🔪 Can I carry a knife in public in Albania?

With conditions

Quick answer

It depends — it is not the knife that convicts you, but its type and purpose. The most common myth is that any knife in your pocket lands you in prison, or the opposite, that a knife is just a tool, no problem — neither holds. The Criminal Code, article 279, does not ban knives in general: it punishes cold weapons — swords, bayonets, knives and other tools specially prepared and intended for attack against persons or for self-defence. A kitchen, work or pocket knife carried for a lawful purpose is not automatically a cold weapon; a combat or hunting knife with a blade above the government-decision parameters (blade over 11 cm, width over 2 cm) and no other use, is. For the latter you need authorisation from the State Police. And here is the trap: keeping a cold weapon without a permit at home is punished with a fine or up to 3 years in prison, but carrying it on the street, in a vehicle or in a public place jumps to 1 to 5 years in prison (article 279, paragraph 2).

📋 The rules

Criminal Code article 279 targets only cold weapons — tools specially prepared and intended for attack or self-defence (swords, bayonets, combat knives), not every knife you carry for work or the kitchen.
Producing, keeping, buying or selling a cold weapon without authorisation is punished with a fine or up to 3 years in prison; the State Police issues the authorisation (government decision under Law no. 152/2020).
Carrying the cold weapon in a vehicle, in a public place or a space open to the public raises the penalty to 1 to 5 years in prison (article 279, paragraph 2).
The government decision sets when a blade becomes a cold weapon: blade length over 11 cm, width over 2 cm, thickness near the handle over 0.25 cm and no other use, or hunting/military knives with combat features.
Purpose matters: carrying a hidden knife for no reason, presented as a tool of attack or defence, moves it from a work tool toward the cold weapon that needs a permit.

🔓 Exceptions

Knives and tools for work, a trade, the kitchen or lawful hunting, carried for their normal purpose, are not treated as a cold weapon under article 279.
With authorisation from the State Police, cold weapons that meet the criteria may be kept at your residence; the permit does not cover carrying them around for no reason.
Hunting and military knives with official stamps and logos that meet the technical criteria have a separate authorisation regime.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

The cost depends on where they find you with the knife. At home, a cold weapon without authorisation means a fine or up to 3 years in prison; the same knife in your pocket, in the car or in a square takes you to 1 to 5 years in prison, because article 279 sees public carrying as more dangerous. The fine amount is not fixed in law — the court sets it case by case — so beware of exact figures you hear on the street: any sum is usually quoted in old lek, ten times the real amount. On top of the criminal penalty comes confiscation of the knife, a criminal record that follows you on your penalty certificate (it hurts employment, visas, weapons permits), and if the knife is used in a fight, the charge shifts at once to offences against the person — injury or worse. For a minor, the case goes to juvenile justice, with consequences for school and the future.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Will I be punished for a pocket knife or a work knife?

Not in itself — article 279 targets cold weapons, meaning tools specially prepared and intended for attack or self-defence, not every knife you carry for work, a trade or the kitchen. If the knife is ordinary and carried for a lawful purpose, it is not a cold weapon; the problem arises when the blade and the circumstances show it is a tool of attack.

What is the penalty for carrying a combat knife on the street?

Carrying a cold weapon in a vehicle, in a public place or a space open to the public, without authorisation, is punished with 1 to 5 years in prison under paragraph 2 of article 279. The same weapon kept without a permit only at home carries a milder penalty, a fine or up to three years in prison.

When is a knife called a cold weapon?

The government decision sets technical parameters: a blade over eleven centimetres, width over two centimetres, thickness near the handle over zero point twenty-five centimetres and no other use, or hunting and military knives with combat features. If the knife meets these criteria, it needs authorisation from the State Police to be carried.

Can I get a permit to carry such a knife?

Yes, the State Police issues authorisation to keep cold weapons at your residence for people who meet the criteria of Law no. 74/2014. However, this authorisation relates to keeping it at home and does not give you the right to carry it around the streets or in a car for no reason.

What if I carry the knife “for safety”, for self-defence?

That very reason moves the knife toward the definition of a cold weapon, because the law speaks of tools intended for attack or self-defence. Carrying a hidden knife as a means of self-defence in public, without authorisation, is precisely what article 279 punishes more severely.

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