Albania Halts Citizenship-by-Investment Passports Pending EU-Level Decision

Albania has formally suspended its planned citizenship-by-investment scheme, the so-called golden passport programme, Prime Minister Edi Rama confirmed at the EU-Albania Stabilization and Association Council meeting. He said the scheme, which had never come into effect, would not become effective in the near future.

Key facts

• What was planned: free Albanian passports for wealthy foreign investors who bought apartments at the Durres Port.
• Current status: suspended, with no restart date announced.
• Who announced it: Prime Minister Edi Rama, at the EU-Albania Stabilization and Association Council meeting.
• Why: sustained criticism from the European Union over citizenship and residency by investment schemes.
• What was at stake: the European Commission warned the scheme could lead to suspension of the EU's visa-free agreement with Albania.

What was the golden passport plan?

The scheme, referred to as a Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP), would have allowed wealthy foreign nationals to obtain Albanian citizenship in exchange for a financial investment and by meeting set conditions. As promoted by the government, it would have granted passports to foreign investors who purchased apartments in the Durres Port development.

Rama stressed that the plan was not an Albanian invention, saying it was taken from EU countries that had implemented it successfully.

Why was it suspended?

The European Union has repeatedly criticised countries offering citizenship by investment and residency by investment schemes, arguing that they conflict with the bloc's law and can benefit people involved in unlawful activity.

Albania's scheme never took effect. In its fifth report under the visa suspension mechanism, the European Commission again urged the country to refrain from launching the programme. The report stated that an investor citizenship scheme would run against recommendations made in the fourth report under the visa suspension mechanism and in the 2021 enlargement package.

The Commission considered that the scheme could be used to bypass the EU short-stay visa procedure and would create security and migratory risks. It also warned the authorities in Tirana that the scheme would lead to suspension of the visa regime, calling it a significant concern for the EU's visa-free agreement with Albania.

Rama said the government had "suspended the process until the position is clarified at the European level".

Could the scheme return?

Rama noted that there is a case before the European Court on the matter. He said the scheme would not be brought back to the table before the outcome of that case is known: if the Court decides against such schemes, the issue is closed, but if it rules in the government's favour, each country will make its own choice.

What this means for travellers

No route to Albanian citizenship through investment is currently available, and the programme was never implemented. The European Commission's warning links the scheme directly to the EU's visa-free agreement with Albania, so the status of that agreement is the element to watch for anyone travelling on an Albanian passport.

The next development depends on the European Court case Rama referred to. No timeline for a ruling, and no date for reconsidering the scheme, has been announced.