My wife and I are planning/hoping to retire to Albania this year. We've based this decision partly on your videos and partly on our visit to Albania last year. So you have definitely portrayed a positive image of the country
i just wish whoever was in charge of citizenships would read this! 😂 you’re not the first to have told me something like this and it really is fun to hear
If you tell them you are retiring here it is a whole different complex process and you have to pay monthly into their health insurance. My American friends in Sarande tell me just the bank fees to do that is more than the health insurance payments. Best way is invitation letter for a job if you get one or register a company in albania. You then pay payroll tax for you wife and annual company fees and then sort out your own health insurance.
Your Albanian is nice. A little practice day by day will eventually improve it. You are always welcomed in our country and we really appreciate it brother👍🏻🇦🇱
As an Albanian American, I commend you my guy. I'm subbed but UA-cam doesn't show your videos so I have to manually search when you upload new ones. Thank you for showing the country in the real way.
I was told you need either to: 1. Buy property with 20 square metres per person minimum OR register a company (that does not have to do anything). 2. You get Albanian ID cards for one year. 3. At the end of the year you apply again and get two years. 4. At the end of two years repeat another application for two years. Prior to point 1 above you need officially stamped documents of marriage, birth certificates. police checks from your own country, etc. Also bank statements showing you have some kind of income. You also pay this weird health insurance that does not insure you for health?? After five years apply for citizenship with five years residency under your belt.
Good luck with your application! My wife and I move to Vlore 2 months ago and your channel has been very helpful! We had a chance to visit Pogradec last weekend. It was a lovely city.
Keep it up man! I personally gave up my "green-card", just after having had it renewed... and I loved many parts of the "US-system", but felt it was heading down the wrong path... in other words, becoming too crazy for me 🙂 So probably Albania next for me as well :-)
Like a naturalised albanian as you are , i,ll use to write in albanian now with you. Shqipja qe flet eshte e saktë. E flet ngadalë dhe me theks anglez por nuk ka problem. Vazhdo keshtu. Po pagove taksat ne shqiperi deklarohesh i vetepunesuar! ( selfemployet) . Bashkia e Pogradecit i ka taksat e ulëta kështu nuk do taksohesh shumë. Kështu mirëserdhe bashkatdhetar! Për të tjerat është menyra shqiptare shumë efikase : avash- avash, ngadalë- ngadalë dhe duke parë , duke bërë.
Your Albanian is very good! :D Honestly, you speak way better than most Kosovo-Albanians I personally know! So don't worry! Thanks for showing Albania to the World! Definitely gives this small country more attention :)
On a side note, as another way, or idea, confirming that you are an "asset", that you are providing Albania with additional needed "services" ... - So how about setting up your own business, or maybe just linking up people with an existing "Visa -Assistance Agency". Maybe even including assistance with setting up a company, translation services etc... But focusing on "only" Albania. (Not one of the many online "World Wide- Service companies" 🙂 As a service, for people who want to go there, as tourists, retire, live/settle/immigrate there etc. Personally, I need such an agency now and I belive that I am not the only one who have those "needs" 🙂 Make it a great day!
to start i would recommend tapping in to the countless free resources on youtube. There are a number of recorded classes that you could sit through which help with some grammar and vocabulary. Also, I've found the app '50 languages' to be helpful when it comes to learning words and phrases.
It sounds like you can keep US citizenship, the best passport on Earth. I see no problem for you if you add on Albanian citizenship. I did the opposite, when I became a US citizen. I don't know if I am still an Albanian citizen, but at the Tirana airport I was treated like a local.
as an albanian its very hard to live in albania even i moved to sweden albania has horses in the world and many people dont know what is iternet in 2022
Wow! You speak albanian pretty well. Hey, I am 100% Albanian and I can barely speak it and my pronunciation is off. You’ll get the hang of it! I wished I lived in Albania, my husband and I joke all the time saying when America goes south, we are going to run away to Albania 🤣
I mean your Albanian skills are probably better than most of the eastern Albanians 😂🤣. I do think 5 years means 5 years but other than that congratulations on the Albanian citizenship ;)
Crazy idea, why not try to partner up with a few tourist agencies - where your YT content would be promoted. That should get enough cred to accumulate either some historical proof, and/or peak the interest of some official entity.
I’ve done that a few times. The problem I’ve run in to is that many tourist agencies here just use my content for their own benefit without even asking to partner (or even asking to use the content).
