K. Albanians seek Albania’s citizenship

Number of Kosovo Albanians who seek Albanian citizenship has increased after the EU lifted visa requirements for Albanian citizens, Pristina-based media report. They point out that residents of Kosovo need to meet numerous criteria in order to get the Albanian citizenship. K. Albanians seek Albania’s citizenship Albanian Ambassador to Kosovo Islam Lauka has stated that his country’s law allows foreigners to apply for Albanian citizenship but that it does not mean that everybody can get it because several criteria need to be met. “There are at least eight documents, i.e. criteria that need to be met. It is very important to provide a document which proves that a person has been living in Albania for five years straight and for citizens of Kosovo that period is three years,” the Albanian ambassador explained. “There are mitigating circumstances in those three years, if a person from Kosovo has been married to the Albanian citizen for at least a year, for which they need to have a document of the Albanian Interior ministry,” Lauka added. In some cases a distinguished person can get Albanian citizenship without any problems. All they need is a recommendation of the Albanian Academy of Sciences or some other important institution. Before they started to apply for Albanian citizenship, Kosovo Albanians had been in large numbers seeking citizenship of Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro since the EU lifted visa regime for these countries’ citizens last year.

K. Albanians seek Albania’s citizenship

Albanian Ambassador to Kosovo Islam Lauka has stated that his country’s law allows foreigners to apply for Albanian citizenship but that it does not mean that everybody can get it because several criteria need to be met.

“There are at least eight documents, i.e. criteria that need to be met. It is very important to provide a document which proves that a person has been living in Albania for five years straight and for citizens of Kosovo that period is three years,” the Albanian ambassador explained.

“There are mitigating circumstances in those three years, if a person from Kosovo has been married to the Albanian citizen for at least a year, for which they need to have a document of the Albanian Interior ministry,” Lauka added.

In some cases a distinguished person can get Albanian citizenship without any problems. All they need is a recommendation of the Albanian Academy of Sciences or some other important institution.

Before they started to apply for Albanian citizenship, Kosovo Albanians had been in large numbers seeking citizenship of Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro since the EU lifted visa regime for these countries’ citizens last year.