Americans -- did you know that Albania wants us? (Another Plan B alternative to Thailand)

[Jingthing]

Prescott is rather expensive. Anyway this is about Albania not Arizona.

Edited June 6 by Jingthing

[GypsyT]

Sorry.... didn't pay attention.

[FritsSikkink]

On 3/30/2024 at 6:09 PM, Jingthing said:

I've been aware of Albania before, but have recently learned some things about it that appear to make it much more attractive to Americans specifically, as a possible Plan B alternative to Thailand.

 

 

Such as --

One year visa free entry specifically for Americans! WOW.

Reported love of Americans by the people there

English widely spoken especially by younger people, especially in Tirana

Unlike Latin America and similar to Thailand, there isn't much expectation that foreigners will speak Albanian.

A number of very accessible sounding paths towards 5 year permanent residence

Low cost of living comparable to Thailand

Lovely beaches and mountains

Central to travel to popular European destinations

OK private healthcare available at reasonable prices even without insurance

Decent weather (neighboring Greece across from Sicily Italy)

 

This is one video. I've seen others that don't really contradict it. I am hearing different info on visa options, additional ones to those mentioned in the video, and a general impression that it's a moving target but always that it's reasonably easy and accessible for most Americans.

 

 

Downsides? There always are some.

Citizenship path possible after 5 years but you need to learn Albanian and Albanian is VERY VERY DIFFICULT. My impression is harder than Thai.

Albania plans to eventually enter the EU. That would be good news for EU people but bad news for Americans who haven't become Alabanian citizens (dual passports allowed).

Unknown how many years before that happens

The food. Related somewhat to Italian and Greek but quite different as well.

As shown in the video and seen elsewhere garbage pickup is not first world

Although pensions/social security aren't taxed, I think there is a minimum tax requirement which might be about 90 dollars a month (I consider that tolerable)

My impression is that I wouldn't like to be stuck with Albanian food and the only place in the country that offers a decent variety of international restaurants in the capitol Tirana (not at the beach)

Some Asian food but not very much

Not to be Islamophobic but it's a heavily Muslim country and dangerous for gay people but better in Tirana.

I think if I moved there I would only want to live in Tirana.

 

Have you been to Albania in recent years?

How was it? Would you consider living there?

Has this topic piqued your interest in Albania?

 

 

You forget one thing: ruled by local mafia, who don't take prisoners.

[Jingthing]

25 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

You forget one thing: ruled by local mafia, who don't take prisoners.

Not sure that non working retired experts would necessarily be impacted by that. When things are cheaper there are always downsides.

Edited June 7 by Jingthing

[taxout]

I've been to Tirana and around the countryside. Nothing bad to say really but I couldn't possibly see living there. Boring and still a heavy socialist air.

 

The other Balkan states, along with Georgia, are much better places to be.

[Max_Headroom]

On 3/30/2024 at 7:08 PM, save the frogs said:

have Italian ancestry, so technically I should be able to get European citizenship

 

Not that simple. I had hopes as well

[save the frogs]

1 hour ago, Max_Headroom said:

 

Not that simple. I had hopes as well

people complain thai bureaucracy is bad.

 

it takes months and months, if not 1-2 years to get an appointment at the consulate with these idiots

[Max_Headroom]

35 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

people complain thai bureaucracy is bad.

 

it takes months and months, if not 1-2 years to get an appointment at the consulate with these idiots

 

My issue was the timing when my grandfather came thru Ellis Is. Also, his name on what sparse records the family has was misspelled. Italian citizenship just kinda meh for me so I dropped it. All my cousins want out as well lol.

[save the frogs]

1 minute ago, Max_Headroom said:

 

My issue was the timing when my grandfather came thru Ellis Is. Also, his name on what sparse records the family has was misspelled. Italian citizenship just kinda meh for me so I dropped it. All my cousins want out as well lol.

yeah, thanks for the heads up. there may be so many complications that i may not even be eligible.

and the wait time is insane. maybe since covid a lot of people are applying i think. 

