🙏 Is begging a crime in Albania?

With conditions

Quick answer

It depends who begs and how — an adult begging for themselves is not a criminal offence, but exploiting someone else, especially a child, is a serious crime. The myth is that any begging lands you in prison, or the opposite, that begging has no consequences at all — neither holds. The Penal Code, article 124/b, punishes with 2 to 5 years in prison anyone who compels, exploits or uses a minor to work, to generate income, to beg, or for acts that harm their development. So “the child who begs” is not the child's problem, but the offence of whoever puts them to beg. At the same time, at local level, municipalities treat begging as a violation against public morality: in Tirana (article 10 of the regulation), asking for alms and washing windscreens at traffic lights are fined 2,000–10,000 lek. So for an adult begging for themselves the consequence is administrative, not criminal — while putting another to beg leads to prison.

📋 The rules

An adult begging for themselves is not, in itself, a criminal offence in the Penal Code.
Article 124/b punishes with 2 to 5 years in prison compelling, exploiting or using a minor to work, generate income, beg, or for acts that harm their development.
In Tirana, article 10 of the municipal regulation treats asking for alms and washing windscreens at traffic lights as a violation against public morality.
The administrative fine in Tirana for these violations ranges from 2,000 to 10,000 lek, by the Municipal Police.
Compelling a person by force or deceit, or trafficking for exploitation, moves to offences even more serious than article 124/b.

🔓 Exceptions

If begging is organised by a network that exploits people, the matter leaves the realm of a violation and moves to criminal offences of exploitation or trafficking.
The fine and wording for begging as a violation vary from one municipality to another; not every town treats it like Tirana.
Giving alms occasionally is not punished; the ban targets the act of asking in the street under local rules, not the passer-by's generosity.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

The weight of the consequence depends on the role. For an adult begging for themselves, the punishment stays administrative — in Tirana a 2,000 to 10,000 lek fine under article 10 of the regulation, imposed by the Municipal Police. But for whoever puts a child or someone else to beg, the ground shifts radically: article 124/b of the Penal Code sets 2 to 5 years in prison, and where there is force, deceit or an exploitation network, the charge worsens towards trafficking. Beyond prison comes the criminal record that follows you in every clearance, loss of custody of the child and intervention by social services. For the administrative fines, mind the numbers: 10,000 new lek is heard as 100,000 old lek, but the real fine is not the tenfold that circulates in conversation.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Will I go to prison if I beg for myself?

No, an adult begging for themselves is not a criminal offence in the Penal Code, so it will not send you to prison. However, in cities like Tirana it is treated as a violation against public morality, fined 2,000–10,000 lek by the Municipal Police.

What happens if someone puts a child to beg?

This is a criminal offence under article 124/b, which punishes compelling or exploiting a minor to beg or generate income with 2 to 5 years in prison. The child is considered a victim, while responsibility falls on the adult who puts them to beg.

How much is the fine for begging in Tirana?

Under article 10 of the municipal regulation, asking for alms in public is a violation fined 2,000–10,000 lek. The amount is in new lek; the same fine is often heard as the tenfold when it is wrongly translated into old lek.

Is the rule the same in every municipality?

Not necessarily; begging as a violation and the amount of the fine depend on each municipality's regulation. So one town may punish it differently from Tirana, or may not define it at all in its own regulation.

Is a passer-by who gives alms punished?

No, giving alms by a passer-by is not punished; local rules target the act of asking for alms in the street, not the generosity of the giver. The legal problem arises with the exploitation of people for begging, not with occasional help.

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