Do you need travel insurance for Albania? As someone who lives abroad in Albania, I wanted to shed some light on this topic.
Since 2019, I have been visiting the ‘land of Eagles’, finally moving here from Cork, Ireland in 2021.
I’ve traveled around the country a good deal and have lived in two cities, one in the north (Shkoder) and one in the south (Saranda).
With my personal experience and knowledge, I hope I can give some insight into whether you’ll need Albania travel insurance.
8 Tips For Albania Travel Insurance
Are you visiting Albania for a quick vacation trip or longer for some immersion into Albanian culture?
Here are my top tips for you – a full guide on whether you need travel insurance for Albania.
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1. Do You Need Travel Insurance For Albania On A Short Trip?
The short answer is yes, you definitely need travel insurance for Albania.
Anywhere you travel, insurance is a no-brainer, definitely a must-have travel essential. Albania is a very safe destination in terms of crime – don’t buy into the stereotypes.
But for the health and emergency aspects, it is a real possibility that something could happen and you’d want to be covered.
Since Albania is not in the European Union, you won’t be able to use your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card).
I’ll explain more below about the health system and emergency response. If you’re in a hurry, I’d suggest checking out SafetyWing since they offer good coverage but are still very affordable.
I use SafetyWing myself and love how easy they make buying travel insurance. Arranging all my travel plans can give stress so I like that it’s fast and straightforward.
2. Do You Need Travel Insurance For Albania On A Longer Trip?
Recently, Albania has become a more well-known destination for digital nomads and retirees.
One reason for this is that Albania gives American passport holders a 1-year tourist visa upon arrival and they’ve also just made a digital nomad residency visa.
So it’s normal for people to stay from a month to years. If you are also interested in being in Albania for a long period, insurance plays an important role.
For the 1-year tourist visa, travel insurance for Albania is not required or mandatory, though that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get it.
When applying for many types of Albanian visas/residency permits (even the digital nomad one), it is mandatory to have insurance.
3. Emergencies In Albania
Albania went through some really atrocious things under Communism.
Even since it ended, there have been other hindrances and tragedies, like the 2019 earthquake, lack of resources during COVID, ongoing corruption, etc.
Recovery from communism has been slow so the infrastructure of Albania still needs a lot of work.
It makes sense to say the emergency response won’t be top-tier if you compare it with western countries and even other Balkan countries.
Along with the infrastructure issues, Albanians have mass emigrated away to the US, UK, and EU countries.
This has left the population low, with many being elderly. Because of this, you’ll find a majority of land in Albania to be rural.
It is normal for some remote areas to not have roads, electricity, and running water.
The solitude you can find in Albania’s stunning nature is what draws many adventurists, but of course, can be dangerous if things go wrong.
Unfortunately, for these reasons, I’d definitely recommend getting travel insurance for Albania.
4. Public Hospitals In Albania
As I just mentioned, many Albanians emigrate away for education and employment opportunities.
This contributes to public hospitals lacking enough doctors and nurses which continues to hurt the Albanian health system.
Albania has a public health system that is technically ‘free’ for citizens of Albania but funded by a tax paid by employees and employers.
I emphasize the term citizens because as I mentioned before, if you are on a resident permit you might need to use your own insurance.
Of course, like most things in Albania, this is not always carried out how it is stated online.
As an example, I was horse riding with friends in the Albanian countryside, when one person’s saddle came loose as we were galloping.
I rode in the ambulance with him and he ended up having some broken bones and bruised ribs. He was asked to show his foreign ID, they treated him, and didn’t ask for payment.
The payment wasn’t avoided purposefully by any means, it was more of the case that all three of us were foreigners and didn’t know how things worked.
Now that I’ve been in Albania for a while I understand that tourists being treated at the public hospital isn’t straightforward.
Even for Albanians, it is normal to bribe doctors and nurses for shorter wait times and better care – which is exactly why I put free health care in quotes.
So the takeaway from this – as a foreigner visiting Albania, it’s hard to tell what to expect if you try to visit the public hospital.
5. Private Care In Albania
As a foreigner, communicating at the public hospital could be difficult since English could be limited there (knowing Italian could be beneficial, many doctors are older and know that better).
If you have an Albanian friend, you could bring them with you, things will go a lot smoother.
The other option is to seek private care, which will be closer to western standards in terms of care and facilities.
In the last decade, private health care in Albania has really expanded.
Private health care will be more likely to have English-speaking staff, so that will make it easier to communicate your issue or emergency.
I’m all for immersing yourself in the local language, but when it comes to medical emergencies, it’s obvious that clear communication becomes a top priority.
Of course, since the care is private it will cost you. I doubt any place will accept insurance.
Rather you will need to pay out of pocket and then be reimbursed by your provider later.
So the long answer to whether you need travel insurance for Albania is still yes, you need it.
6. Consider All Of Your Destinations
Usually, when travelers come to Albania, they are visiting multiple countries in the Balkan region.
Of course, I would argue that you could easily spend your whole trip slow traveling in Albania since there are a lot of hidden gems to find.
But if you are planning to cross some borders, you’ll want to make sure to have the right insurance for accurate coverage.
That’s why I’d suggest a company that covers multiple countries or whole regions without charging more. This is actually why I prefer to use SafetyWing.
Since it’s more of a subscription-based insurance, it follows you everywhere you go. This is ideal if you’re spontaneous – one less thing on your travel checklist.
7. Consider Your Health & Safety Needs
Everyone is different and ultimately you know yourself best.
If you know for a fact that you’re accident-prone or always finding yourself in unavoidable travel delays, then travel insurance might be a good call.
Naturally, some people have more medical costs than others and of course, age is a huge factor too.
If you know for a fact that you need expensive prescription medicine, tests, doctor visits, etc. then finding good travel health insurance for Albania is important.
If you live away from your home country (like me), these expenses are bound to creep up since you aren’t just on a short visit.
Unfortunately, most regular travel insurances don’t cover smaller medical problems, but rather large emergencies.
If you are wanting more comprehensive health insurance that follows you everywhere, I’d encourage you to check out SafetyWing’s global health insurance.
It’s designed by and for remote workers and digital nomads – plus with this insurance you’re still covered in your home country.
8. Travel Insurance Can Release Stress
For many, travel can create some anxiety, especially if you’re headed to unknown territory.
With unfamiliar circumstances, I think it’s normal to become overwhelmed, even as an experienced traveler. That is also the beauty of getting out of your comfort zone.
You get to grow through new challenges. When I first came to Albania, that’s exactly how I felt but it was honestly fun to experience the chaos.
Back then, I didn’t know how things worked here and also things weren’t as organized as they are now.
Personally, I find it easier to enjoy travel when I know I’m covered, it takes some pressure off.
Final Thoughts On Travel Insurance For Albania
I hope this guide on travel insurance for Albania guide has helped in some way. Albania is a beautiful country with deep history and great food, you should definitely visit.
If you have any further questions about Albania travel insurance, just shoot me a DM on Instagram.
Need some more inspiration for your trip? Check out one of the best road trips in Albania!