 

[Max_Headroom]

8 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

yeah, thanks for the heads up. there may be so many complications that i may not even be eligible.

and the wait time is insane. maybe since covid a lot of people are applying i think. 

 

 

Guess we can buy air tickets, fly in and just stay on. Seems to be working for the Africans.

[Max_Headroom]

 

If I wasn't married and that still might not stop me/us, but I'm thinking Adriatic coast. No idea how amenable it is to 'murkans though.

 

If I were single I'd be bouncing between India, Indo, Phils, Viet and Cambodia as long as I'd had my health

 

The economic benefit is fast shrinking.

[Max_Headroom]

On 6/13/2024 at 1:11 PM, taxout said:

Georgia

 

Thais get 30 days so if married and just want to have a look

 

Georgia was always the republic with all the great food and climate back in Soviet days.

[GypsyT]

On 7/8/2024 at 4:30 AM, Max_Headroom said:

Thais get 30 days so if married and just want to have a look

It's better than that - 12 months!

 

"Georgian visa for Thai citizens. A visa is NOT required for Thai passport holders visiting Georgia for a short-term stay: 1 year."

Before Russkye refuges invaded the place I had a business idea:

Buy a hotel for love sick farangs to meet Thais there! It would have been full 24/7 360days a year.

The place on the beach was perfect - Batumi.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=batumi+georgia

 

Funny "NO SEX" sign;

https://eurasianet.org/thai-massage-parlors-mushroom-in-georgias-tourist-meccas

 

PS. When I saw opening head line "Albania wants you...." I didn't know how good Albania actually is. It can be a new Croatia! I though I know EU 😞 

The location with 4-5h ship trip to/from Italy is great too.

 

[Jingthing]

One thing about Georgia.

Yeah you get a one year stay on entry with many passports but to live there longer term there is no guarantee they will keep stamping in on border runs.

Also about the Russian draft dodgers.

Turns out the leader of Georgia is now a Putin lackey.

[GypsyT]

I've spent hours scanning best weather for me around the world and weatherspark has great tool for it;

 

https://weatherspark.com/map

 

PS. Chiang Rai seems to be best for me in Thailand.

Edited July 10 by GypsyT

[Jingthing]

They love it.

They really, really love it.

 

[MarkBR]

On 7/9/2024 at 3:08 PM, Jingthing said:

One thing about Georgia.

Yeah you get a one year stay on entry with many passports but to live there longer term there is no guarantee they will keep stamping in on border runs.

Also about the Russian draft dodgers.

Turns out the leader of Georgia is now a Putin lackey.

Big Problem

[GypsyT]

A friend of mine just returned from Batumi, Georgia.

NOT many Russians there. It's a beach city and getting more and more EU citizens to visit and invest.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=batumi+georgia

 

[Cameroni]

On 5/29/2024 at 11:45 AM, Roo Island said:

These guys are pretty good. I hate YouTube videos saying that you can live somewhere for $400 a month. BS. Unless you live like a local, which isn't very fun.

 

Their videos cover lots of countries. And their advice has helped me a bunch. Been online friends with them for a long time.

 

I'm looking at the French VLS-TS visa. A bit of a pain, but means you don't have to do the schengen shuffle. Or deal with the ridiculous tax residency rules in Portugal or Spain.

 

 

 

Hoping to be in Albania early October or so. Again.

 

Are you insane?  

 

Of all the countries in the world you choose to move to Albania?

 

There is a reason why real estate is cheap in Albania!

 

Nobody wants to live there. Even Dua Lipa's parents didn't.

[Jingthing]

21 minutes ago, GypsyT said:

A friend of mine just returned from Batumi, Georgia.

NOT many Russians there. It's a beach city and getting more and more EU citizens to visit and invest.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=batumi+georgia

 

That surprises me. I assumed that would be very popular with Russians in Georgia, second to Tblisi.

I'm pretty sure Russians still get a one year visa free stay in Georgia just for showing up, just like many other nationalities.

