What currency does Albania use?
The lek, code ALL, plural lekë. The Bank of Albania holds the exclusive right to issue the national currency with legal tender, and the lek is the country's monetary unit.
The euro is a foreign currency in Albania, even where it seems to be everywhere. The Bank of Albania itself writes that the public's use of foreign currency in everyday transactions remains wide, and it has signed a memorandum with the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Supervisory Authority to widen the use of the lek.
Can you pay in euros in Albania?
Plan on paying in lekë. The lek is the legal tender, and we found no official rule that obliges a shop, a bar or a taxi to accept euros, or that fixes the rate when they do; if a price is quoted in euros, ask what it comes to in lekë before you pay.
Tickets are the part of the night you can sort out in euros. In 2026, the ticket page of every night on this website, from the Sarandë seafront to the beach clubs of Ksamil, priced it in euros.
Anything you pay for in person once the night has started falls under the general rule above. If you are still choosing between the two towns, Saranda or Ksamil compares what each night looks like, and Albania nightlife maps the rest.
How much is one euro in lek?
On 4 November 2026, the Bank of Albania's official rate was 91.00 lekë for one euro. The lek floats freely, so its value against other currencies is set in the foreign exchange market, and it moves.
The Bank computes the official rate for the euro and the US dollar from standardised interbank quotes collected between 11:30–12:00, and describes it as a single reference level for trade, valuation, comparison and statistics. A bank or an exchange office applies its own buying and selling rates, so compare them with the official one on the Bank of Albania's website, which shows the time of its last update.
| Currency | Lekë per unit, 4 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Euro (EUR) | 91.00 lekë |
| Pound sterling (GBP) | 109.08 lekë |
| US dollar (USD) | 80.90 lekë |
| Swiss franc (CHF) | 98.96 lekë |
Where do you change euros into lekë?
At a bank or at a licensed foreign exchange office. The Bank of Albania is the only authority that licenses, regulates and supervises banks and foreign exchange offices in the country.
Before you change a larger amount, look up the official rate of the day and compare it with the buying rate on the counter: the gap is what the exchange costs you. The euro and the US dollar are the two currencies for which the Bank also publishes the average interbank buying and selling prices.
Which lek banknotes and coins will you get?
Six banknotes, from 200 lekë to 10,000 lekë, make up the new series the Bank of Albania brought out between 2019 and 2022. The 200 lekë note is made of polymer.
The older notes of every denomination remain legal tender alongside the new ones. The Bank will announce when each stops being legal tender, and even then they keep their value and can be exchanged for new notes; the old 100 lekë note is already out, since the end of 2011.
Coins come in 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 lekë, each with its own image: a pelican on the 1, the eagle of the flag on the 5, Berat castle on the 10, a Liburnian ship on the 20, the Illyrian king Gent on the 50 and Queen Teuta on the 100.
| Banknote | In circulation since |
|---|---|
| 200 lekë | 30 September 2019 |
| 5,000 lekë | 30 September 2019 |
| 1,000 lekë | 30 June 2021 |
| 10,000 lekë | 30 June 2021 |
| 500 lekë | 17 January 2022 |
| 2,000 lekë | 17 January 2022 |
How much cash can you take into Albania?
From €10,000 in cash, or the same value in another currency, you must declare it to Albanian customs, both when you enter and when you leave. The same goes for bearer instruments, precious metals and stones, valuables and antiques.
The declaration is the RTVK form, filled in at the customs office of the border crossing before passport control, and it is free; it applies whether you arrive by plane, car, boat or on foot. Not declaring can bring a fine, 20,000 lekë the first time in the lowest band, and the case is also handled under the Criminal Code.
The EU has its own threshold for the trip home: €10,000 or more in cash must be declared when you enter or leave EU territory, at the port of Corfu or an Italian port as much as at an airport. The ID you need at that same border is covered in entering Albania with an ID card.
Paying a deposit in euros by bank transfer
Since 7 October 2025, a euro transfer between Albania and the rest of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) is processed and priced like a domestic one. The Bank of Albania's own example: a euro payment from Tirana to Brussels costs the same as one from Tirana to Korçë.
Albania joined SEPA in 2024. On the Albanian side, the Bank of Albania puts the cost of an electronic euro payment of up to €20,000 at no more than €2.
