Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ferit Hoxha has described consular services for Albanians at home and abroad as a success story, linked not only to technological transformation but also to improvements in the way services are delivered, their quality and speed.
In a video message published on social media, Hoxha said that between 2017 and 2026 alone, 1.378 million consular services were processed.
According to him, a total of 4.3 million legalisations were processed from 2019 through June 2026, while more than 203,000 e-Visa applications have been handled since 2021.
“Our commitment,” the Foreign Minister added, “is to improve and, above all, simplify procedures, bringing services as close as possible to citizens.”
“Specifically, we are working on the development of a Virtual Assistant that will have no working hours, will respond at any time, to any question and from anywhere, and will guide applicants towards the appropriate service. A QR code will be introduced for every consular service, allowing citizens to evaluate the service and submit any possible complaints. Citizens should not only be recipients of services, but also evaluators of them. In short, we want to know how we are performing and how we can improve,” Hoxha said.
The Minister announced that a Virtual Diplomatic Presence will soon be established — a single digital point of access to consular information and services for anyone in countries where Albania does not have a physical diplomatic representation.
“In short, we want to move away from the practice where citizens go to the state, towards one where the state reaches out to them and is always close to its citizens,” Hoxha concluded.
Irida Laçi, Director of Consular Affairs at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, added that “a total of 32 services are currently available online, 22 of which do not necessarily require physical presence, and where the nature of the service allows, the document can be sent by post.”
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