Albania is making changes to national citizenship laws expanding the scope of citizenship granted to foreigners.
The proposed draft law makes changes to the citizenship laws will allow specific categories, foreign investors included, to obtain Albanian citizenship. The draft-law will increase the number options for acquiring albanian citizenship and will regulate acquisition of citizenship on economic interest who meet certain conditions.
Interior Minister Rovena Voda, during an interview with the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, said today that the draft law “On Citizenship” will allow foreign nationals, who prove that in three generations blood linkage are related to a family will receive an Albanian passport.
Albania is also implementing stripping of Albanian citizenship in cases when the Albanian citizen who has acquired citizenship by naturalization who support, carries out activities or is a member of organizations whose activity is aimed at violating national security and the constitutional order of the Republic of Albania. Loss of Albanian citizenship in this case applies only to nationals who have acquired Albanian citizenship by naturalization and if the person does not risk becoming stateless, while respecting the obligations our country has in the framework of accession to the nationality and reduction conventions.
Further changes include, child born to Albanian parents, no matter where they live, can acquire Albanian citizenship and this right will be granted even when they’re over the age of 18. In the cases of foreign citizens married to Albanians, they can obtain the Albanian passport if they prove residency to Albania for more than one year.
Albanian citizenship is only after the verification procedures have been carried out by the responsible law enforcement institutions, said the Minister.
In 2012, Prime Minister Sali Berisha Albania proposed a citizenship by investment scheme for foreigners who invested atleast €100,00 in the country bringing economic benefits. The plan was later abandoned after criticism.
Visa-free travel to the EU took effect for Albania on December 15, 2010. As of 2 July 2019, Albanian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 113 countries and territories. Albanian passport currently has visa free travel to EU schengen area, Singapore, Turkey etc.
Albanian passport has no visa free access to United Kingdom, Canada, Russia or China.
