looking for a spark of understanding. He answered her - “uh-huh okay” - and everyone was happy.

Durres is a resort for Albanians and Italians. Which, as I understand it, are very popular here. And also for Kosovar Albanians. Indeed, as someone wrote, there really are inscriptions on the walls of Kosova. Cafes and hotels - Kosova, Prishtina and inflections with these words. But I didn’t see any aggression, I didn’t feel any anxiety. In the summer there is definitely a hectic life here, but maybe everything is completely different. September, of course, is no longer the season there, all the buildings on the beach are closed, there are practically no people. But the water is much warmer than in Montenegro and Croatia at the same time. We wandered around Durres a little. We hung out on the beach. Personally, I wanted to stay here for a day, but the women didn’t really like it there and in the evening they moved back towards Montenegro.

At the exit from Durres on the highway, for some unknown reason (road repairs had been completed), there was a sign 40 - I was driving at least 90, for which I received the go-ahead from the traffic cops. I started to stop and drive up to them on the side of the road - having seen my Croatian license plates, and quite possibly a RUS sticker - both without saying a word began to actively wave - drive by, drive by. I concluded for myself that the sticker helped again.

The way back is no problem. The only thing I can warn you about is the driving culture. If a car rushes head-on into the oncoming traffic, this does not mean that the driver has everything under control and definitely has time to complete the maneuver. rather, on the contrary, you just need to slow down and move a little towards the side of the road. Such moments are constant, in principle it’s nothing to worry about, you just have to keep it in mind.

During the entire trip we did not meet a single European number, except for Italian ones; everyone else, except us, seems to know more about Albania and do not go there. There are a lot of Italian numbers, and it feels like the Italians are very aggressively pouring money into the Albanian economy.

Everyone looked with great interest at our sticker and the people inside the car with cameras and cameras; in the eyes of the traffic cops more than once one could see the desire to stop us just for the sake of talking, fortunately the law enforcement representatives still restrained themselves from doing this.

On the way back, on the above-described bridge in Shkodër, we personally saw how children jumped on the running board of a large truck and pulled something out through the window and ran away from the apparently non-local Albanian driver, who was stunned by surprise.

On the way, it was raining heavily in the morning and there were no children. From Shkoder to the border there is another 30 km and in small settlements you can buy souvenirs if you forgot or decided to buy something else.

A hint for souvenir hunters, if you don’t want to go deep into the country, just cross the border, go 5-10 km deeper, buy a T-shirt with the inscription Albania and quickly return. It’s completely safe for yourself, but at home you can tell anything you want.

Crossing to Montenegro, the same checkpoint and another stamp and another 2 euros were asked.

I also forgot - when entering Albania, they gave me some kind of piece of paper for my car and registered a completely different person from our company as the driver. This is about the question of how carefully people are checked in their passports and in reality. I handed it over when I returned.

Here's a short trip to Albania.

A summary of myths on the Internet and comments from myself (a purely subjective view, of course).

1) 99.9% of Albanians do not know any other language other than Albanian - the absolute truth. On the coast and in the tourist industry they also speak Italian.

2) the dominance of Kosovo Albanians - I didn’t notice

3) they don’t drive very safely - but it’s quite acceptable and sometimes even very familiar.

4) they treat Russians well - it’s true, although I haven’t seen crazy joy in the eyes of the Arabs, but at least they’ve never been aggressive, that’s for sure. RUS stickers at least didn’t hurt, and a couple of times they definitely helped

5) Tirana is a must visit - in my opinion, no

6) Durres is a must-visit - if you lie around for a few days, it’s quite possible, at least unusual. If possible, I would spend more time there.

Holidays in Albania are one of the most popular tourist destinations among Russians. Previously, residents of Russia did not need a permit to visit the country in the summer. Now the rules have changed, and A visa to Albania for Russians in 2019 became necessary if the departure date is later than November 1, 2015.

The flag of Albania features a double-headed black eagle, which symbolizes Skanderberg, a national hero who fought against Turkish rule and founded the state in the 15th century

To Albania with visas of other countries

To travel to Albania, a Russian citizen will need to apply for a visa if he does not have a valid Schengen or residence permit in Albania, or citizenship of one of the states included in the Schengen area (or a second citizenship of the UK or USA). To visit Albania on a Schengen visa opened by another country, you must meet the following conditions:

• The permission must have already been used at least once;
• The country of first entry into the zone is not Albania;
• Stay on the territory for no more than 90 days in a six-month period;
• Have a valid passport (at least 3 months).

In all other cases, a visa to Albania must be issued.

Seasonal features of the visa regime

Every year during the tourist season, the republic’s leadership simplifies the visa regime. Previously, it was possible to enter the country without obtaining a visa for a period of two weeks. So, last year, 2014, to travel to Albania from May to October, you did not need a permit; you could enter freely. To obtain a tourist visa to Albania, a Russian tourist was required to have with him:

1. International passport;
2. Ticket to leave the country;
3. Reservation for a hotel room or rental agreement;
4. Insurance policy.

When crossing the border, people were not always asked about the availability of a medical insurance policy and reserved accommodation.

