Interview with the Co-Founder of the Digital Nomad Association Albania

Moving to a new country is all fun and games… until you have to deal with visas, residency, and all that legal stuff. And to be real, it can be quite stressful to go through all these steps without having a clear idea of what to expect.

To help clear things up, we had the pleasure of chatting with Vartkes Piranjani, a local lawyer and the co-founder of the Digital Nomad Association Albania, who helps remote workers figure out the tricky side of visas, tax rules, and long-term stays.

Let’s jump into it, shall we?

Can you share a bit about your background and how you got into the digital nomad space?

I am a lawyer from Albania, and I have a good background in corporate and business law, with a strong focus on European legal frameworks. Over time, I became increasingly involved in advising remote workers, freelancers, and companies on cross-border transaction employment, taxation, and residency matters. Seeing the rise of digital nomads and their spread in Albania, I began specializing also in fields which affected local location-independent professionals, particularly in Albania and the broader European market.

What are some of the biggest challenges digital nomads face when moving to Albania?

Well one of the main challenges I’ve seen digital nomads face when moving to Albania is the legal uncertainty and local legislation; and the long application times for residence permits or visa permits in Albania. Therefore, while many nationalities can stay for extended periods of time without a visa, such as U.S. citizens who can remain for up to a year, there is still some uncertainty regarding long-term residency options.

Do you work with local businesses or the government to make Albania more nomad-friendly?

Yes, we engage with policy makers and local businesses to ensure Albania remains an attractive option for digital nomads. This includes advocating for legal clarity on taxation, lobbying for more co-working space for nomads and working with businesses to create more opportunities for foreigners coming to Albania.

What are some important things digital nomads should know before coming to Albania?

One of the challenges that digital nomads face when coming to Albania is knowledge of local legislation. You can find information online regarding the procedure and how it’s supposed to work, but when you start dealing with the actual authorities, you definitely need local assistance.

The application process to obtain a unique permit which entails a work permit and a residence permit is can be quite a lengthy one, legally it can range from one month to six months of the process. And you need a lot of assistance in order to pass the hurdles, the obstacles that will come up throughout the process. Furthermore, Albania’s infrastructure does lack when you start going to the suburbs or when you go into smaller towns other than the capital or the main coastal towns. Therefore, when a nomad should decide whether they’re going to come to Albania or not, they should be well aware of the location and the costs it entails to go to live in that place.

For example, you can find very cheap accommodations outside of the capital, but at the same time, Tirana has become quite expensive in terms of day-to-day life, but on the other hand, it does have the necessary infrastructure such as high-speed internet and co-working spaces for nomads. One last thing is accommodation which should be studied very carefully because some nomads prefer to live in coastal towns but in such cases the rent will shift upwords by a very big margin when it’s summer season.

Therefore, they should plan ahead for long-term accommodation so they won’t have any issues throughout their stay here.

But despite this challenge, Albania remains an attractive destination for digital nomads, particularly for those who are flexible and proactive in managing legal and logistical issues. With proper preparation guidance, many of these obstacles can be overcome.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone considering Albania as their next remote work base?

My most important piece of advice would be to do your research before coming here. While Albania is a very attractive option for digital nomads and quite flexible with visa policies and low living costs, there are still legal and tax considerations which you should be made aware of before you come here.

Some processes require that you get documents from your country of origin and some of those, depending on the form of the document, you might need to be in person to retrieve such documents. So planning before you come here is very crucial.

And this is exactly where I can help because as a lawyer specializing in digital nomad and remote work laws, I provide tailored legal guidance to help nomads navigate visa options, tax residency rules, business registration and compliance matters in Albania. Whether you’re planning a short stay or looking to establish a long-term base, having expert advice can save you time, money and legal hurdles. So feel free to reach out (vartkes.piranjani@gmail.com), and I’ll be happy to help you make the transition to Albania as smooth and as free as possible.

Thank you for having me!