🍺 Can I drive in Albania after drinking alcohol?

With conditions

Quick answer

Only if the reading stays below the legal limit of 0.2 g/l — and even then you are not automatically in the clear. From 0.2 to 0.5 g/l the fine is 5,000–15,000 lekë with a licence suspension of 6–12 months; a repeat within 1 year pushes the suspension to 1–2 years. Above 0.5 g/l you are treated as intoxicated and article 291 of the Criminal Code applies: imprisonment from 10 days to 3 years. The myth: “one glass is allowed”. The law measures a concentration in your body, not a number of glasses — weight, food, timing and strength all change the result. Above 1.5 g/l a medical check for dependence is added, and administrative measures taken between 22:00 and 07:00 are increased by one third to two thirds.

📋 The rules

The general limit published by DPSHTRR is 0.2 grams of alcohol per litre of blood; the same drink does not translate into the same reading for every person.
From 0.2 to 0.5 g/l the penalty is a fine of 5,000–15,000 lekë and a licence suspension of 6–12 months.
If the same offence is repeated within 1 year, the suspension can be 1–2 years.
Above 0.5 g/l the driver counts as intoxicated; besides losing the licence and re-testing, article 291 of the Criminal Code provides imprisonment from 10 days to 3 years, which the court may replace with a payment to the state.
Above 1.5 g/l a medical check for alcohol dependence is also required; for administrative measures taken between 22:00 and 07:00, the fine is increased by one third to two thirds.

🔓 Exceptions

Being under 0.2 g/l does not mean driving is safe: the police can still proceed for other dangerous behaviour or unfitness to drive.
Drugs and psychotropic substances are treated separately and can trigger article 291 directly; the 0.2 g/l limit does not apply to them.
A reading near the threshold must be assessed against the procedure and the device's unit; mg/l in exhaled air must not be copied across as if it were g/l in blood.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

The consequences escalate: from a 5,000–15,000 lekë fine and a 6–12 month suspension, to criminal proceedings above 0.5 g/l, where the court may replace imprisonment with a payment to the state. Above 1.5 g/l a medical check for dependence is added, and administrative measures between 22:00 and 07:00 are increased by one third to two thirds — so a 15,000-lek fine (heard on the street as “150 thousand lekë” in old lek) gets heavier still. Do not expect automatic outcomes for your criminal record or a visa: that depends on the proceedings and the final decision.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

How many drinks am I allowed before driving?

The law does not count glasses: it sets a concentration of 0.2 g/l in the blood. The same drink produces different readings depending on weight, food, timing and alcohol strength, so “one glass” is never a guarantee.

What happens if I blow 0.35 g/l?

You are in the 0.2–0.5 g/l band, which carries a fine of 5,000–15,000 lekë and a licence suspension of 6–12 months. If the same offence is repeated within a year, the suspension can run to 1–2 years.

Do I go to prison above 0.5 g/l?

Above 0.5 g/l you count as intoxicated and article 291 of the Criminal Code applies, providing imprisonment from 10 days to 3 years. The court may replace the prison term with a payment in favour of the state.

Why do some pages mention 0.8 g/l or 40,000 lekë fines?

Those figures were not supported by any official text in force when we checked, so they have been removed from this page. What applies is the 0.2 g/l limit and the 0.5 g/l criminal threshold, as published by DPSHTRR and the Criminal Code.

Is “zero tolerance” coming for new drivers?

Parliament passed amendments on 17 June 2026 that were reported as zero tolerance for new drivers, but as of 12 July 2026 no promulgated, published act could be found. Until official publication, the current thresholds apply.

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