🌶️ Is pepper spray for self-defence allowed in Albania?

With conditions

Quick answer

Not as a freely-sold product — and not entirely clear in law either. The myth is that pepper spray is like a deodorant, you buy it and carry it with no problem. It is not so: the 2020 amendments to Law no. 74/2014 “On Weapons” brought pepper-spray dispensers into the category of items that must be declared and registered, alongside airsoft and paintball. That means the spray is not treated as an ordinary consumer item, but as a device under the weapons regime — and keeping or selling it without following that regime can clash with article 279 of the Criminal Code on tools intended for self-defence. At the same time, a clear, published rule for the ordinary citizen is missing, and for years its open legalisation has been publicly debated, especially as protection against violence towards women. We do not invent a fine figure that has not been published; what is certain is that the spray is not “free for anyone”, and its status remains contested.

📋 The rules

The 2020 amendments (Law no. 152/2020) to Law no. 74/2014 brought under regulation for the first time pepper-spray dispensers, airsoft and paintball — items that must be declared and registered.
The law's definition of a weapon covers devices that discharge gas or liquid causing physical or psychological harm — exactly what pepper spray does.
Criminal Code article 279 punishes tools specially prepared and intended for attack or self-defence without authorisation; spray carried as a means of defence can be read within that spirit.
The spray is not sold as an ordinary consumer item; registration of such devices is done, as for other weapons, within 5 days of purchase.
A clear, published rule for the free civilian use of spray is missing, and its open legalisation is still debated — do not rely on the idea that buying it online carries no consequence.

🔓 Exceptions

Licensed security and guard bodies operate under their own separate regime for defensive devices, different from the ordinary citizen.
If the future brings a secondary act that expressly allows spray for citizens, the conditions (age, registration, limits) will be set by that act.
Using the spray in a real attack is judged separately, under article 19 (necessary defence): the defence must be proportionate to the danger.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

Because the published rule is thin, the consequences are uncertain too — and that uncertainty is itself the risk. If the spray is treated as a device under the weapons regime and you keep it without following it, you may face administrative measures for non-declaration or non-registration and, on the harshest reading, article 279 of the Criminal Code on unlicensed cold weapons — a fine or up to 3 years in prison, and up to 1 to 5 years if you carry it in a public place. We do not cite a specific fine figure for the spray, because none is published; and any sum you hear on the street is usually quoted in old lek, ten times the real value. Then comes the other side: if you use it wrongly, or on someone who is walking away, it shifts to exceeding self-defence and you answer for the harm. Buying it from abroad by post can also collide with customs rules.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Can I freely buy pepper spray for self-defence?

Not as an ordinary consumer item — the 2020 amendments brought the pepper-spray dispenser among items that must be declared and registered under the weapons law. A clear, published rule that expressly allows it for every citizen is missing, so relying on the idea that you ordered it online is risky.

Is pepper spray a weapon under the law?

The definition of a weapon in Law no. 74/2014 covers devices that discharge gas or liquid causing harm, which fits pepper spray. For that reason it is treated under the weapons regime and not as a simple cosmetic or household product you can buy anywhere.

What is the fine if I am caught with spray?

There is no specific published fine figure for the spray alone, so we do not invent a number that does not exist. On the harshest reading, article 279 of the Criminal Code on unlicensed cold weapons may apply, with a fine or up to three years in prison, and more severely in a public place.

Why is “legalisation” discussed if spray is allowed?

Because the very absence of a clear rule has driven public demands to expressly legalise spray for self-defence, especially against violence towards women. The fact that the debate continues shows that its status today is not free for anyone, but uncertain.

What if I use the spray against an attacker?

The use is judged under article 19 on necessary defence, where the defence must be proportionate to the danger of the attack. If you spray someone who is walking away or without being under a real attack, you risk answering for exceeding the limits of self-defence.

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