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Money

Often, when people consider moving to Albania, they are presented with the cost of an apartment or other service in Euros, but of course, the Euro isn't the currency of Albania; that's the Lek. So, where can you use Euros? Is cash or card more ubiquitous? Which banks allow you to take out cash in Euros when you need it?

Albania is gradually moving into the world of ubiquitous card payments, but for a lot of smaller shops and businesses, cash is still king.

20 Lek coinf and 20 centime Euro piece.

One issue that has been flagged on expat group forums is how it seems like the Euro must be a kind of parallel currency due to how often it can slip into the change you receive from a supermarket purchase or on a bus. The similar size and markings on a 20Lek coin and a 20c Euro coin can make it hard to distinguish between them and when there are so many Euros in circulation, it is easy to understand how the confusion arises. My experience is that if a shopkeeper or bus conductor is prepared to hand out Euros, they're probably not that worried about getting them back, but as a general rule, you should always go around armed with Lek.

Banks with ATMs that give Euros

Most bank branches can provide Euros over the counter, but what if you're landlord needs your rent after closing time or another Euro-related emergency arises? Where can you get Euro notes out of the wall? See Euro ATMs

Street money changers

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Albania joins SEPA

Albania officially joined the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) on November 21, 2024, marking a key step toward EU financial integration. This allows Albanian banks to participate in SEPA schemes for euro-denominated payments, with full operational rollout for transfers starting January 1, 2025 (for standard transfers) and October 7, 2025 (for euro payments via 11 commercial banks). SEPA primarily standardises and reduces costs for electronic euro payments like credit transfers (SCT), instant transfers (SCT Inst), and direct debits (SDD), enabling low- or no-fee cross-border euro transactions within the 41-member zone (e.g., fees for a €1,000 transfer drop from €10–40 to ≤€2).

Unfortunately, bank ATM fees for withdrawing cash using non-Albanian bank cards are not covered by SEPA and are likely to remain high in the near term.

Insight takeaways:

  • Lek is the default currency of Albania, but Euros can be used for some transactions
  • Most bank ATMs can't provide Euro notes, but those that can are listed in the Resource ATMs page.
  • Most major businesses and supermarkets take cards, but for almost all smaller shops and cafés, cash is king (and the King's name is LEK)