Practising in Albania: the professional Orders and what is known about the state exam

Medical and health education in Albania

The University of Medicine in Tirana (UMT) is the main public school for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing. Private universities also teach health programmes. Medicine is a six-year degree. Check the programme length and accreditation of each school with the Ministry of Education and the accreditation agency.

Teaching is in Albanian, with some English-language options for international students, especially in private institutions. Graduates who plan to work in Albania register through their Order, which issues the practice licence. Law 123/2014 on the Order of Physicians in the Republic of Albania is the legal basis for doctors.

Albania is an EU candidate, not a member. A diploma from Albania is therefore assessed individually by other countries. Many Albanian graduates work in Italy, Germany, Greece and the UK, so the destination exam is a realistic next step: Approbation with a language certificate in Germany, recognition in Italy, PLAB or an accepted route in the UK. Verify each regulator's conditions.

A licence-based system with uncertain exam detail

Albanian law gives the Orders the power to license, and a "state exam" is commonly mentioned. But the public sources we could reach do not confirm for doctors that a national written exam exists, or how it works. Candidates should not rely on question banks that claim to reproduce an "Albanian state exam" for doctors. Ask the Order of Physicians for the licensing rules, and ask the Ministry of Health for any regulation on the state exam.

For the other professions the picture is clearer in outline: each has an Order, and a written state exam is reported. The programme of each exam should be obtained from the Order or the Ministry.

Who needs a licence

Everyone who practises needs a licence from the relevant Order. Locally trained graduates apply on completion of their studies, and may need to pass the state exam where the profession has one. Foreign-trained candidates add nostrification and language to the process.

Doctors: the Order of Physicians

1. Graduate. Complete the medical degree at an accredited school.
2. Apply to the Order. Request registration and licence under Law 123/2014.
3. Ask about the state exam. Confirm with the Order whether a written exam applies to your cohort.
4. Receive the licence. The licence lets you practise in Albania.

Foreign diplomas require nostrification by the Ministry of Education and Albanian-language ability.

Other professions

The Order of Nurses and Midwives (Urdhri i Infermierit), the Order of Pharmacists (Urdhri i Farmacistit), the Order of Dentists (Urdhri i Stomatologut) and the Order of Physiotherapists license their members. A written state exam is reported for each. If you are preparing, request the exam programme in writing and keep the reply.

Albanian licensing at a glance

Language and recognition routes

Albanian is the language of the system. Foreign graduates need nostrification and Albanian. There is no automatic recognition route for EU qualifications, because Albania is not yet an EU member, although some bilateral arrangements and the accession process affect long-term planning.

For graduates leaving Albania, the exam is set by the destination. A supervisor's reference, a certificate of good standing from the Order and certified translations are the documents foreign regulators ask for first.

Albania and the wider European labour market

Albanian health professionals are among the most mobile in the region. Doctors and nurses commonly move to Germany, Italy and other EU states, and the training they receive at home is shaped by that expectation. Albanian is not widely taught abroad, so graduates usually add German, Italian or English early in their careers.

For a graduate this makes the order of work clear. Secure the Albanian licence if you intend to practise at home, and in parallel begin the language course for your destination. Germany asks for B2 and a medical-language test for doctors, Italy asks for recognition by the Ministry of Health and registration with the provincial order, and the UK asks for a GMC route and an English-language result. In each case the Albanian licence or a certificate of good standing from the Order is one of the documents.

Documents foreign regulators ask Albanian graduates for

• Diploma and diploma supplement, with certified translation.
• Transcript with clinical hours by rotation.
• Certificate of good standing from the relevant Order.
• Proof of licence or registration, where one was issued.
• Language certificate at the destination's required level.

Request each of these early. Orders and universities can take weeks to produce certified copies, and a missing document is the most common cause of delay.

What to do while the detail is unclear

Write to the Order and the Ministry in Albanian, ask three questions, and keep the replies: is there a national exam, who sets it, and where is the programme published. Prepare with your university curriculum in the meantime, because the licence and any exam draw on it. If you are planning to leave Albania, begin the destination exam early. It will be written to a published blueprint, which gives you a clearer target than an uncertain domestic exam.

Last reviewed October 2026