Taking a rental car out of Albania

Updated 10 August 2026

Albania is small and the borders are close: Shkodra to Montenegro is half an hour, Kukës to Prizren about the same. But a rental car does not cross a border because you want it to — it crosses if it has been prepared to.

Rule one: the owner's permission

Without written permission from the owner, the car does not leave the country. This is not a formality: the insurance is valid inside the declared territory, and a car taken across without the owner knowing is uncovered from the moment it passes the barrier. On AutoShqip the countries a car may enter and the fee for each are shown on the listing; if none are listed, that car stays in Albania.

The Green Card

The Green Card is the international proof that the car carries valid insurance for the country you are entering. Montenegro, North Macedonia and Greece require it; Kosovo usually does not, though you still need the insurance certificate with you. Check that your destination is actually marked on the card — one without that letter ticked is worthless at the booth.

What it costs

• Montenegro: typically a 40–60 euro crossing fee, with the Green Card included
• Kosovo: typically 20–40 euro
• North Macedonia and Greece: a crossing fee plus the Green Card, which is bought for a fixed period

The amounts are set by the owner, not the state, so they vary from car to car. Agree it before you book rather than on the morning you leave — a Green Card needs a day or two to arrange.

Greece and the Corfu ferry

Greece is where refusals are most common: many owners do not allow it at all. The Saranda–Corfu ferry is its own chapter — rental cars do not board, for insurance and customs reasons.

The workaround everyone uses is simple: leave the car in a car park in Saranda and cross as a foot passenger. On Corfu take the bus or hire something locally, and come back the same way.

At the crossing

• Licence and passport for every named driver
• The rental agreement and the owner's written permission
• The Green Card with your destination marked
• The vehicle's insurance certificate

In August the queues at Muriqan, Hani i Hotit and Kakavija run to several hours, especially on Fridays and Sundays. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and keep water in the car.