Do Germany passport holders need a visa to visit AL?

German ordinary passport holders do not need a visa for tourism in Albania. They can enter and stay visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. As an EU citizen, a holder of a German ordinary passport can travel to Albania for tourism or other short visits without any visa. Under Albania's Law No. 79/2021 "On Foreigners," German nationals may enter and stay for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, counted from the date of first entry. Entry is permitted with either a valid passport or a German national ID card (Personalausweis); the travel document should be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure date and, in the case of a passport, issued within the last 10 years. Albania is NOT part of the Schengen area (it is an EU candidate country), so the EU/Schengen 90/180 rule and the upcoming ETIAS authorization do not apply to entering Albania itself - Albania operates its own separate 90/180 visa-free regime for EU citizens. No prior online registration, eVisa, or visa-on-arrival is required for short tourist stays. If you intend to stay longer than 90 days, you must apply for a long-stay visa before travel or request a residence permit within the first 30 days after arrival. There is no entry or tourist fee for short visits. Documents previously reported as lost or stolen should not be used even if recovered, as Albanian authorities may not have updated records.