The Albanian government has approved a new regulation that precisely defines how public officials will travel, where they will be accommodated and how much money per day they will receive while serving abroad. The new decision, officially protocoled on August 4, 2026, repeals the old rules that were in force since 2011 and establishes a strict "star" hierarchy for hotels, as well as an increase in daily food quotas.
Leadership at 5 stars, civil servants at 3 stars.
According to the new instruction, accommodation classification is done according to the rank of the official:
Hotels up to 5 stars: Reserved only for the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister and Ministers.
Hotels up to 4 stars : For Deputy Ministers, Deputies, General Secretaries and General Directors.
Hotels up to 3 stars: For civil servants and other employees of the public administration.
Only members of the Republic Guard are excluded from this division, who are allowed to be accommodated in the same hotel with the personality they maintain, regardless of the number of stars. Also, a transfer to a hotel of a higher category is allowed if during the tender/offer it results in a cheaper or equal price.
How much will the daily 'per diem' be paid?
The Council of Ministers protocoled on August 4 divides the countries of the world into three groups and determines the daily quotas in euro/USD for food:
President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Assembly : 120 – 150 euros/day.
Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers: 80 – 120 euros/day.
Deputies, Deputy Ministers, Secretaries General: 70 – 80 euros/day.
Directors General and Ambassadors: 50 – 60 euros/day.
Other civil servants : 45 – 55 euros/day.
Short-term trainings (up to 1 month): The benefit is fixed at 40 euros/day (when not covered by the host country).
Changes in procedures and new expenses covered
With the new regulation, travel tickets and hotel will be expected and paid directly by the institution. Employees will receive in their bank accounts as an advance only the part of daily expenses before departure, while the final financial settlement is made immediately upon return with supporting invoices.
For the first time, the state also covers highway taxes (tolls/road fees), urban transportation from home/institution to the airport and vice versa, health insurance and visas. Also, in case of cancellation or interruption of the trip due to major reasons (illness, accident, cancellation by the organizer), the costs are covered by the state budget.
