💵 Can I pay cash for a high-value purchase in Albania?

With conditions

Quick answer

Yes, but only up to the threshold that matches who the parties are. From 2026, the cash limit is 100,000 lekë per transaction business-to-business, and 500,000 lekë for business-to-consumer payments. Above the relevant threshold, the payment must go through a bank, a card or another traceable electronic form. The myth: “anything over 100,000 lekë is banned in cash, even when I buy as a consumer”. No — the B2C threshold is 500,000 lekë; 100,000 lekë is the B2B one. And mind the currency: 500,000 new lek is what people call “5 million lekë” in everyday speech. Businesses in tourism and transport meeting the tax criteria had to have a POS terminal by 30 May 2026.

📋 The rules

A business may pay another business in cash up to 100,000 lekë per transaction.
A consumer may pay a business in cash up to 500,000 lekë per transaction.
Above the relevant threshold, the payment must go through a bank, a card or another traceable electronic form.
Businesses in tourism and transport that meet the tax criteria were required to have a POS terminal by 30 May 2026.
The invoice and the actual method of payment must match; artificially splitting one purchase into several payments must not be used to get under the threshold.

🔓 Exceptions

The 100,000 lekë limit applies to business-to-business dealings; it must not be copied automatically onto a casual sale between two private individuals.
The 500,000 lekë limit applies when a consumer pays a taxpayer or business; the real status of the parties decides which threshold bites.
The rules on declaring money when you cross the border are a completely separate regime and do not replace the domestic payment limits.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

A payment above the threshold can trigger a tax measure against the business and create problems when the expense or transaction has to be proved — a large purchase paid in cash may not be properly recognised in the accounts. This page does not publish a single fine figure, because the official explanatory materials we checked did not give one amount covering every situation; a wrong number would be worse than none. Splitting one purchase into several payments to stay under the threshold is not a solution: the invoice and the actual payment method must match.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

How much can I pay in cash as a consumer?

Up to 500,000 lekë per transaction when you pay a registered business. Above that threshold the payment has to go through a bank, a card or another traceable electronic method.

Why do I always hear the figure 100,000 lekë?

Because 100,000 lekë is the threshold for business-to-business payments, and it is often quoted as if it applied to everyone. For business-to-consumer payments, the 2026 fiscal package sets a threshold five times higher.

Are these new lek or old lek?

New lek, as written in the law and the Official Gazette. In everyday conversation you will hear them as “1 million” and “5 million lekë”, because people count in old lek, but the amounts are identical.

Can I split the payment in two to stay under the limit?

No. Artificially splitting one purchase into several payments must not be used to get around the threshold. The invoice and the actual method of payment have to match each other.

Who had to install a POS terminal, and by when?

Businesses in tourism and transport meeting the tax criteria had to have a POS by 30 May 2026, according to the Tax Administration's notice. That deadline is separate from the cash thresholds, but complements them.

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