@@JamesLeithart That’s a shame, unethical and their loss. I’m thinking that if the promo material is not specific to their activity (such that they have an advantage over their competition) maybe they viewed it as a nice to have. On the other hand, government institutions would be more interested in the national type promo, but you would need some serious following or generating quite a bit of traffic beforehand (which explains this video 😀)
@@gertituzi4659 Haha true. Although my little bit of work with government here, albeit local and smaller, has been even worse than with the tourism agencies. The governmental side promised to pay and never did... at least the companies using my photos to promote their trips never even gave me false hope they would pay 😂
Why do you need an Albanian passport ? Me as an Albanian from Kosovo i want to become a citizen of Albania also even if it’s not a very valuable passport
Imo don't see why you shouldn't stay another year and half, just saying, it seems to me you like it there,and I think you wright,, BTW your albanian is getting better,bear in mind Albania will soon be fully member of EU, not that American passport isn't gonna work there, but having options is always better, you never know, good luck whichever way you choose.
oh i fully plan on staying another year and a half. tbh i wrote this video a year and a half ago and it made more sense then 😂 but i’m happy with waiting a bit longer
Way to go kiddo! Happy to see you made this decision. Why not? I have both citizenships, Albanian and American so why not you? You have our full support. Here is a link you should inquire straight to the source ua-cam.com/channels/_l2qmM0mXkq5pOBEp3j2dw.html he may help you we hope..... Good luck.
I dont understand your way of doing things 🤔.Why do you stay in Albania where you can go somewhere else like US or EU make a lot of money for a while like 1 or 2 years and come back to Albania and buy a small apartement in Pogradec.This would save you a ton more money time and give you more financial security.
Most people don't understand, and that's okay. But it comes down to how little I care about making lots of money vs living a life that makes me happy. If I was in the US or EU just working for money I would be miserable (i've been there, and tried that). But here I can wake up every morning looking forward to each day.
@@JamesLeithart No,please understand what I am saying.Maybe a better alternative of doing what you are doing is buying a house in Pogradec rather than renting,because I am pretty sure is cheap.This might take 1 or 2 years of work somewhere else so you can come back at your favorite place.I am not suggesting working for the money(which is just a tool) but for the house.If you are staying in Al permanently at the town that you like buying a house or apartement (40k US dollars) would be the best thing to do,isn't it so?
Or, alternatively, instead of two miserable years in the US, I could live in Albania for 8 years that i actually enjoy and have the same end. It’s more about the journey than destination.
You speak Albanian very good, I wasn’t expecting you to be so good at it. ❤️🇦🇱🔝
that definitely didn’t come from my head on the spot. i had to practice 😂
@@JamesLeithart that was good !!
@@JamesLeithart I practice really long sentences which is risky because sometimes they come back with other really long ones in response.
My wife and I are planning/hoping to retire to Albania this year. We've based this decision partly on your videos and partly on our visit to Albania last year. So you have definitely portrayed a positive image of the country
i just wish whoever was in charge of citizenships would read this! 😂 you’re not the first to have told me something like this and it really is fun to hear
If you tell them you are retiring here it is a whole different complex process and you have to pay monthly into their health insurance. My American friends in Sarande tell me just the bank fees to do that is more than the health insurance payments.
Best way is invitation letter for a job if you get one or register a company in albania. You then pay payroll tax for you wife and annual company fees and then sort out your own health insurance.
U deserve it
A great promoter of Albania
you’re so kind. thank you
Your Albanian is nice. A little practice day by day will eventually improve it. You are always welcomed in our country and we really appreciate it brother👍🏻🇦🇱
As an Albanian American, I commend you my guy. I'm subbed but UA-cam doesn't show your videos so I have to manually search when you upload new ones. Thank you for showing the country in the real way.
oh that’s so strange… i’ve never heard of that happening before to my videos 🤔 well thank you for searching when i upload! it definitely helps
I get notifications for James' videos. YT works strange sometimes.
You are a legend bro... down to earth and genuine and Albania should proud to have you as a citizen
Every sentence in albanian you spoke was without any mistakes.
👍
I was told you need either to:
1. Buy property with 20 square metres per person minimum OR register a company (that does not have to do anything).
2. You get Albanian ID cards for one year.
3. At the end of the year you apply again and get two years.
4. At the end of two years repeat another application for two years.
Prior to point 1 above you need officially stamped documents of marriage, birth certificates. police checks from your own country, etc.
Also bank statements showing you have some kind of income. You also pay this weird health insurance that does not insure you for health??
After five years apply for citizenship with five years residency under your belt.
I am Albania American I think everyone should be what they like to be I really think you one of them that you should be Albanian citizen. 🇺🇸 🇦🇱 🤝
Great video, great idea, a great man indeed.
