How do you hire an Albanian employee in 2026?
Albania requires the written employment contract to be signed on or before the start date. Probation is capped at 3 months by law. Either side can end employment during probation with just 5 days notice. Miss the contract deadline and you face a compliance breach on day one.
· Albania guide
Illustration · Tirana, Albania
The Albania hire process has five steps. Offer letter, work-permit check, written employment contract, social-insurance registration, first payday.
The written contract must be signed before or on the employee's start date. Albania does not allow a grace period.
Probation lasts up to 3 months. Either side can exit during probation with 5 days notice. After probation, employer notice scales from 14 days for new hires up to 90 days for employees with over five years of service.
What does the end-to-end Albania hire process look like?
Five steps take you from accepted offer to first payslip: offer letter, work-authorisation check, written employment contract, social-insurance registration, first payday.
The key deadline is the employment contract. It must be signed on or before the employee's first day of work.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, gross salary, start date, and key terms | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Work-authorisation check | Confirm Albanian citizenship, EU/EEA status, or verify residence permit with work authorisation for third-country nationals | Teamed | Before the employee starts |
| 3. Written employment contract | Written contract of employment under the Albanian Labour Code signed by both parties | Teamed (legal employer) | On or before day one |
| 4. Social-insurance registration | Register the employee with the Albanian Social Insurance Institute (ISSH) and Health Insurance Fund (FSDKSH); collect tax identification number | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued; employer remits withheld income tax and social contributions by the 20th of the following month | Teamed | End of first month |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, gross salary, start date, probation of up to 3 months, probation notice of 5 days, and any conditions such as work-authorisation or reference checks.
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Complete the work-authorisation check
Check the Albanian national ID or passport for Albanian nationals. For third-country nationals, verify the residence permit before the start date and record the permit number and expiry date.
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Issue the written employment contract
The Albanian Labour Code requires a signed written contract on or before the employee's first day. Teamed's standard Albanian contract meets all current requirements. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Complete social-insurance registration
Register the employee with the Social Insurance Institute (ISSH) and the Health Insurance Fund (FSDKSH). Collect the employee's tax identification number and IBAN. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip and file tax remittance
Run the first payroll at the end of the first calendar month. Remit withheld income tax and social contributions to the Albanian tax authority by the 20th of the following month. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must an Albanian offer letter include?
An offer letter is not the binding contract. It is the document the candidate decides against.
Standard inclusions are role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, working hours (standard week is 40 hours), location, probation period of up to 3 months, notice during probation of 5 days, and any conditions such as work-authorisation or reference checks.
Three traps to avoid in Albanian offer letters:
- Quoting net salary. Albania taxes employment income from the first ALL earned. Committing to a net figure in writing creates problems if tax rates or social contributions change. Always quote gross.
- Omitting the probation terms. The Albanian Labour Code permits probation only when it is agreed in writing. If the offer letter and contract are silent on probation, the employee may argue that no probation applies and that full notice periods apply from day one.
- Overstating discretionary pay. Describing a bonus as typical or expected without a written discretionary carve-out can create an entitlement argument. Keep bonus language conditional and cap-referenced in writing.
Teamed's standard Albanian offer letter template covers all required ground. Clients choose commercial elements; Teamed holds the legal-employer position and issues documents in Albanian as required by law.
Albania work-authorisation checks
Every employer must check that a worker has the right to work in Albania before employment begins.
Albanian nationals and citizens of countries with bilateral agreements work without a separate permit. Third-country nationals need a valid Albanian residence permit that explicitly authorises work.
Albanian nationals
Albanian citizens present their national ID card or passport. The employer checks the document, retains a copy, and records the document number and expiry date. No government portal check is required for Albanian nationals.
Third-country nationals
Non-Albanian nationals who are not covered by a bilateral work-authorisation agreement must hold a valid Albanian residence permit with an explicit work-authorisation endorsement before their start date. The employer checks the permit type, permit number, and expiry date. A follow-up check is required before the permit expires.
The permit application process is managed through the Albanian State Labour Inspectorate and the Ministry of Interior. The employer must apply for the work permit on behalf of the employee before the employee enters Albania in most categories. Lead times vary; Teamed recommends starting the permit process at least eight weeks before the target start date for non-Albanian nationals.
Employers in Albania must verify that all workers hold valid authorisation to work before employment begins. Employment of a worker without valid authorisation is an administrative offence under the Albanian Labour Code and the Law on Foreigners.