 

 

Edited September 22 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

11 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

 

Are you insane?  

 

Of all the countries in the world you choose to move to Albania?

 

There is a reason why real estate is cheap in Albania!

 

Nobody wants to live there. Even Dua Lipa's parents didn't.

Jared Kushner likes it.

 

Jared Kushner's planned Albania resort stokes fear and hope in coastal town | Reuters

[Celsius]

Albanians are basically converted Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks and none of these countries like Americans, let alone American men of whom they think very low.

 

Try to court an Albanian woman and you will have the crp beaten out of you skinny amero behind

Edited September 22 by Celsius

[Jingthing]

Just now, Celsius said:

Albanians are basically converted Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks and none of these countries like Americans, let alone American men of whom they think very low.

 

Try to court an Albanian woman and you will have the crp beaten out of you skinny amero behind

That's interesting.

Everything I hear is that Alabanians (unusually) love America so I assumed they were at least OK with Americans.

[Celsius]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That's interesting.

Everything I hear is that Alabanians (unusually) love America so I assumed they were at least OK with Americans.

 

They love Amerika because they bombed Serbia. Other than that it is like Russians loving Chinese just because they are commies.

[Jingthing]

17 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

They love Amerika because they bombed Serbia. Other than that it is like Russians loving Chinese just because they are commies.

I hear it's about Woodrow Wilson who apparently saved Albania.

 

Edited September 22 by Jingthing

[Patong2021]

18 minutes ago, Celsius said:

Albanians are basically converted Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks and none of these countries like Americans, let alone American men of whom they think very low.

 

Try to court an Albanian woman and you will have the crp beaten out of you skinny amero behind

 

And yet you chose to seek refuge in Canada.

[Patong2021]

14 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

They love Amerika because they bombed Serbia. Other than that it is like Russians loving Chinese just because they are commies.

 

Your hatred for the USA knows no bounds even to the point of revising history to support your false narrative. The USA was one of 15 nations in a United Nations authorized intervention to prevent the ongoing genocide of Bosnians by Serbia.  Operation Deliberate Force targeted the military capability of the Army of Republika Srpska, which had threatened and attacked UN-designated "safe areas" in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War with the Srebrenica genocide and Markale massacres, precipitating the intervention. Had the Serbians not targeted civilians in  the Sarajevo marketplace the UN action would not have occurred.

[Celsius]

3 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Your hatred for the USA knows no bounds .

 

I don't hate America. What an utterly sad post. You hate America more than anyone else. You even hate your own American voters.

[GypsyT]

If somebody can't get his/her Thai lover to EU, and later to US etc, Georgia is an alternative place to start.

Full year per visit VISA FREE for Thai. Then 30 days visa free in Turkiye and back to Georgia.

 

If they want to get married Turkiye (preferred new spelling), the neighboring country,  is the place to do that fast and cheap. Turkiye allow 2 farangs to marry but no same sex marriages.

 

Then, after being married or have been living together for 2 years (in any place) many countries like Spain, allow legal residency if one is EU resident.

After both getting legal EU residency both can travel to US or near any country.

 

Long way to do it but not expensive.

I did this research for myself "in case" I need it 😉

 

 

 

 

 

[bendejo]

Sicily, where the brain surgeons have to use jackhammers when they operate because the skulls are so thick.  (A little intra-ethnic humor there).

There are places in that part of the Mediterranean that haven't caught up to the 20th century yet.  E.g. I met a Brit woman who went solo to Lampedusa recently and she said she constantly had women asking her "where is your husband?"  With the exception of the larger cities like Athens, I would suspect in the rural regions the attitudes toward modern gender lifestyles are not what you would appreciate.  And you really don't want get involved in a conversation about who killed JC.

IMO your Turkey idea was better.

For entertainment you might want to check out the US TV series "Law&Order: Organized Crime" a few seasons back when they took on the Albanian mob; it was the first time I appreciated Meloni's acting, and Lolita Davidovich plays an Albanian madam -- she nails it.