How to Register a Business

HOW TO REGISTER A BUSINESS WITH THE NATIONAL REGISTRATION CENTER (NRC)

The application for initial registration of new businesses may be done at the service window at NRC's office in Tirana, or in any other NRC service window located in a municipality office.

Municipalities where NRC service windows are located are listed here .
An application may be done at any NRC service window, regardless of the applicant's seat or location of activity.

A. What is needed for the initial registration?

I. The Application Form:

To start the registration, the applicant must complete the application form. Before completing the application form, the applicant should pay attention to the following information:

1. The application form is specific to different types of applying entities (individual doing business, and companies). Therefore, the applicant should make sure he/she knows whether the application will be for an individual registering to do business, or for a company and which type of company. Information on the legal requirements for Limited companies, Joint Stock companies, partnerships and other types can be found in the Commercial Company Law Nr. 7638 date 19.11.1992. This law can be viewed and downloaded from the NRC's official website in this address.

2. The application forms can be retrieved in two ways: 1) at every service window of NRC or 2) they can be downloaded from this NRC website. You could get to the forms' directory by clicking here .

3. All application forms are supplied with instruction for their completion. These instructions can be found at every service window of NRC, or you could download them from this NRC website. You could get the instruction's directory by clicking here .

4. The applicant may fill out the form either 1) by downloading and completing the form electronically and printing it; 2) at any NRC service window with the help of the service window clerk, or 3) via the Internet, using the NRC's "Apply On-Line " function.

5. Any NRC service window clerk is available to help the applicant to fill in all the mandatory parts of the application form.

II. Submitting the application for registration to the NRC:

1. Once the application form is completed, the applicant (or authorized representative) presents the application form in person at any NRC service window, accompanied by any required documents.

2. The applicant or authorized representative identifies him/herself to the NRC service window clerk with an original identity document, plus (for an authorized representative) a notarized authorization to represent the applicant for the purpose of registration.

3. The service window clerk verifies that the application and the accompanying documents are complete and may be accepted by the NRC. If the application form is incorrect or incomplete, the NRC service window clerk will assist by completing the form together with the applicant, and print the completed form.

4. When accepting a completed application form, the service window clerk:

a. Receives the fee from the applicant (representative).

b. Requests the signature of the applicant or representative of the application form on each page, to be signed in the presence of the NRC service window clerk. The service window clerk, after completing the rubric of the form reserved for office use, also signs each page of the application form.

c. Retains the signed application form.

d. Makes a copy of the applicant's (or representative's) personal identification document, returning that document immediately to the applicant or representative.

e. Receives and retains all the accompanying documents, which will later be scanned by the NRC service window, after which the documents may be returned to the applicant (representative).

After all steps in point II 4 above are completed, the NRC service window clerk gives to the applicant a confirmation for the application, which is issued by the electronic system of NRC with a case number. This confirmation is signed by both the service windows clerk and the applicant. Using the case number, the applicant may follow the status of the registration process at any time through this official internet website of the NRC by clicking on the Check My Registration Status directory.

III. The list of accompanying documents:

Apart from the completed application form, the applicant (or authorized representative) must submit the required accompanying documents as follows:

1. Original personal identification document (certificate, passport, driver's license, leter-njoftim), which the NRC service window clerk will verity, copy and scan, and return.

2. Other accompanying documents. The list of the required documents for the initial registration is specific to different legal forms of companies. Once the legal form of the company is identified, the applicant may find the list of the accompanying documents attached to the relevant application form, which can be obtained either at any NRC service windows or in the official website of NRC under the directory: How to Register a New Business: Instructions and Forms.

IV. Payment of fees:

The person applying pays the fee at the service window where he/she applies. The fees are published in this official internet page of NRC. Click here for a list of fees.

The payment is done at the service window when requested from the service window clerk, at the time a unique case number is generated for the application. The payment is made before the final signing of the application by the service window clerk and the applicant.

B. What happens after the applicant leaves the service window?

By the end of the day following the acceptance of the application by the NRC, the application will either be accepted, or it will be suspended or rejected if the NRC finds that the information given is incomplete or otherwise not in accordance with the requirements of the Law.

a) In case of acceptance of registration:

After the issuance of the application confirmation, the application and the accompanying documents are assessed for decision-making by the NRC's authorized clerks (registrars).

If after the assessment, the authorized clerk (registrar) determines that the application is in accordance with the requirements of the Law, he/she authorizes within a maximal term of 1 (one) day from the presentation of the application the following:

1) completion of the registration.

2) issuance of UIN (unique identification number), also known as the NIPT.

3) issuance of the Registration Certificates, as attestation for the completion of the registration. These certificates (one per business location) may be obtained by the applicant or authorized representative at any of the NRC service windows.

4) electronic publication of the registration in the NRC Bulletin of Official Registration Announcements, which may be viewed on the NRC web site (click here to view the directory) the day following the approval of the registration.

The completion of the registration, and the issuance of the Registration Certificate, are the applicant's evidence of business registration, fiscal registration, and registration with social insurance, health insurance, and labor inspectorate authorities.

b) In case of suspension of registration:

1) If, after verification of the application form and accompanying documents, the NRC authorized clerk (registrar) finds that the application is not in accordance with the requirements of the Law, within a maximal term of 1 (one) day from the presentation of the application, the NRC suspends the registration.

2) NRC informs the applicant in writing of the reasons for the suspension, by means of a document issued by the NRC system at any NRC service window within one day of the receipt of the registration application. The applicant then has a period of 15 days for the fulfillment or correction of the elements that prevent the approval of the registration.

The applicant may control its application status online by using the case number that he/she has received upon submission of the application. The reasons for suspension are not provided in the NRC Web site, but may be communicated electronically by e-mail for applicants who have used the "Apply On-Line " function or who provide an e-mail address with the application form. Otherwise, the applicant should visit the service window in order to receive the above-mentioned written notification giving the reasons for the suspension of the application.

3) The applicant may, at any time within the 15 day period, request any NRC service window to complete or correct the elements that prevent the registration, by filling out the relevant form and submitting the necessary accompanying documents.

c) In case of refusal of registration:

1) If after the verifications, the authorized clerk (registrar) finds out that the data required for registration are contrary to the provisions of the Law, the registration is refused and the applicant is informed for the reasons of the refusal in writing at the service window.

2) The authorized clerk (registrar) refuses the registration in the case when the applicant has not completed or corrected the elements that caused a suspension of registration within the 15 days term.

3) The authorized clerk (registrar) refuses the registration also in the case when the application for completion or correction of the elements that impede the registration presented still does not satisfy all requirements determined by the Law.

C. Other Important Issues:

Silent consent:

1. In case when within a term of 1 (one) day from the presentation of the application for registration, the NRC has not communicated the suspension of the application or its refusal, then the application for registration is presumed to be accepted.

2. In this case the computerized system of NRC gives automatically the authorization for the registration.

Tax Registration and Notification of Municipalities and other Authorities:

1. Following the approval of a new registration, the NRC simultaneously informs electronically the General Directorate of Taxation and the relevant municipal fiscal authority of the fiscal registration of a new subject with its NIPT Number, and provides the relevant registration data as declared by the applicant to these fiscal authorities.

2. For every new registered subject in the Commercial Register, NRC also informs the municipalities and communes where these subjects have their registered company seats. The Labor Inspectorate and the Social Insurance and Health Insurance authorities are also informed of the approved registration.

3. NRC performs the above notifications within the working day during when the registration occurs.

4. The NIPT number is the Unique Identification Number for the purposes of all these registrations.

Last Updated, Aprill 30, 2008