{"id":169039,"date":"2026-11-07T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horvatingatlanok.com\/?p=169039"},"modified":"2026-11-04T09:14:44","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T09:14:44","slug":"additional-costs-when-buying-in-albania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horvatingatlanok.com\/en\/additional-costs-when-buying-in-albania\/","title":{"rendered":"Additional Costs in Albania: What to Budget for When Buying"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>In brief<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>At purchase:<\/strong> expect a notary fee and a cadastral registration fee. Both are set by law, and the amount depends on the value of the property.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tax:<\/strong> the seller pays capital gains tax; the buyer bears the annual property tax (a local tax) and the common charges of the owners&#8217; association.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Services:<\/strong> the fees of a lawyer, an interpreter and an intermediary differ from case to case, so it is worth asking in writing in advance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amounts:<\/strong> this article deliberately gives no exact amounts, because fees and taxes may change and also depend on the value and location of the property.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When buying property abroad, many people look only at the purchase price, yet part of the costs only arrives after the purchase. In this article we go through what additional costs there are, who pays them, and what is worth clarifying in advance.<\/p>\n<p>This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Before any specific purchase, ask an Albanian lawyer for a quote, and ask for all costs in writing.<\/p>\n<h2>Notary fee and cadastral registration<\/h2>\n<p>An Albanian sale and purchase requires a notary, and ownership must be registered at the State Cadastre Agency (ASHK). We described the steps in our article &#8220;Buying Property in Albania: The Process Step by Step&#8221;. Here we look only at their costs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notary fee.<\/strong> According to the 2025 guide by an Albanian law firm, the notary fee is regulated by a joint instruction of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance, and is calculated as a percentage of the sale price. The amount therefore depends on the value of the property and may change with changes in legislation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cadastre fee.<\/strong> The list of cadastral services and their fees was adopted by the Council of Ministers in a 2020 decision, which is described in Deloitte&#8217;s Albanian legal newsletter. The fee depends on the type of service.<\/p>\n<p>According to the guide, registration must be requested within 30 days of the conclusion of the contract. If this is missed, a fine may be imposed. The notary submits this registration application.<\/p>\n<p>Ask the notary or the lawyer in writing for the current fee for the specific property before you buy.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"margin:1.5em 0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:8px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horvatingatlanok.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/tengerparti-varos-albania.jpg\" alt=\"A coastal city under a clear blue sky\" \/><figcaption style=\"font-size:0.85em;color:#777;\">Illustration. Photo: Adventure Albania \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Taxes: who pays what<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The seller&#8217;s tax.<\/strong> According to PwC&#8217;s tax summary (July 2026 review), on the sale of a property, land or building, 15 percent tax is payable on the gain realised on the sale. The <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.kpmg.com\/content\/dam\/kpmg\/lt\/pdf\/Guide-to-Taxes-on-Real-Estate-in-CEE.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">KPMG guide to taxes on real estate in CEE<\/a> says the same, but it reflects the situation as at 1 January 2016, so it serves only as background and the current rule should be confirmed. For a private individual seller, the 15 percent applies to the gain, that is, to the difference between the registered value and the sale price. For tax purposes, the sale price cannot be lower than the reference value issued by the state authorities. This is the seller&#8217;s tax, not the buyer&#8217;s. It is worth clarifying with a lawyer who bears it and who handles it in the contract.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The annual property tax.<\/strong> The owner is subject to a property tax (building tax) every year, which is calculated and collected by the local municipality. According to Eurofast&#8217;s summary, both domestic and foreign owners pay it. According to the Albanian law firm&#8217;s 2025 guide, the tax on a residential building is 0.05 percent of the registered value, and if the registered value is lower than the legal minimum, it is calculated on the latter. For a building used for commercial purposes, the rate is 0.2 percent. According to Albanian press reports, a reform of the property tax is planned from 2029; for now this is only a draft.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The owners&#8217; association charge.<\/strong> For an apartment in a condominium, the owner has to pay a common charge (an administration fee) even if they do not live there or have let the apartment. Its amount is decided by the residents&#8217; general meeting.