In June 2020, Albania has seen a 71% decrease in foreign citizens and a 66% decrease in Albanian nationals who have entered the country as compared to the same time last year.
According to an INSTAT report, 179,594 foreign citizens and 364,547 Albanian citizens have entered Albania this June.
The number of Kosovo citizens that entered the country this June was affected the least, though it still suffered a 51% decrease compared to 2019. Poland, on the other hand, was the country of origin that saw the sharpest decrease this year, with 95% less Polish citizens visiting Albania than in June 2019.
Departures from Albania also witnessed a decrease last month. 385,199 people left Albania this June, 65.1% less than in June 2019. Of them, 240,949 were Albanian citizens and 144,250 were foreign citizens. These numbers mark a 47.6% and a 77.6% decrease, respectively, as compared to June 2019.
The significant fall in circulation numbers reflects the ban on unnecessary travel from Albania to other countries, since the beginning of the pandemic.
As per the latest announcement of the Albanian police on July 11, Albanian citizens are able to travel freely to Kosovo and North Macedonia, with no obligatory quarantine and without having to be tested for coronavirus preemptively.
Albanian citizens can travel to Montenegro only if they have been tested recently for coronavirus and the results were negative. If the travelling group exceeds 10 people, Montenegrin authorities at the border will administer the test.
The only people allowed to travel to Greece from Albania are those equipped with a Greek passport, work permit, or residency permit. Freight vehicles are also allowed to move freely.
Albanian citizens are still not allowed to enter the Schengen area, unless they are equipped with a residency permit from one of the Schengen area countries.
Sources have told Exit that Albanians are currently able to travel to Turkey without having to quarantine or to be tested for coronavirus.
