URA Albania

NEW: From 1 January 2026, the support package will be expanded to include a labour market component designed to lay the foundations for sustainable economic reintegration. It consists of employment counselling and job placement measures as well as various financial support services. Please also note the adjustment to the level of financial reintegration support.

1. What support can I receive?

Your individual reintegration support will be discussed during a consultation in Tirana. It will be tailored to your individual needs and may include the following advisory and in-kind services:

Consulting and support services:

• Reception and needs-based initial orientation at the airport
• Social counselling
• Psychological support
• Employment counselling and job placement measures

Financial reintegration support in kind:

• Emergency aid:
Bridging allowance (one-off cash payment)
Transport allowance
Medical expenses allowance
Rent allowance
Furnishing and renovation allowance

• Employment promotion measures, such as covering the costs of language courses, theoretical training, theoretical and practical training allowances, wage subsidies, childcare for working parents

• Support services for starting a business (training costs, training allowances, tools or equipment, start-up funds for promising business ideas (only in the case of voluntary return)

• Special support for particularly vulnerable persons:
Psychological care specifically for children
Language courses for children
Tutoring for children
Basic equipment for schoolchildren
Financing of club memberships and leisure activities for children
Coverage of childcare costs for mothers and single parents

2. Who is eligible for support services?

All Albanian nationals (without long-term toleration stay) who have returned to Albania from Germany, either voluntarily or involuntarily, are eligible for free counselling and support services.

The following criteria apply to the financial support services mentioned above:

• Return from one of the federal states participating in the project: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Bremen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.
• Destitution
• Minimum stay of three months in Germany immediately prior to return
• Registration deadline: either at least five days before departure via pre-registration or in person at the URA Albania office in Tirana within eight weeks of returning to Albania

Please note:

Persons with long-term toleration to stay are excluded from support under the URA Albania. Instead, they are eligible for reintegration support via EURP .

Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia only provide financial support to persons who have returned voluntarily.

3. How can I register?

You can either pre-register via a return counselling centre or register at the local project office after your departure.

Pre-registration

• To ensure that your return and arrival are well prepared, it is best to register without obligation at least 5 days before your departure.
• To do so, contact a return counselling centre in your area .
• Your return counsellor will fill out the registration form (see download area) with you during the counselling session.
• The return counsellor will send the registration form signed by you by e-mail to the following address: Brueckenkomponente@bamf.bund.de

• The registration will be processed and then forwarded to the URA team in Tirana.
• After your arrival, you will report in person to the project office of the URA team in Tirana.
• Please note that the non-binding pre-registration does not automatically entitle you to benefits under URA. A final decision on eligibility and the type and scope of any funding will only be made during a consultation at the URA office.

On-site registration

• You can also register in person at the project office in Tirana within 8 weeks of your return.
• Once your details have been registered, it will be checked whether you meet the requirements for financial support.
• Please ensure you bring your passport documents and, if applicable, proof of departure with you.

4. What happens after registration?

During a personal consultation and home visits, social workers will work with you to identify your individual reintegration needs.

Based on your needs, the team will work with you to develop a tailor-made reintegration plan. This may include various counselling and in-kind benefits mentioned above.

The level of financial assistance (if the eligibility criteria are met) is based on the following amounts:

• Persons returning voluntarily: up to EUR 750 per person/up to EUR 3,750 per family
• Persons returning involuntarily: up to EUR 700 per person/up to EUR 3,500 per family

5. Important recommendations for preparation

In order to prepare for your return in the best possible way and to quickly take the first steps in the reintegration process, we recommend that you apply for or pack the following documents before you leave:
• International birth certificate certified with an apostille for children born in Germany (for registration in the Albanian social security system)
• Border crossing certificate (GÜB), if available
• Flight or bus tickets
• Work references, school reports, other qualifications, if applicable
• Other documents, e.g. relating to social security benefits, wage statements, salary statements, etc., if applicable

6. Contact details

Project office address:

Bridge Component Albania (URA Albania)
Rr. Asim Zeneli, Nd. 6/10
Tirana
Albania

Telephone: +355 69 7019 979

Office hours: Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The project is funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and currently eleven federal states, and is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to support the sustainable reintegration of returnees locally.