The beneficial owner declaration is completed online on e-Albania, free of charge. For new businesses, it is done simultaneously with the company registration, using the same form. Non-profit organizations and entities with indirect ownership after refusal must submit it as a separate application within 40 days. Completing the form takes about 15 minutes, and the QKB issues a decision within two business days.
The mistake we most often see with new businesses is the belief that registering the company automatically covers the beneficial owner in every case. This only applies to direct ownership. When another company stands behind the company, or when the entity is an NGO, the declaration requires special action, supporting documentation, and the deadline starts to run. Fines range from 50,000 to 600,000 lekë and are accompanied by the suspension of all services at the QKB.
Read also: The legal definition of the beneficial owner.
The application is submitted by the person authorized to represent the reporting entity, as a rule the legal representative (administrator), by logging in to e-Albania. If the application is made by a third party, a special notarized power of attorney is required, just as for company registration.
Advanced electronic signature is mandatory. Without it, the form cannot be signed and the application will not be submitted. Obtain a qualified certificate through the relevant e-Albania service before you begin filling out the form.
Before you open the form, you must know exactly who you will declare: who owns 25% or more, directly or through other companies, and what document you will use to prove it. If you have any doubts, clarify them before applying, because an incorrect declaration will suspend or deny the request.
Read also: Who is considered the beneficial owner and how is the 25% threshold calculated?.
The deadlines are determined by Article 5, paragraph 3 of Law No. 112/2020, unchanged.
The declaration is made simultaneously with the application for company registration, using a single form. For companies with direct ownership, no further action is required: upon approval of the company's registration, the beneficial owners are also registered.
Read also: How to register an LLC on e-Albania.
If the simultaneous application is refused, indirect ownership entities have 40 calendar days from the date of refusal to complete the registration of beneficial owners.
NGOs complete the initial registration within 40 calendar days from the date of registration as a legal entity.
Read also: Initial registration of nonprofit organizations.
The documents uploaded by the applicant (Chapter III of Government Decree No. 1088/2020):
✔ Documentation proving the NUIS and the entity's name, with the registration date (not for simultaneous registration, since the entity does not yet have a NUIS)
✔ Documentation verifying the beneficial owner's identification data
✔ Documentation from the registering authority confirming ownership of 25% or more, with the date of designation as beneficial owner.
✔ For indirect ownership: the documents of each intermediary legal entity in the chain.
✔ Statement of the legal representative, only when an individual is not identified with 25% or more.
✔ Any other document proving identity, if it does not fall under the above.
Note: The NUIS document and the document proving ownership must have been issued within 90 calendar days prior to the application date. An expired extract is one of the most common reasons for suspension.
Documents must be legible, without unverified corrections, and in the Albanian language. Documents from foreign jurisdictions must be accompanied by a certified translation and either legalized or apostilled. According to QKB instructions, documents from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Kosovo are exempt from legalization.
For new businesses, the declaration is part of the simultaneous registration form (service for LLCs and other forms, for SH.A., for branches and representative offices). For other cases, the special service “ is used.“Application for Initial Registration in the Beneficial Owners Register“.
After identifying and selecting the service, the system opens the electronic file under the case number and automatically retrieves the entity's data (NUIS, name, legal form, legal representative). The form is completed for each beneficial owner separately, with the following fields:
Select Albanian citizen, foreign national, refugee/stateless person, and the type of document. For Albanian citizens, the NID is sufficient: the first name, last name, and date of birth are filled in automatically. For foreigners, the passport number, issuing country, and issue and expiration dates are added.
For Albanians, the place of residence; for foreigners, the address of permanent residence, including the county, municipality, and street.
Direct when the individual owns the shares directly, indirect when they own them through another company. For indirect ownership, click “Add Person” and enter the details of each intermediary legal entity in the chain back to the individual, based on supporting documentation.
As a rule, “Owner of Quotas/Shares.” When an individual registers on the basis of control without ownership, the appropriate option is selected and the legal representative's declaration is attached.
The date on which the individual became the beneficial owner. For newly established companies, it is usually the date of incorporation. It must match the date as shown in the document from the registering authority.
The specific percentage is set, always 25% or more. For four equal partners, each is declared as 25%.
After completion, the documents (PDF) are uploaded, the form is electronically signed, and submitted. The system sends you a copy of the form by email and the application status. Follow with the case number..
Cost: free of charge. Processing time: about 15 minutes with documents ready. QKB decision: within 2 business days.