We love you James. 🇺🇸❤️🇦🇱👐🏻
First time I listened to a foreigner speaking that good Shqip
as an albanian citizen your accent in albanian is perfect and i am so surprised that one american wants to be an albanian citizen
You exceed all the requirements, your language skill is pretty damn good. That requirement is also fulfilled. Welcome new citizen... 🇺🇸 🌎 🇦🇱
hahaha i wish it worked that way!
@@JamesLeithart flisni shume mire. puna mire.
Good luck with your application! My wife and I move to Vlore 2 months ago and your channel has been very helpful! We had a chance to visit Pogradec last weekend. It was a lovely city.
That's so great to hear! I love finding out that I'm helping people in their journeys to or through Albania
🌟You are Already an Albanian!!! You deserve the recognition, your videos are Awesome 🌟
Oiii your Albanian is quite good ngl, congrats mate!
Give to this guy the honorary citizenship!!!
Keep it up man!
I personally gave up my "green-card", just after having had it renewed...
and I loved many parts of the "US-system", but felt it was heading down the wrong path...
in other words, becoming too crazy for me 🙂 So probably Albania next for me as well :-)
Well gl mate
Like a naturalised albanian as you are , i,ll use to write in albanian now with you. Shqipja qe flet eshte e saktë. E flet ngadalë dhe me theks anglez por nuk ka problem. Vazhdo keshtu. Po pagove taksat ne shqiperi deklarohesh i vetepunesuar! ( selfemployet) . Bashkia e Pogradecit i ka taksat e ulëta kështu nuk do taksohesh shumë. Kështu mirëserdhe bashkatdhetar! Për të tjerat është menyra shqiptare shumë efikase : avash- avash, ngadalë- ngadalë dhe duke parë , duke bërë.
Ur Albanian is better than mine bro. And im Albanian. So dont sweat it. Youre doing great.
Your Albanian is very good! :D
Honestly, you speak way better than most Kosovo-Albanians I personally know! So don't worry!
Thanks for showing Albania to the World! Definitely gives this small country more attention :)
You got it James 😎😀💯
Shum mir po fol, bravo
On a side note, as another way, or idea, confirming that you are an "asset", that you are providing Albania with additional needed "services" ...
- So how about setting up your own business, or maybe just linking up people with an existing "Visa -Assistance Agency".
Maybe even including assistance with setting up a company, translation services etc... But focusing on "only" Albania. (Not one of the many online "World Wide- Service companies" 🙂
As a service, for people who want to go there, as tourists, retire, live/settle/immigrate there etc.
Personally, I need such an agency now and I belive that I am not the only one who have those "needs" 🙂
Make it a great day!
Hey your Albanian is great, hahah gives me such a joy hearing foreigners speak Albanian😍
Wow you speak so good albania Bravo haha amazing
Mirë se vjen në gjirin e popullit shqiptarë 👏👏 sidoqoftë, amerikanët i kemi miq dhe frymëzim
I want to move there too. I understood everything you said . I learned from
UA-cam
You deserve the Albanian citizenship my friend
what would you recomend to learn Albanian? i love their culture American as well , 1st gen Cuban parents and what to spend my summers there.
to start i would recommend tapping in to the countless free resources on youtube. There are a number of recorded classes that you could sit through which help with some grammar and vocabulary. Also, I've found the app '50 languages' to be helpful when it comes to learning words and phrases.
Do a step by step on how to move there
dang i wanna be albania citizen too! but i hate paperwork so muuuuch
Wow it is amazing news you look happy 👍😃 enjooooooy it
Once I wanted to visit Albania but my family refused saying it is dangerous 🙃
🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
it used to be but is safer now
It sounds like you can keep US citizenship, the best passport on Earth. I see no problem for you if you add on Albanian citizenship. I did the opposite, when I became a US citizen. I don't know if I am still an Albanian citizen, but at the Tirana airport I was treated like a local.
The US passport is not the best passport on earth. It's actually one of the most dangerous for travellers.
Good luck. Do you go to Korca often?
not often, no
Im albanian and I have only the basics of language and I wanted to say that I love your accent
as an albanian its very hard to live in albania even i moved to sweden albania has horses in the world and many people dont know what is iternet in 2022
👏👏👏
Rootin for ya!
thank you kindly!
Yanks are always welcome in Albania they're our best buddies..
If you don't get the Albanian Passport I promise I will organise a protest :)
haha that’s very nice of you
@@JamesLeithart 😎
if you keep it you will be fluent in albanian you speak very good albanian as an foreign
Aww good luck, we would love to have another patriot amongst
You bet shared it already
🫡🫡
Wow! You speak albanian pretty well. Hey, I am 100% Albanian and I can barely speak it and my pronunciation is off. You’ll get the hang of it!