For 2019, Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania dated June 10, 2015 No. 487 established a tourist visa-free period from June 1 to November 1, as reported on the website of the Albanian Embassy in Russia. The key condition is to visit the country solely for the purpose of tourism, private travel or transit. The period of stay in Albania without a visa for Russians is up to 90 days. The valid validity period of a foreign passport is no less than 3 months at the time of travel.

Types of visas

Albania, depending on the length of stay, issues permits of two categories: C and D. Based on the number of stays, Albanian visas of category C are divided into:

• Single use;
• Double;
• Multiple.

Required documents

To obtain a classic short-term permit of any frequency, you need to prepare the following documents:

1. International passport valid for 6 months;
2. An application form, which is filled out in block letters in Russian and personally signed by the applicant;
3. One photograph, measuring 3.6x4.7 cm, taken on a light background;
4. Confirmation of place of residence;
5. On the right from the place of work about the amount of salary or a letter of guarantee from the sponsor or a certificate from the bank about the status of the account;
6. A copy of insurance valid for the entire duration of your stay in the country;
7. Students - a copy and original of their student ID;
8. For pensioners - a copy and original of the pension certificate;
9. Invited persons - an invitation from an Albanian resident.

Proof of residence can be:

• Original or fax copy of a hotel guarantee in Albania (certified by the seal and signature of the owner or manager);
• Housing rental agreement with a citizen or legal entity resident of Albania;
• Ownership documents;
• Letter of guarantee for the provision of housing from the inviting party.

The employment certificate must contain the details of the employing organization, the salary amount and the name of the position held.. The document must be signed by the manager and accountant and certified with a seal. Standard documentation rules apply to bank statements. When submitting a letter of guarantee, the sponsor will be required to confirm the financial condition of the sponsoring entity and its details.

Fiancé visa to Albania

If you are applying for a fiancé visa to Albania, which gives you the right to stay in the country for more than 90 days, you will need to prepare additionally:

1. Invitation from the future husband/wife;
2. Birth certificate;
3. Certificate of no criminal record;
4. A certificate stating that the person is not in a marital relationship;
5. Insurance policy for 12 months;
6. Passport and code of the bride/groom from the Albanian side.

Registration process

If you need a visa to Albania, based on the purpose and period of your trip, then to obtain it you need to:

1. Prepare the necessary documents;
2. Apply personally or through a representative to the Consulate at the Albanian Embassy in Moscow;
3. Submit the papers by paying for the service;
4. Come on the appointed day and receive your completed passport.

Registration of permits for travel to the republic occurs relatively quickly and without problems; the country's leadership does its best to promote the development of tourism. Allowed to submit and receive documents through an intermediary. To do this, you will need to issue a power of attorney to represent the applicant’s interests at the Embassy.

Applying for a visa to Albania at the border

To obtain a short-term tourist visa to Albania at the border, the candidate must:

• Be part of a tourist group;
• Enter the country from Montenegro or Croatia.

To obtain such permission you must provide:

1. International passport and its copy;
2. A notarized copy of the tour operator’s license;
3. Confirmation of the tourist purpose of the visit, for example, a purchased excursion voucher.

Albania visa for children

Children need a visa to Albania if they enter the country outside the visa-free period, or if their stay in the country exceeds 90 days. To apply for a child visa to Albania, you will need the following documents:

1. Original birth certificate and a notarized copy;
2. Copies of parents' passports;
3. Permission from the parent remaining in the Russian Federation to take the child out of the country (if any).

The permit is prepared in the name of the person who will travel with the child. Notarized power of attorney is required.

If the accompanying person is not the father or mother, then such permission must be from both parents. If it is impossible to issue a power of attorney, for example, upon the death or deprivation of the rights of one of the parents, it is necessary to confirm the reasons.

Transit through Albania

During the summer, Russians do not require a special visa to cross the country in transit. At all other times, you must obtain a short-term permit of category C. Visa-free transit is allowed if you have a Schengen, English or American visa, used at least once.

If transit occurs from Croatia or Montenegro as part of a tourist group, then documentation of the transit visit takes place directly at the border.

Albania visa cost

The amount of the consular fee for issuing an Albanian visa depends on the type and frequency of permission:

Category C			Category D
One-time	Double	Multiple
30€	50€	50€	50€

Payment for the cost of obtaining a visa is carried out in rubles, according to the euro exchange rate on the day of submission of documents.

In case of refusal, money will not be returned.

Deadlines for registration

In most cases, you do not need a visa to travel to Albania, but if the need arises, the applicant’s documents will be reviewed as soon as possible. The standard visa opening period is 7 working days, excluding Russian and Albanian holidays.

Validity periods

Visas issued to visit Albania can be of two types: short-term and for long-term stay in the country. A visa is usually issued and is valid for one year. Permits issued at the border by tourist groups are valid for 72 hours from the date of issue.

Albania visa refusal

It is extremely rare that they may not be given a visa to visit the country. The reasons that prompted the Consulate to refuse must be very serious. Examples could be:

• Violation of law and order during previous trips;
• Deception of Embassy employees;
• Being on the black list;
• Incomplete package of documents.