A streamlined border-crossing procedure for vehicles with Albanian and Kosova licence plates has been in place throughout the day, but long queues have formed at times due to the volume of traffic, stretching deep into Kosova.

Some Kosovars were returning home after holidays in Albania, while others were travelling to coastal destinations to spend the weekend or the final days of the summer season.

Heavy traffic between Kosova and Albania has been reported throughout much of the week, with weekends remaining the busiest period. More than 35,000 people enter Albania from Kosova on average each day, with a similar number recorded leaving the country, according to reported figures.

Morina remains one of the main crossing points between Kosova and Albania, particularly during the summer tourist season, with authorities using available capacity to ease congestion and speed up crossings.

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Korça regional prefect Nertil Jole told Albanian Telegraphic Agency on Friday that cross-border movement in recent days has been higher in the direction of entry into Albania, as many Albanian emigrants return home to spend the festive period with their families.

“According to data from the Kapshtica Border Police Directorate, over the past 24 hours a total of 8,424 people and 3,046 vehicles have been processed at the Kapshtica crossing,” Jole said. “Of these, 6,907 people entered Albania with 2,485 vehicles, while 1,517 people exited with 561 vehicles.”

He said border police have stepped up measures to handle the increased flow of travellers and vehicles, aiming to prevent queues and cut waiting times.

Meanwhile, the Kakavija Border Crossing Directorate reported that 10,087 people were processed over the past 24 hours, including 8,537 entries and 1,550 exits, along with 2,902 vehicles, of which 2,413 entered and 489 exited.

Border authorities have urged travellers to plan their journeys in advance and comply with regulations, warning that high traffic volumes are expected to continue in the coming days.

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To cope with this influx, there have been ferry round trips in Durrës port with neighboring ports in Italy since December 18.

Durrës Port Authority said today to ATA that, “During the last two days, December 18th and 19th, around 5,600 passengers have arrived at the port. The highest influx of passengers is expected to be on Sunday”.

According to the port authority, 13,000 passengers and around 5,000 vehicles are expected to arrive in the course of these four days.

“The ferry round trips will be carried out until the end of the year from Thursday to Sunday, while the port authority is fully prepared to manage the increased intensity of movements,” said the authority, adding that the port is handling passengers and vehicles on time and without any delay.

Like every year-end, there is a significant increase in the number of compatriots who prefer to travel by ferry to the port of Durrës and celebrate in Albania. /k.s/a.f/p.s./

Travelers entering by land may bring goods worth up to 300 euros, while the limit is 430 euros for air and sea travelers. For minors under 15, the cap is 150 euros.

Duty-free exemptions also apply to limited amounts of tobacco and alcohol: up to 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, and one liter of spirits or two liters of lower-alcohol beverages, plus two liters of wine and ten liters of beer. Minors under 17 are not eligible for these exemptions.

Travelers exceeding the limits must declare goods to customs authorities.

Simplified procedures apply to non-commercial items, with customs reserves the right to inspect baggage to prevent illegal imports.

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About 30,000 people entered Albania during the past weekend, while the daily average reaches 10,000.

In addition to citizens from Kosovo, there are also tourists from countries in the region such as Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and others who increase the flow.

Even in the direction of Kosovo, there was a high flow, especially in the evening hours, creating long queues up to 10 minutes of waiting to enter Kosovo through the customs of Vërmica.

The queues at the entrance to Kosovo during the evenings are also created by the return of citizens of Kosovo and the countries of the region from the Albanian coast.

In July, according to the police, more than 800,000 people entered Albania from this border point alone.

During the 6 months of the current year, according to the border police of Kosovo, about 4 million and 479 citizens from Kosovo have entered and exited the common border point of Vërmicë-Morina, almost 30 percent more than in the same period last year. /KosovaPress/p.s./

The port is one of the main points of entry to Saranda. During this year, there are handled a high number of passengers.

Director of the Port of Saranda Alket Qendro told ATA today that, “546,655 foreign and Albanian travelers entered and departed at the Port of Saranda during the January-October period, while in 2022, there were 360,867 travelers.

According to him, during this 10-month period, the handling of passengers at the port has increased, compared to the same period last year.

“Only in the month of October, there entered 15,531 travelers, while 16,554 departed from this port,” Qendro said.

Qendro also said that during July and August there has been a high influx of passengers.

Saranda continues to be one of the main destinations for local and foreign tourists. It is surrounded by hills and in front of it is the Greek island of Corfu. In addition to the beach, Saranda is also known for its history and culture: the castle of Lëkurës is magical, while the Archeological Park of Butrint intrigues many tourists with its thousand-year history.

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According to the Port of Vlora Authority, 10,003 travelers and 2,144 vehicles entered the Port of Vlora last weekend alone.

Port authorities have been working with high intensity to handle passengers and vehicles.

18,231 passengers entered the port during the month of July, 1396 more than in 2022 or 8% more”.

The beautiful coast, significantly improved infrastructure and attractive spaces such as Lungomare with its numerous bars, or the Vlorë-Skelë boulevard, constitute some of the factors and strong points for the high numbers of foreign tourists from different countries of the world in the city of Vlora.

Tourist boats also operate in the port of Vlora during the summer months. They depart every day towards the island of Sazan and the peninsula of Karaburun. /k.s/p.s./

Referring to the official data of the Durrës Port Authority, during the last month, the ferries of the Durrës-Bari/Ancona line have brought over 90,965 citizens to our country, while 32,242 travelers have been registered to leave our country to neighboring Italy.

A significant increase in travelers has been reflected especially during the last two weeks of July, where ferries have brought thousands of compatriots who live and work outside the borders, as well as foreign citizens.

Meanwhile, the double sailings of the ferries continue in function of coping with an expected increase of passengers in the coming weeks. /k.s/r.e/p.s./

Travellers entering Albania by air, sea or land should provide a COVID-19 vaccination certificate not more than two weeks prior to entering the country, a negative PCR test not more than 72 hours old prior to the travel or the rapid antigen test not more than 48 hours prior to the travel.

Travellers should also show a valuable document certifying that they have recovered from Covid-19 not later than six months from the recovery.

These rules are also applicable to the travellers, except children younger than six years old, transiting Albania.

Albanian citizens who reside in Albania and return from abroad and cannot provide the abovementioned documents should observe a 10-day quarantine and inform health authorities to undergo a COVID-19 test after the quarantine period.

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Travellers who cannot provide a vaccination certificate will have to show a negative PCR test or the rapid antigen test not more than 72 hours old prior to the travel, Border Police said citing police authorities of North Macedonia.

Travellers transiting North Macedonia should fill a declaration at the border crossing points of the country.

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