Hiring skilled workers from Albania

What applies when hiring from Albania

Albania is one of the six countries covered by the Western Balkans Regulation (Westbalkanregelung: section 26(2) of the Employment Ordinance, BeschV, in conjunction with section 19c(1) of the Residence Act, AufenthG). Albanian nationals can obtain approval from the Federal Employment Agency (BA) for any type of employment; recognition of their qualifications is not required, except in regulated professions.

The first approval requires the visa to be applied for at the responsible German mission in one of the six countries – this cannot be done from within Germany. In Albania, that is the German Embassy in Tirana.

Three points are specific to Albania: the BA backlog, the Tirana embassy’s passport requirement and the driving licence, where the date of issue can matter. The general requirements are explained in our guide to the Western Balkans Regulation.

Visa: German Embassy in Tirana

Visa applications under the Western Balkans Regulation are the responsibility of the German Embassy in Tirana; the decision on the visa is made exclusively by the embassy. Once the BA pre-approval has been issued, applicants get an appointment within a few weeks, according to the embassy.

According to the embassy, standard processing takes 2 to 3 weeks. The passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the validity of the visa.

The BA pre-approval is valid for nine months from the date of issue, and the visa must be granted within that period. The fee for a national visa is €75 (section 46(2) no. 1 AufenthV).

Our part of the process:

• Preparing the candidates’ documents in full
• Checking passport validity: at least six months beyond the visa
• Booking the appointments at the embassy
• Communicating with the authorities

BA processing status and timeline

For each nationality, the BA publishes the receipt date of the applications it is currently processing. For Albanian nationals, these are applications with a receipt date of 25 July 2026 (as of 14 October 2026). This puts Albania behind the four countries processed ‘tagesaktuell’, but ahead of Kosovo with a receipt date of 9 March 2026 (all as of 14 October 2026).

The reason is the quota: approvals are split by month and nationality, and applications are only processed while the monthly quota for the nationality has not been used up. For candidates from Albania, the BA queue therefore adds months to the timeline; we do not give a fixed duration up to the start of work.

Start selection and the employment contract early, because the processing status follows the receipt date. The nine-month validity of the pre-approval only starts when it is issued.

The processing status is a snapshot (as of 14 October 2026); the BA publishes the current figure on its Western Balkans Regulation page.

Driving licence: conversion under Annex 11 FeV

Annex 11 of the Driving Licence Ordinance (Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung, FeV) lists the classes that can be converted without a theory or practical test. For Albania, these are A1, A2, A, B, BE, C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE – so for professional drivers, C and CE are included.

Note footnote 19: for Albanian licences issued before 24 January 2017, additional information on possession and validity is required. For truck drivers, we therefore check the date of issue during selection; in each case the driving licence authority decides.

How we find and assess candidates from Albania

Balkan Recruiters is the licensed private employment agency of SSC d.o.o. Jelah-Tešanj, based in Jelah, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and registered with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (decision no. UPI 03-30/12-125/26 EB). This matters, because the BA must refuse approval where unlawful placement is involved (section 40(1) no. 1 AufenthG).

We offer candidates from all six Western Balkan countries and from Croatia. Castings with practical tests take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia; depending on the profile, you get to know candidates from Albania in a video interview or through a practical test by arrangement, for example at our assessment centre in Jelah.

We place workers exclusively in direct employment with your company – no temporary agency work (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung). The worker concludes the employment contract directly with your company. The BA must refuse approval for agency workers in any case (section 40(1) no. 2 AufenthG).

• Practical test by arrangement, for example at the 680 m² assessment centre in Jelah, filmed on 4K cameras; results in your CRM portal – no travel needed
• Test task defined together with you on request
• Where possible, at least A1/A2 German or good English; language courses before arrival on request
• Success-based: you pay only for a successful placement, and candidates pay nothing

Active since 2021, with more than 400 skilled workers placed. Not every candidate is given a practical test.

Quota from 2027: what it means for Albanian nationals

The Western Balkans quota also applies to Albania: up to 50,000 first-time approvals per calendar year (section 26(2) BeschV, as of 8 November 2026), split by month and nationality. Applications for Albanian nationals can only be processed while their monthly quota has not been used up.

According to the BA, the 2026 quota will be used up before the end of the year; already in 2025 it was not enough for all applications. The Federal Government intends to halve it to 25,000 from January 2027. On 4 November 2026, the Bundestag rejected motion 21/2248 to keep it at 50,000. The halving is not yet in force.

For your planning, this means that the queue (receipt date 25 July 2026, as of 14 October 2026) already adds months to the timeline; how a smaller quota from 2027 would play out is open. Depending on the profile, there are routes that are not subject to the quota; we check early which one fits your vacancy.