If, after exhausting all means, the entity cannot identify any individual with 25% or more ownership, and there is no reason for suspicion, the individual who determines the entity's decisions or controls the selection and removal of the majority of its governing bodies is recorded as the beneficial owner. If this one cannot be identified either, the highest-ranking director is recorded (Section III, letters d through e, of the Government Decree No. 1088/2020).
In both cases, the application must be accompanied by a written statement signed by the legal representative, precisely describing the steps taken to identify the individual and the reasons for registering them in that capacity. The statement must have been drafted within the same 90-day period as the other documents.
Download: Model declaration for identifying the beneficial owner.
AlProfit Consult prepares the declaration and the entire dossier as part of our initial business registration service.
For special applications, The authorized QKB officer decides no later than two business days from submission: approves the request; suspends it, giving the entity 30 calendar days to remedy deficiencies; or rejects it when the requested data differ from the data registrable under the law.
For simultaneous registration, the rule is faster and stricter: suspension occurs within one business day and also halts the company registration procedure itself. For entities with direct ownership, failure to address the deficiencies results in the complete refusal of the company's registration. In other words, a false declaration of the beneficial owner can block your business from opening.
If the deficiencies are addressed within the deadline, the registration is approved and bears the date of the initial application, so the legal deadline is not considered missed. After a refusal, one may reapply, but the new application does not relieve the applicant of fines for missed deadlines.
Read also: The register of beneficial owners is changing. What does the new 2026 draft law bring?.
Decisions are notified by publication in the register and by email to the authorized person. Before filing an appeal, you may contact the QKB's Information and Assistance Department to clarify the reasons. The administrative appeal is submitted to the QKB's head within 30 calendar days of the decision's publication (Article 11 of the law), and you may appeal his decision to the administrative court.
Every time there is a tax or financial change that affects your business, we notify you directly by email with a practical explanation.
Send me free notificationsArticle 13 of Law No. 112/2020, as amended by Law No. 6/2022, provides for the following fines:
Except for the fine, until it is paid and registration is completed, the QKB does not provide any other services to the entity, with the exception of changing the legal representative, and the entity's status is changed from active to suspended. In practice, this blocks any action, from changing the address to distributing dividends.
The fine is imposed by the QKB official and is directly appealed to the administrative court.
Read also: Change of beneficial owner information.
QKB offers three online tools:
Our practical recommendation: verify your entity in the public search today. It takes two minutes and will immediately tell you if you have an uncovered obligation.
Read also: Data verification and access.
No. For direct ownership, the declaration is filed at the same time as the company's registration, using the same form. You can verify this in the public RPP search.
Yes, but a special notarized power of attorney is required, even if the person applying is an Albanian citizen.
This is indirect ownership. The full chain of ownership must be declared up to the individual who owns 25% or more, with proof documentation from the registering authority for each link. If the simultaneous application is rejected, you have 40 days from the date of rejection to register.
For entities with direct ownership, the data was automatically transferred from the QKB by June 2022, and the obligation is considered fulfilled, with the right to an update without a fine for the first request. Entities with indirect ownership and NGOs were required to register by June 30, 2022; if you have not yet done so, the obligation is not extinguished and a 400,000-lek fine with service suspension will apply until registration is completed. Old unpaid fines were forgiven 100% by Law No. 6/2022, while those that have been paid will be refunded according to Government Decree No. 739/2022.
The application on e-Albania is free of charge, both for simultaneous registration and for individual registration. Fees are only applied to written extracts and non-public information., According to Order No. 25/2021.
Publicly available are the first and last name, nationality, year and month of birth, date of designation as beneficial owner, and the type and percentage of ownership. Other data are accessible only to competent authorities or persons with proven legitimate interest.
Law No. 112/2020 “On the register of beneficial owners"“, as amended by Normative Act No. 12/2021 and the Law No. 6/2022.
VKM No. 1088, dated December 24, 2020, as amended by Decrees No. 273/2021 and No. 328/2022
VKM No. 739, dated November 23, 2022 “For the reimbursement procedures of waived administrative measures”
The order No. 25, dated February 3, 2021 “For the approval of fees for the issuance of extracts”
QKB Contacts: [email protected] · +355 42 250 066 · qkb.gov.al
Address: Jeanne d'Arc Boulevard, Property No. 33, Officers' House, Tirana
Source: National Business Center.