Albania by campervan: driving, tolls and rules

Driving a campervan in Albania: speed limits, tolls, low-emission zones, required equipment and key road rules. What to know before you go.

Published 18 September 2026Last checked 19 September 2026

Currency
Lek
ALL, not the euro. 92.27 lek to €1 in September 2026
Language
Albanian
Italian and English are common in tourist towns
Driving
Right
Motorway 130 km/h, towns 40 km/h
Insurance
Green card required
Carry it. Albania is not in the EU arrangement
Tap water
Do not drink it
The Foreign Office says bottled water only
Emergency
112
Ambulance 127

Driving

Carry a green card. This is the border that catches people. The Foreign Office states it plainly: you must carry a green card as proof of vehicle insurance to drive in Albania. Unlike Montenegro and Bosnia, Albania is not a party to the agreement that lets an EU plate stand as its own proof, and no EU decision removing insurance checks exists for it. Check your certificate lists AL before you leave, and buy cover at the crossing if it does not.

An aerial view of a narrow unsealed road in tight hairpins across a green, boulder-strewn mountainside — The main roads are transformed. These are not, and they are most of the good bits

Speed limits under the Road Code

Road	Up to 3,500 kg	3,500 to 12,000 kg
Motorway	130 km/h	90 km/h
Main interurban road	90 km/h	70 km/h
Secondary and local interurban road	80 km/h	70 km/h
Built-up area	40 km/h	40 km/h

What speeding costs, in lek

Up to 10 km/h over1,000 to 3,000
10 to 30 km/h over2,000 to 4,000
30 to 50 km/h over, plus 1 to 3 months off the road5,000 to 15,000
More than 50 km/h over, plus 3 to 6 months off the road10,000 to 20,000

Paperwork and the border

A green card is required. The Foreign Office says so in terms, and there is no EU decision lifting insurance checks for Albania as there is for Montenegro and Bosnia.
If your green card does not show AL, sort it with your insurer before you travel rather than at the barrier.

What the roads are like

Road deaths are among the highest in Europe, on the Foreign Office's assessment. Drive defensively and do not rise to provocation.
Poor surfaces in rural areas, unmarked roadworks, potholes and vehicles driving without lights at night.

Fuel, tolls and parking

Diesel was 219 lek a litre on 14 September 2026, about 2.37 euros. Fuel is the most expensive part of an Albanian trip.
The A1, the Rruga e Kombit from Tirana towards Kosovo, has barrier tolls: one at the Kalimash tunnel since September 2018 and one on the Thumanë to Kashar section, reported at 2.10 euros each way. Payment is in lek and often in euros.

Alcohol, and how strict it is

The Road Code prohibits driving after consuming alcoholic drinks. Not limited. Prohibited.
The sanction ladder starts at any value up to 0.3 g/l, at 5,000 to 15,000 lek.