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New rule for regaining Albanian citizenship

2025-05-10 22:40:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Enkeleda Olldashi-Heusinger did not take the decision to renounce her Albanian citizenship lightly. Even though she had lived in Germany for years and knew that a German passport would make her life much easier – at work, when traveling, in every relationship with the state – her sense of connection to her homeland always remained strong.

But everything changed during a trip from Saranda to Corfu. "I remember on the boat with my husband and our two German friends. All the EU citizens got through without a problem. While we Albanians were kept for over an hour in the terrible heat, without any explanation." That day she decided to apply for German citizenship - leaving behind, painfully, her Albanian document.

A document that did not exist
Almost 20 years later, when Germany, thanks to a change in the citizenship law in 2024, allowed dual citizenship, Enkeleda Olldashi-Heusinger did not think twice and immediately started applying for Albanian citizenship. But the process did not go as she had hoped. The application was blocked when the embassy, ??specifically the consular section in Munich, asked for a birth certificate and a family certificate issued by the German authorities. A birth certificate from Germany can only make sense for those born in this country, but for those born in Albania, this request was absurd. "The German authorities were surprised when we asked them for a birth certificate," Enkeleda recounts.

The original remains in Albania
The Berlin Senate confirmed to Deutsche Welles that there is a possibility to obtain a copy of the birth certificate from the German authorities, but only if the citizen registers it himself in the civil registry through a special procedure ("Nachbeurkundung"). However, even if it existed, the Berlin Senate doubts that this document would be recognized by foreign authorities as an official birth certificate. According to the Senate, similar cases have also been registered with naturalized citizens from Vietnam and the former Yugoslavia.

Albania reacts to complaints
Enkeleda Olldashi-Heusinger was not alone. Like her, most of the 174 citizens who, according to the Albanian Embassy in Germany, had submitted a request for the restoration of Albanian citizenship in Berlin were affected by the same documentary obstacle.

They turned to the media – including Deutsche Welle – to seek a solution. And finally, at the beginning of April, the Albanian government initiated a change in the regulation. A birth certificate from Germany is now no longer necessary. A certificate issued in Albania is sufficient – ??and it can also be obtained through the consulate.

Enkeleda had submitted this certificate from the beginning, along with all the other documents. The change in regulations opened up a path for her that had previously been blocked. “It was quick and hassle-free,” she said. “This time everything went smoothly.”

A late change for many applicants
But for some other applicants, this regulation may have come too late. Specifically, this has affected those who had prepared all the documents and who no longer had an appointment at the embassy after the new requirement for two additional documents from Germany was introduced – a birth certificate and a family certificate. For them, there is concern that the documents prepared at considerable cost may have lost their validity due to the six-month deadline.

Deutsche Welle has asked the Albanian Ministry of Interior whether the validity period of applications submitted before the regulation change will be extended. So far, no response has been received.

More than a symbolic act
For Enkeleda Olldashi-Heusinger, although the process was tiring, the effort was worth it. “It’s a symbolic act for me,” she says. “It’s my birthplace. I have family, I have a house there. And maybe one day I want to spend more time in Albania.” Even though her documents are now under review at the Presidency, she is hesitant to rejoice: “I will only be truly happy when I have the Albanian passport in my hand.”

Enkeleda Olldashi-Heusinger has been mediating between cultures for years, teaching German tourists Albanian folk dances in her hometown of Berat. "If I really get Albanian citizenship again, I will celebrate with the next group of tourists in the Berat fortress – with a folk dance. And the whole group will join me," she says./ DW