Changes and additions made to law “On civil status”, as amended

Official Bulletin no.265, dated 12 January 2017

The Parliament of Albania approved, on 22.12.2016, some changes and additions made to law no.10129, on 11.05.2009 “On civil status”, as amended.

Firstly, the change made in article 17 defines that a person or one or more families have the right to live in another person’s or family’s residence, when not being blood related, when the standards regarding the inhabited space per person are fulfilled, as well as when they earn a contract or when the head of the host family or the citizen which possesses a legal property title or usage of the residence, according to the current legislation on change of the residence procedures. In this case, the head of the host family and the person or head of family which wants to live in their residence expresses their will on this purpose to the employee of the civil status office, under whose jurisdiction is the host family.

Moreover in the case of proven family relations, the acceptance of the person or the family to the new residency is done according to their declaration made to the employee of the civil status office, under whose jurisdiction is the host family. Community services of the town hall/administrative unit, under which jurisdictional territory is the new residency, does the necessary verifications, regarding the fulfillment of the standards of inhabited space per person. Following article 21, article 21/1 is amended which defines that the declaration and registration of the address of Albanian citizens, which live outside the territory of the Republic of Albania, is made according to the current legislation on address registration of Albanian citizens who live outside the territory of the Republic of Albania.

Among main change of the law are those done to the procedure regarding the gain and resign of the Albanian citizenship, as well as regarding civil status acts of Albanian citizens who live outside the territory of the Republic of Albania.

Finally, changes are made by this law regarding death pronouncement and terms of it, as well as Governmental Services on Civil Status and the nomination and release of the employee of the civil status archive office nearby the prefect of the region.