When you register a company in Albania, one of the first practical questions is where the company will officially be. Many founders start out working from home, from a laptop or from abroad, and only then realise that the company needs a registered address that appears in official records.
This guide explains in plain terms what a business address is, what it means to register your NUIS at an address, and why many founders use a virtual office for it. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. For the exact procedure and current requirements, check with the National Business Center (QKB), on e-Albania, or with an accountant or lawyer.
What a business address is
A business address is the official address of your company. It is the place recorded when you register the business, and the one that appears in public records and on official documents. Institutions and other businesses use it to know where your company is and where to send formal correspondence.
It is not necessarily where you do your daily work. In practice, many companies are registered at one address while the team works somewhere else. The key points are that the address is real, that you have the right to use it, and that official mail sent there actually reaches you.
What NUIS is, and what registering it at an address means
NUIS is the tax identification number in Albania: the number that identifies your business in its dealings with the tax administration and other institutions. Company registration runs through the National Business Center (QKB), and the NUIS is linked to the business you register there.
When people talk about registering the NUIS at an address, they usually mean that the registered address of the business, and so of its NUIS, is that address. This is why the choice matters: it is the address on your registration, on your invoices and on letters from institutions.
In practice, using an address for registration usually requires the agreement of whoever controls it, such as the owner, the landlord or a virtual office provider, and a document showing that you have the right to use it. The exact documents can change, so confirm them with QKB or through e-Albania before you apply.
Why founders use a virtual office
A virtual office gives you a business address and related services without renting a physical office. Founders choose it for a few common reasons:
- Privacy: you do not have to register the company at your home address, which would then appear in public records.
- Rental contracts: many residential leases do not allow a business to be registered at the apartment, or the landlord would rather you did not.
- Early stage: a team of one or two people often does not need a full office yet, but still needs a stable address.
- Working from abroad: founders who live outside Albania for part of the year need an address in the country and someone to receive their mail.
- Stability: if you move home, the company address does not have to move with you.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Whoever provides your address, a few questions help you avoid surprises later:
- Will the provider give you the documents you need to register the business at that address?
- How is mail handled? Are you told when something arrives, and how do you collect it?
- What is included and what is not, for example meeting rooms or desk space?
- What happens if you later want to move the registration elsewhere?
- Can you visit the address and see that it is a real place with people working there?
It also helps to keep copies of every document related to your address in one folder, together with your registration papers. If anything changes, you will know exactly what was filed.
A virtual office in central Tirana
n'Zon Coworking Space Tirana offers a virtual office at Rruga Him Kolli, Myslym Shyri, in central Tirana. It includes a business address, NUIS registration at the address and mail handling. It works by request: you send us your details, and we reply with an offer that fits your situation.
Meeting rooms are not part of the virtual office, but you can book a meeting room separately when you need to meet a client, or come in with a day pass when you want a desk for the day.
If you are setting up a company and want to know whether a virtual office fits, send us a request and we will get back to you.