How do I switch my phone or internet provider in Albania?
You can change phone or internet provider and keep your number. The new provider runs the number port, and a completed port ends your old contract automatically. Unpaid bills and any early-exit fee owed to the old provider remain due.
Switching is mostly paperwork: the network stays where it is, only the company that provides your service changes. Who arranges the switch and how long the service may be down depends on the rules in Albania.
📜 The rules in Albania
The details
- When you switch internet provider, the old provider must keep your service on the same terms until the new one is active. Any loss of service during the switch may not last longer than one working day (Law 54/2024, art. 145). (akep.al)
- The new provider must activate your internet as soon as possible, on the date you expressly agreed with it. (akep.al)
- With a prepaid mobile line you can ask the old provider to refund unused paid credit (not bonuses); you get at least 14 days after the port to ask. Any fee is capped at 500 lek incl. VAT; refunds are due within 30 days. (akep.al)
- If you leave an internet provider whose e-mail address you used, you can ask for free access to that mailbox for a period AKEP considers necessary, so you can move your e-mails to a new address. (akep.al)
Autoriteti i Komunikimeve Elektronike dhe Postare (AKEP)
Albania's regulator for phone, internet and postal services. It supervises providers, reviews their standard contracts and resolves disputes between subscribers and providers; you can file online through e-Ankesa.
🪜 Step by step
- Check your current contractFind the end of the minimum term, the notice period and any exit fee. They are in your contract summary or online account.
- Compare offersLook at the total cost over the whole term: set-up fees, equipment, and the price after any discount period ends.
- Sign with the new providerSay whether you want to keep your number. Ask the new provider whether it arranges the switch and the end of your old contract.
- Return equipment and check the final billSend back rented equipment if you are asked to, keep proof of it, and check that the old provider stops charging you.
📇 Who to contact
Sponsor this page → One labelled block, €100 a month. Founding price €75 until 31 January 2027.
❓ Questions
Will I be without phone or internet when I switch?
There can be a short break on the switching day. Ask both providers for the planned date, and see the rules for Albania on this page.
Can I switch before my contract ends?
Yes, but while the minimum term is still running you may have to pay an exit fee or the remaining monthly charges. Check your contract summary first.
Do I have to cancel the old contract myself?
That depends on the service and the rules in Albania. Ask the new provider and keep written confirmation of the end date.
📎 Sources
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