I wished I lived in Albania, my husband and I joke all the time saying when America goes south, we are going to run away to Albania 🤣
When…? 😂 You know that’s not too bad of a plan actually
Give this guy the pass real quick
I mean your Albanian skills are probably better than most of the eastern Albanians 😂🤣. I do think 5 years means 5 years but other than that congratulations on the Albanian citizenship ;)
They give citizenship to american basketplayers just to play here so dont worry
You are more Albanian then me 🤣🤣
Crazy idea, why not try to partner up with a few tourist agencies - where your YT content would be promoted. That should get enough cred to accumulate either some historical proof, and/or peak the interest of some official entity.
I’m probably stating the obvious. Either way I hope your wish gets the attention it deserves
I’ve done that a few times. The problem I’ve run in to is that many tourist agencies here just use my content for their own benefit without even asking to partner (or even asking to use the content).
@@JamesLeithart That’s a shame, unethical and their loss. I’m thinking that if the promo material is not specific to their activity (such that they have an advantage over their competition) maybe they viewed it as a nice to have. On the other hand, government institutions would be more interested in the national type promo, but you would need some serious following or generating quite a bit of traffic beforehand (which explains this video 😀)
@@gertituzi4659 Haha true. Although my little bit of work with government here, albeit local and smaller, has been even worse than with the tourism agencies. The governmental side promised to pay and never did... at least the companies using my photos to promote their trips never even gave me false hope they would pay 😂
@@JamesLeithart geez. Can’t help the unwilling 🤷♂️
Why do you need an Albanian passport ?
Me as an Albanian from Kosovo i want to become a citizen of Albania also even if it’s not a very valuable passport
i think you just answered your own question there 😂
@@JamesLeithart Yes only because of the reason in ethnically Albanian, but you?
I hope that you got your citizenship by now!
nope, not yet... still working on it
its take very much time to learn albanian its a very hard language
give this man his citizenship
good luck
Hajde ne Tirane
Imo don't see why you shouldn't stay another year and half, just saying, it seems to me you like it there,and I think you wright,, BTW your albanian is getting better,bear in mind Albania will soon be fully member of EU, not that American passport isn't gonna work there, but having options is always better, you never know, good luck whichever way you choose.
oh i fully plan on staying another year and a half. tbh i wrote this video a year and a half ago and it made more sense then 😂 but i’m happy with waiting a bit longer
Way to go kiddo! Happy to see you made this decision. Why not? I have both citizenships, Albanian and American so why not you? You have our full support. Here is a link you should inquire straight to the source ua-cam.com/channels/_l2qmM0mXkq5pOBEp3j2dw.html he may help you we hope..... Good luck.
thank you! much appreciated
We would love to see you with albanian citizenship bro
I dont understand your way of doing things 🤔.Why do you stay in Albania where you can go somewhere else like US or EU make a lot of money for a while like 1 or 2 years and come back to Albania and buy a small apartement in Pogradec.This would save you a ton more money time and give you more financial security.
Most people don't understand, and that's okay. But it comes down to how little I care about making lots of money vs living a life that makes me happy. If I was in the US or EU just working for money I would be miserable (i've been there, and tried that). But here I can wake up every morning looking forward to each day.
@@JamesLeithart No,please understand what I am saying.Maybe a better alternative of doing what you are doing is buying a house in Pogradec rather than renting,because I am pretty sure is cheap.This might take 1 or 2 years of work somewhere else so you can come back at your favorite place.I am not suggesting working for the money(which is just a tool) but for the house.If you are staying in Al permanently at the town that you like buying a house or apartement (40k US dollars) would be the best thing to do,isn't it so?
Aha! In that case, yeah buying might be a good choice. Good input
@@JamesLeithart Saving and working hard for 2 years max in EU or US might do it instead of working for 8 years in Al
Or, alternatively, instead of two miserable years in the US, I could live in Albania for 8 years that i actually enjoy and have the same end. It’s more about the journey than destination.
Kriz kriz jena met pa vaj na nkosov
Omg your Albanian is so cuuute 😭🤩
You must be out of your mind.
🤏🤏
Je duke e folur mire
Do you want to marry me to become US citizen?
careful you might get lots of proposals in your DMs
Maaaaaan wtf, everybody I know wants out of Albania and here you are doing the opposite 😮
same
I am giving away my own Albanian passport .! You just need to change the photo lol. And by the way your Albanian sounds great!
Ur crazy
thank you 😊
I call that a dumb move😑
Did you get citizenship already?
@@vastworld-mp8oc no. the law was changed to seven years before i could hit the 5 year mark
@@JamesLeithart ohhhhhh that's sad you could already have citizenship, there ,
Holy fuck you speak Albanian better then me lol