Source: Albanian State Labour Inspectorate (Inspektorati i Punes)
Ongoing permit tracking
For employees on time-limited permits, Teamed tracks each expiry date and triggers a renewal reminder well before the deadline. A permit lapse without renewal is a compliance breach under Albanian law. Teamed manages the calendar so no renewal is missed.
The Albanian written contract: what must it contain?
The Albanian Labour Code requires a written employment contract for every employee.
The contract must be signed before or on the start date. It is the binding legal document. The offer letter is not.
What the Albanian written employment contract must include:
- Full names and addresses of both employer and employee
- Start date of employment and, for fixed-term contracts, the end date or duration
- Place of work and, where the employee is expected to work at multiple sites, a note to that effect
- Job title or description of the work to be performed
- Gross salary and any additional components such as allowances or bonuses, together with the payment interval (monthly in standard practice)
- Agreed working hours per week (standard maximum is 40 hours)
- Annual paid leave entitlement (at least 22 days working days)
- Notice periods: scaled by tenure after probation, with a minimum of 14 days employer notice for employees in their first six months of service
- Probation period, if agreed (up to 3 months)
- Reference to any applicable collective agreement
- Social insurance and health insurance registration details
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures applicable to the employment
The Albanian Labour Code was substantially amended by Law No. 91/2024, which came into force on 25 August 2024. Key changes include the increase in minimum annual leave to 22 days working days and updated dismissal procedures. Teamed's standard Albanian employment contract reflects the current requirements under the amended code.
Key source: KPMG Albania: Recent Amendments to the Labour Code (Law No. 91/2024)
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7: contract signed, social-insurance and health-fund registration completed, tax identification number collected, bank details collected, and first month's payroll set up.
Teamed handles the payroll and compliance side. The client handles the cultural and operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Written employment contract signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-authorisation check completed | Teamed | Day 0 (before start) |
| Tax identification number collected | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 |
| Social Insurance Institute (ISSH) registration | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Health Insurance Fund (FSDKSH) registration | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Bank account details (IBAN) collected for salary payment | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| First-month payroll set up with gross salary, contributions schedule | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Albanian employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Albania for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
The written contract, social-insurance registration, and the full Albanian Labour Code stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Albanian hires, from the first offer letter through every monthly payroll submission. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. An Albanian contractor who converts to full employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your Albanian hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Albania hiring overview. Each guide takes one layer of Albanian employment law.
Key sources: KPMG Albania: Labour Code Amendments (Law No. 91/2024), Albanian State Labour Inspectorate, and PwC Albania: Social Security.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in Albania through Teamed?
Teamed can onboard an Albanian national or an EU citizen with valid Albanian work authorisation within a few business days. The critical path is the written employment contract, which must be signed on or before the start date, and social-insurance registration with the ISSH and FSDKSH, which runs across the first week. Third-country nationals who need a residence permit with work authorisation will take longer, as the permit must be secured before the start date.
What is the probation period and notice during probation in Albania?
The Albanian Labour Code caps the probationary period at 3 months. During probation, either side can end the employment with 5 days notice. The probation period must be agreed in writing in the employment contract. After probation ends, notice scales with tenure under Article 143 of the Labour Code.
What notice period applies after probation in Albania?
Employer notice after probation scales with tenure under the Albanian Labour Code. For the first six months of employment the minimum is 14 days. From six months to two years it rises to 30 days. From two to five years it is 60 days. After five years it reaches 90 days. The minimum employee resignation notice is 14 days for most tenures.
What is the minimum annual leave entitlement for an Albanian employee?
The minimum paid annual leave is 22 days working days per year. This increased from the previous four calendar weeks under Law No. 91/2024, which came into force on 25 August 2024. Albania also has public holidays each year. Leave accrues from the first day of employment.
What are the work-authorisation rules for hiring in Albania?
Albanian nationals can work without any permit. Third-country nationals must hold a valid Albanian residence permit that explicitly authorises employment before their start date. The employer applies for the work permit through the Albanian State Labour Inspectorate on behalf of the employee. Employment without valid authorisation is an administrative offence under Albanian law. Teamed manages the permit process and tracks expiry dates for all permit-holding employees.
Albania is one of the few countries where the contract must be signed before the employee walks in on day one. Not within a few days, not within a week. Before day one. Companies used to a seven-day grace period get caught out. We run the contract in parallel with the offer letter, so the signature is in place before the work-authorisation check is even complete.
In Albania the contract must be signed before work begins. There is no grace period.
Probation is capped at 3 months by law. After that, notice scales with tenure.
Get the paperwork right on day zero and the rest of the hire runs cleanly.
