The government is seeking to bring the daily rental market and part of the tourism sector under tighter control through a new draft law that adds registrations, obligations and fines. According to the version released for public consultation, apartments, villas and rooms offered for short-term stays will no longer be able to operate without first registering on the government portal e-Albania.
Mandatory registration for every short-term rental unit
The draft law stipulates that every accommodation unit offered for payment for a few days, through platforms such as Airbnb and Booking or directly, must be registered on the government portal e-Albania before starting operations.
After registration, the entity is issued a unique code, which becomes a mandatory element for carrying out the activity. In essence, the government aims to identify every apartment, villa or room entering the short-term accommodation market.
The unique code must also appear in online advertisements
According to the draft law, the unique registration code will not only have to exist in the system, but must also be shown in every advertisement or offer published online.
The proposed approach aims to directly link internet listings with the state register, giving the administration more opportunities to verify who is operating and who remains outside the rules.
Tourist agencies and the holidaymaker reimbursement fund
The proposed changes also affect tourist agencies. In the event of an operator’s bankruptcy, tourists’ costs would be covered by a special fund intended to reimburse payments for services that are not delivered.
Tourism entities will also be required to carry third-party liability insurance, an additional regulatory burden that the government presents as a consumer protection mechanism.
Beaches: free access on paper, fines of up to 400,000 lek
The draft law also directly affects the management of beach stations. According to the draft, entities engaged in this activity must guarantee the public free and uninterrupted passage to the seashore, without fences or obstructive barriers.
Fines of up to 400,000 lek are foreseen for violations. The absence of a beach lifeguard is punishable by a fine of 200,000 lek, while in the event of a repeat violation the measure doubles to 400,000 lek.
The draft remains under public consultation
Despite the new package of obligations, the draft law has not yet been approved and remains in the public consultation phase.
This means the new rules for daily rentals, tourist agencies and beaches are still at the draft stage, even though the government’s direction appears clear: more formalization, more reporting and more sanctions in the tourism sector.
If the draft passes without substantial changes, the short-term accommodation market will face a stricter regime of administrative control.
The question that remains is how much these rules will actually be enforced on the ground, in a sector where informality and institutional tolerance have been present for years.