Which company type to choose
The vehicle most foreign investors use is the Sh.p.k. (shoqëri me përgjegjësi të kufizuar), the Albanian limited liability company: nominal minimum capital, shareholders who may be entirely foreign, liability limited to the contribution. The Sh.a. (joint-stock company) carries substantially higher capital requirements and makes sense for projects with multiple investors or fundraising plans. A branch and a representative office are also available: the branch trades and is taxed in Albania, the representative office may only carry out promotional and research activity.
The registration procedure
Registration runs through the National Business Centre (QKB), which works as a single window: one filing produces the register entry, the NIPT tax identifier and the social security position. The order is: define the business object, registered office and ownership structure; draft and sign the deed of incorporation and the articles; file with the QKB; obtain the NIPT; open the corporate bank account; obtain any sector licences.
How long it actually takes
The register entry itself is quick and, in ordinary conditions, completes within a few working days. Being operational is a different matter: legalisation and translation of foreign documents, a power of attorney if the shareholders are not in Albania, opening the bank account — normally the slowest step — and sector licences all weigh on the timeline. Plan in weeks rather than days, and run in parallel whatever can be run in parallel.
What to budget for
The recurring items are: registration fees and administrative charges; sworn translations and legalisation of documents issued abroad; professional fees for drafting the instruments; the cost of a registered office if you do not have one; bank charges; and, from incorporation onwards, bookkeeping and periodic filings. That last item is the one investors most often underestimate, because it recurs rather than being one-off.
Documents required
Individual shareholders need a valid identity document or passport and, where required, legalised and translated documentation. Corporate shareholders need an extract or certificate from their home register, the articles and a resolution authorising the participation — all legalised or apostilled and translated into Albanian by an authorised translator. Where the shareholders are not physically present, a special power of attorney in the proper form is required.
What happens after incorporation
A newly formed company is immediately subject to periodic obligations: bookkeeping, VAT returns if registered, income tax returns, payroll filings where there are employees, and the annual accounts. A dormant company is not an obligation-free company: inactivity does not suspend formal filings, and defaults accumulate quietly.
The regulatory, tax and macroeconomic figures on this page come from secondary sources and are being verified against the official sources cited. They are general information, not tax or legal advice.