Working in Albania as a French National: Employment, Contributions, Self-Employed Workers and Economy

A French national can enter Albania with a valid identity card or passport for a stay of 90 days at most in 6 months, without a visa. To work and live on site, France Diplomatie states that the residence permit application must be filed within 30 days of arrival, with the police station of the city of residence, which provides the up-to-date list of documents. The page recommends presenting a full copy of the birth certificate and a B2 extract of the criminal record, translated into Albanian and apostilled. The official French pages do not describe the detail of the work authorisation procedure: the employment contract, documents and deadlines should be confirmed with the Albanian border and migration police and with the employer before starting the job.

The regional Economic Service in Belgrade covers Albania, with no permanent office in Tirana; the French embassy (Rruga Skënderbej 14) handles most local follow-up. The France-Albania Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Twin Towers, Dëshmorët e Kombit boulevard, Tirana) and three foreign trade advisers based in Albania guide companies and candidates. The entry formalities are set out in the guide living in Albania.

The national minimum wage is set by decision of the Council of Ministers: the General Directorate of Taxes publishes on its site the list of the corresponding decisions (notably decisions no. 445 of 2012 and no. 573 of 2013) and distinguishes the amounts applicable to towns and villages for calculating the contributions of self-employed workers. The amount in force can be read in the most recent official text; no figure is repeated here without reading this text. The Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) publishes employment and wage statistics.

For an executive recruited locally, the negotiated package often includes housing, supplementary health insurance and schooling. France Diplomatie recalls, for business trips, the existence of an “economic benchmarks” sheet on Albania, that can be downloaded from its Business travel page. Employees preparing their cover can consult the guide expat health insurance.

The Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (FSDKSH) states that employees contribute 3.4% of gross salary, split half by the employer and half by the employee, or 1.7% each. Contributions are collected by the tax administration. Self-employed workers and voluntarily insured people contribute on a base equal to twice the minimum wage, set by the Council of Ministers separately for towns and villages; the State contributes for economically inactive people. The reference texts cited by the tax administration are law no. 9136 of 11 September 2003 on the collection of social security and health contributions and law no. 10383 of 24 February 2011 on compulsory health insurance, as well as decision no. 77 of 28 January 2015.

For a foreigner, the number of the residence permit or temporary permit serves as the insured number (FSDKSH). The social security contribution rates (pensions, disability, unemployment) and the income tax scale of law no. 8438 of 28 December 1998 can be read in the texts of the General Directorate of Taxes: they are not repeated here. See the Albanian healthcare system and healthcare reimbursement in Albania.

No social security agreement links France and Albania: the country does not appear in CLEISS’s list of agreements. CLEISS describes posting outside an agreement: the employee remains affiliated to the compulsory French scheme, contributes in France as if working there, and may remain liable for contributions in the host country under local law. The length is three years, renewable once, or six years at most. Care received abroad is reimbursed up to what the same service would give in France, on paid invoices with form S 3125c; daily allowances continue to be paid by the fund, with a sick-leave notice sent within 48 hours; a work accident is reported to the employer within 24 hours. If the children move with the employee, French family benefits are no longer due.

CLEISS suggests supplementary health insurance when care is costly, which France Diplomatie confirms: hospitalisation costs can be very high and the embassy cannot cover them. See the guide posted worker or expatriate.

A self-employed person joins Albanian health insurance on a contribution base equal to twice the minimum wage (FSDKSH), the calculation arrangements being managed by the tax administration. The official pages consulted describe neither a specific digital nomad status nor a tax regime for the self-employed: the corresponding residence permit and taxation should be confirmed with the Albanian border and migration police and with the General Directorate of Taxes. France Diplomatie reports good mobile and wifi coverage across the whole territory, useful for remote work, with roaming agreements between Albanian and French operators. Digital nomads will find pointers in the guide digital nomad insurance.

For business trips, France Diplomatie lists the French contacts in Albania: the regional Economic Service in Belgrade, which also covers North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia and has no permanent office in Tirana; three French foreign trade advisers based in Albania; the France-Albania Chamber of Commerce and Industry, based in the Twin Towers of Tirana; and the French Development Agency, whose Tirana office is undergoing a change of management. The French embassy (Rruga Skënderbej 14, +355 44 540703) remains the entry point for consular procedures. A candidate for a local post relies on these networks to identify French and international employers, and prepares a written contract, translated into Albanian, that specifies pay, affiliation to health insurance and the terms of termination.

Albania’s foreign trade is oriented towards its neighbours and the European Union: France Diplomatie cites Italy, Kosovo, Greece and Germany among the main customers, and Italy, China, Türkiye and Greece among the main suppliers. The human development index is high (above 0.8, UNDP) and life expectancy reaches nearly 82 years for women and 78 years for men.

France Diplomatie describes a services economy, followed by industry and agriculture. Tourism welcomes several million visitors every year, including many French. The main trading partners are Italy, Türkiye, China and Greece; France is among Albania’s customers and suppliers, with exports dominated by publishing and software and foundry.

The Karavasta solar site, operated by a French company, is presented as the largest solar park in the Western Balkans and the largest foreign direct investment in Albania. The AFD group operates in the country through concessional loans and European Union grants. The currency is the lek; the Bank of Albania publishes its official exchange rate against the euro.