Embassy of the United States Tirana, Albania

Disclaimer: Marriage in Albania is under the jurisdiction of the Albanian government and the information provided below is subject to change.  Questions involving interpretation of specific Albanian laws and policies should be addressed to local legal counsel.

Foreign nationals in Albania may marry in a civil ceremony, religious ceremony, or both. However, only a civil ceremony is considered legal under Albanian law.

There are no residency requirements for foreign nationals who choose to get married in Albania.  However, you will need certain documents.  Below you will find a list of the documents required by the Albanian authorities in order to perform a marriage, information on how a marriage is registered, and some legal information about marriage in Albania.

Albanian authorities require U.S. citizens who wish to marry to provide written proof issued by the U.S. Embassy stating that there is no legal impediment to the marriage.  You can obtain an Affidavit of Eligibility from the State of your residence in the United States and have it notarized with an “apostille”, however, this may not satisfy the requirements of the Albanian government to register the marriage in Albania.  Local authorities require an affidavit which covers all of the States of the United States.

Our office at the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, have developed a document called “Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry in Albania”, in agreement with the Albanian government, which covers the necessary information.  This document is a sworn statement made by the U.S. citizen in front of a Consular Officer at the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Tirana.  The standard notarial fee of $50.00 or the equivalent in Leke is required.  (Note: Payment is made to the cashier in the Consular Section, and can be done by cash (Dollars or Leke) or by credit card (Visa, Master Card, American Express, Diners Club, and Discover.)

You may try and provide the document that you might obtain from your State of residence in the United States as proof of eligibility to marry, however, if the local authorities will not accept it then please follow the instructions provided at this current webpage.

For information on how to obtain this affidavit, please follow the instructions provided at our webpage “Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry in Albania.”

Legal Requirements

When you go the City Hall to get married, you should bring the following documents:

• Affidavit of Eligibility to Marry in Albania:
  Once notarized by the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, please take this form to the nearest post office and request that it be authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania.  The post office clerk will advise you on the procedures of having the form returned to you once authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Your Birth Certificate:
  If you were born in the United States, you will also need a certified copy of your birth certificate with an “apostille” attached to it.  The “apostille” is placed by the issuing authority in the United States.  For information on how to obtain a birth certificate with an “apostille” please visit the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs webpage “Notarial and Authentication (Apostille) (http://travel.state.gov/)”;
• Divorce Decree or Certificate:
  In cases of previous marriages, you must get a certified copy of your divorce decree or certificate with an “apostille” attached to it.  The “apostille” is placed by the issuing authority in the United States.  For information on how to obtain this document with an “apostille” please visit the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs webpage “Notarial and Authentication (Apostille) (http://travel.state.gov/).”
• Your U.S. passport and a Copy of the Biographic Page;
• Personal Birth Certificate for your Future Spouse;
• Albanian Passport or ID card of your Future Spouse and a copy of the Biographic Page;
• Two Witnesses:
  The witnesses should not be related to you or your spouse by blood or marriage, and must be present at City Hall at the time the marriage will be registered.  The witnesses must present proper identification.

Note: All the above documents must be issued within 3 months of the marriage.  This includes documents issued in the United States.

Registration of Marriage

American diplomatic and consular officers are NOT permitted to perform marriages (Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations 52.1).  As a rule, marriages are not performed on the premises of the U.S. Embassy in Tirana.  Marriages in Albania are registered at the Office of Civil Status of the city where the marriage will be performed.

A marriage may be registered between a man and a woman who are at least 18 years old.  However, the Court of the city where the marriage took place, for specific reasons, may allow marriage before that age.

Before registering the marriage, the civil status officer makes an announcement by posting a notification sheet in places designated by the municipality or commune, showing the civil components of future spouses, and their place of marriage.

The announcement request is made by the future spouses, or by a person appointed by them with special power of attorney, 11 days before the planned date of the marriage registration.  The announcement is made at the municipality where the future spouse has a permanent or temporary residence.

If both spouses are U.S. citizens who are legally residing in the Republic of Albania, and neither of them hold Albanian citizenship, they may marry at the Civil Status Office of their usual place of residence.

Legal Concerns

Civil Marriage in Albania is a fully recognized legal marriage.

According to U.S. statutes, marriages performed abroad that are valid under the laws of that country are generally accepted as valid by any state in the United States.

Marriages performed in Albania that are not registered with the Albanian Bureau of Vital Statistics have no validity.