<\/p>\n<p>The rates may change, so for a specific property it is worth asking the municipality or the lawyer about the current tax.<\/p>\n<h2>Lawyer, interpreter and other costs<\/h2>\n<p>These items come not from legislation but from agreements, so they differ from case to case and from provider to provider.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lawyer.<\/strong> In Albania, using a lawyer is not mandatory, but we recommend that every buyer has a local lawyer review the contract. The fee can be a fixed amount or a percentage of the value of the property; this has to be agreed in advance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legal interpreter.<\/strong> Anyone who does not speak the language should also use a legal interpreter so that they understand exactly what they are signing. The fee depends on the interpreter and the length of the matter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Intermediary.<\/strong> If a real estate agent assists with the purchase, ask in advance who bears the commission and how much it is, and ask for this in writing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Translation of the contract or deed.<\/strong> If an official translation is needed, that may also carry a separate cost.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure style=\"margin:1.5em 0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:8px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horvatingatlanok.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/euro-bankjegyek.jpg\" alt=\"A pile of euro banknotes\" \/><figcaption style=\"font-size:0.85em;color:#777;\">Illustration. Photo: Ibrahim Boran \/ Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>What is worth asking for in writing before you buy<\/h2>\n<p>The costs cannot be stated exactly in advance, but most of them can be asked about in advance. Ask the lawyer or the partner in writing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What the purchase price includes, and what it does not<\/li>\n<li>How much the notary fee is, and who pays it<\/li>\n<li>How much the cadastral registration fee is, and who pays it<\/li>\n<li>Who handles the seller&#8217;s tax, and how the contract records this<\/li>\n<li>How much the lawyer&#8217;s fee is, a fixed amount or a percentage<\/li>\n<li>Whether an interpreter is needed, and what it costs<\/li>\n<li>Whether there is an intermediary&#8217;s commission, and who bears it<\/li>\n<li>How much the annual property tax is for this property<\/li>\n<li>How much the common charge is for a condominium apartment, and what it is spent on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Add up what you have received in writing before you buy, so that you can see the total cost of the property.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Who pays the capital gains tax?<\/strong> The seller, on the gain, at 15 percent for a private individual. It is worth clarifying with a lawyer how the contract treats this.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Does the buyer pay tax on purchase?<\/strong> Our sources do not mention a separate purchase tax; the notary fee and the cadastre fee are what you need to budget for. This must always be confirmed with a lawyer for the specific case.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do I have to pay annual tax on the property?<\/strong> Yes, the owner pays an annual property tax (building tax) to the local municipality, and both domestic and foreign owners do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is the notary fee a fixed amount?<\/strong> No. By law it is calculated as a percentage of the sale price, so it depends on the value of the property.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can fees and taxes change?<\/strong> Yes. That is why it is always worth asking for the current amount in writing before you buy.<\/p>\n<h2>If you would like to think it over further<\/h2>\n<p>Buying property abroad is a big decision, and there is no need to rush it. We do not pressure anyone, and we do not promise anything we cannot be sure of keeping. If you have a question about the costs, write to us and we will discuss how we can help.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.horvatingatlanok.com\/en\/contact\/\">Write to us on the Contact page<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In brief At purchase: expect a notary fee and a cadastral registration fee. Both are set by law, and the amount depends on the value of the property. Tax: the seller pays capital gains tax; the buyer bears the annual property tax (a local tax) and the common charges of the owners&#8217; association. Services: the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":168820,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1576,893],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-169039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albania-en","category-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Additional Costs in Albania: What to Budget for When Buying - Horvatingatlanok<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.horvatingatlanok.com\/mellekkoltsegek-albaniaban\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Additional Costs in Albania: What to Budget for When Buying - Horvatingatlanok\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In brief At purchase: expect a notary fee and a cadastral registration fee. 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