Working abroad
Leaving Albania to work in Italy
Albania is not in the European Union: to work in Italy you need to enter for work. Here are the legal routes, Albania’s public services for people emigrating, the Italy-Albania social security agreement and the rules against recruitment fees.
Who this is for
Albanian citizens living in Albania who want to work in Italy or another EU country, and the people helping them. If you already hold an Italian residence permit, the rules on renewal and conversion are different: ask a patronato (free advice office) or the Single Desk for Immigration.
In short
- For Italy, the main route is the flow decree: Albania is among the countries with reserved quotas for non-seasonal work.
- The employer in Italy applies for the work authorisation (nulla osta); you apply for the visa at the Italian Embassy.
- Albania’s public employment agency (AKPA) provides information to people who want to emigrate for work.
- Since 1 July 2025 an Italy-Albania social security agreement is in force: contributions paid in both countries can be added together.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change and have exceptions. Always check the official text in the sources below and, for your own case, talk to a trade union, a qualified lawyer or the competent public authority.
Legal routes to work in Italy
Italy’s DPCM of 2 October 2025 on entry flows for 2026-2028 reserves a yearly quota for non-seasonal employment for citizens of countries with migration cooperation agreements with Italy, and Albania is on the list. [1] The procedure is the general one: the employer applies for the nulla osta at the Single Desk for Immigration; then you apply for the visa, sign the residence contract and apply for a residence permit within eight working days of entry. [2] There are also seasonal work entries and routes outside the quotas, such as the EU Blue Card for highly qualified workers. The details are on the page about coming to work in Italy from outside the EU.
Once you are in Italy with a valid permit, you have the same work rights as Italian workers. [3]
Albania’s public services for people emigrating
Albanian Law No. 9668 of 18 December 2006 on the emigration of Albanian citizens for employment purposes governs labour emigration. As amended in 2011, it set up migration desks in the local offices of the public employment agency, now the National Agency for Employment and Skills (AKPA), to inform people who want to leave and support those who return. The law also provides for a register of emigrants and information and reporting duties for private employment agencies. [4] AKPA’s job offers and services are on its official portal. [5]
Recruitment: who can make you pay?
Albania has ratified ILO Private Employment Agencies Convention No. 181. [6] Article 7 of the Convention says private agencies shall not charge fees or costs to workers, apart from limited exceptions decided by the State. [7] Under the ILO fair recruitment guidelines, no recruitment costs should be borne by the worker. [8] In Italy, authorised agencies may not charge you either. [9]
Watch out. Nobody can sell a nulla osta or “a place in the quotas” of the flow decree. The employer files the application online with the Italian Interior Ministry.
Social security: the Italy-Albania agreement
The agreement between Italy and Albania on social security, signed in Rome on 6 February 2024 and ratified by Italy with Law No. 29 of 11 March 2025, has been in force since 1 July 2025. [10] According to INPS (Italy’s social security institute), the agreement:
- allows non-overlapping contribution periods completed in Italy and Albania to be added together to claim pensions and other benefits;
- covers the main social insurance schemes, including old-age, invalidity and survivors’ pensions, unemployment, sickness and maternity benefits;
- establishes equal treatment between insured persons of the two countries;
- for temporarily posted workers, keeps home-country coverage for up to 24 months. [11]
Applications for an international pension can be filed with INPS or with the Albanian social insurance institute (ISSH). [11]
Checklist before you leave
- Check the procedure on official Italian websites (integrazionemigranti.gov.it, Interior Ministry) and ask AKPA’s migration desk.
- Insist on a written offer from the employer stating job, place, hours and pay.
- Do not pay intermediaries for a nulla osta or a place in the quotas.
- Check that any agency is authorised in Albania and, if it operates in Italy, listed in the Italian register.
- Keep records of contributions paid in Albania: you will need them for your pension.