Fiks Fare denounced on Monday evening the bureaucracy and the delays of Albanian institutions in granting citizenship to Kosovo Albanians.

A young woman from Kosovo, who came to Albania 15 years ago, has been in school for 5 years, has been working under a contract for 10 years, is married to an Albanian and has a 3-year-old child. But, for several years, she has been wandering around the doors of the police, the ministry and the presidency to get her passport. During this time, they have returned her documents several times; once the employees lost 1 certificate, the second time the documents expired due to procrastination, once because they required an Albanian language exam and finally the rental contract, made before a notary, is not legal, writes TCh.

In the editorial office of the show Fiks Fare, Mr. Klaudjo Jonuzaj complained, who says that he is married to an Albanian from Kosovo, Sihana Qarkaxhija, who has been seeking an Albanian passport for many years. "Sihana has been living in the territory of the Republic of Albania since 2010, where she initially studied for 5 years and has been working since 2015, with a regular contract. She has even received a residence permit. For several years, we have been married, where we have celebrated and all the documents. After marriage, we also have a child," claims Klaudjo.

But, despite working regularly for 10 years, being married to an Albanian citizen and having a child with this citizen, Sihana has been struggling for many years to obtain citizenship, an Albanian passport. "Every time we apply, they say we lack documents. Once, a letter from immigration is missing. We send the letter and they reply that now that they brought it, the deadline for the first letters has expired. Certificates of spouses, Albanian and Kosovar, judicial status, confirmations of residence permits, rental contract. These have a 6-month validity period," continues Klaudjo.

He adds that, so far, they have filled out the paperwork 4 times. "The last time for the rental contract, after we made the contract at the notary with 1 owner, when the ownership certificate has 3 co-owners. We have taken this contract several times to the police, the Ministry of Interior and the Presidency. They have never returned it to us. With this contract we have all the documents, civil status, residence permits, the child's registration in kindergarten. Everyone has accepted it," he says.

He further adds that, in the first application, an exam in the language and history of Albania was also a criterion, even for Kosovo Albanians. "We asked where to take this exam, no one gave us an answer," Klaudjo claims, adding that so far there has only been bureaucracy.

After the complaint, the young man goes to Police Station No. 2 in Tirana and asks the employee who deals with citizenship. She tells him that this is how the procedures are and that they have done it but the Ministry of Interior and the Police Directorate have returned it. “They make up all kinds of documents. Now they return it for the smallest thing,” she tells him, while asking him to fill out the documents from scratch now that they expire in a few weeks. Klaudjo also goes to the Tirana Police Directorate, looking for officer Yzeir Zeqiri, but he tells him that “the file is at Police Station No. 2, fill it out,” reports KosovaPress.

Fiks Fare journalists contact police officer Yzeir Zeqiri, who works at the Tirana Police Department and deals with citizenship. He admits that his documents have been returned several times, while adding that there are now problems with the rental contract. Fiksi informs them that Klaudjo and Sihana have always applied with this contract, while he says that now he has to do something else and bring it. We ask him if he brings the new one, the old documents will expire. He tells us that he will look at them and get back to us.

The officer calls the journalists again a few minutes later and says that “just bring the rental contract, as the other documents are dated mid-December.” But, as soon as they go from Police Station No. 2, to the Police Directorate at the Ministry of Interior and then to the Presidency, the documents will expire again!

***

The complainant is interested in Police Station No. 2, Tirana.

Citizen – I am the husband of Sihana Qarkaxhija, I received a message...

Employee – Since it's back...

Citizen – That it was returned to me, yes! I went to the Directorate and they told me that they returned it to the 2nd. It's the first time they've returned it to me.

Employee – The lease agreement is not in accordance with the law. The certificate lists 3 owners, while the contract was signed with only 1 owner.

Citizen – It surprises me because the contract…

Employee – She only returned for the contract.

Citizen – Yes, Yzeiri (the officer at the Tirana Police Department) has taken this file and returned it 3 times. This was in 2022. This document has always been there, I don't know if they remembered this document now.

Employee – What can I say, I only tell you what they tell me!

Citizen – The notary did it, the other person also notarized it...

Employee – No way, the notary can't do this!

Citizen – I don't understand how even the Civil Registry Office accepted it, they accepted that document everywhere. I don't know now.

Employee – The ministry returned it!

Citizen – They have made this conversation very problematic for us. We have now renewed our documents.

Employee – They have their own documents they are looking for. This time she has returned just for this reason.

Citizen – I think these expire?

Employee – Exactly!

Citizen – Yes, everything has to be done from scratch.

Employee – Then, November, December, January, February, March are close.

Citizen – I have everything close at hand, I know it very well and they have delayed me a lot.

Employee – And by the time they go to the Presidency, they're all expired.

Citizen – I get it! The Presidency no longer tolerates any days if they expire?!

Employee – They've never passed.

Citizen – Well, they cut us off with this, because we are going to Kosovo…

Employee – If from the very beginning…

Citizen – They didn't have this before, as far as I know?

Employee – Yes, online applications were nothing before. Now, if they are correct, correct, correct at the beginning, they go quickly. If they lack documentation, they go to the directorate to be reviewed, then to the ministry, the ministry returns them to the directorate. The directorate returns them to us again, the procedures take time and they (the documents) expire.

Citizen – I understand, I'm struggling with this job right now and they're always delaying me. Inshallah it's being resolved because we've done this contract everywhere and so on.

Employee – He says ok, you will take it to the ministry, the ministry will return it if it is not ok. Or if the ministry does not catch it, the Presidency will return it. The Presidency deals with even the most minimal things, even a spelling mistake, and returns the file back.

Citizen – Now the conversation is here, what guarantee do I have that they will catch everything, is it worth it or should I leave this conversation altogether?!

Employee – Now I'm not saying it's not worth it, because there are many citizens who want citizenship.

Citizen – Are they getting citizenship because it seems like they're not getting it?

Employee – They're getting it, they're getting it.

Citizen – Did they change someone at the Ministry of Interior who returned it this time, because before they didn't return it after this document (the rental contract) went all the way to the Presidency and they didn't catch him for this?

Employee – I have no idea.

***

Citizens are interested in the Tirana Police Department!

Citizen – Maybe it's Yzeiri because I had to ask him a question, that specialist.

Employee – Do you have his number?

Citizen – Yes, I have his number.

(Calls the citizenship officer)

Citizen – Hello, how are you? I'm Klaudjo, Sihana's husband, we talked. I wanted to get your opinion on whether everything needs to be done from scratch. They had returned the lease contract for that, but...

Officer – You have the file at the 2nd (Commissariat). These documents are invalid.

Citizen – I have to start the procedure over again, yes!

***

Conversation between Fiks Fare journalists and Mr. Yzeir ZEQIRI, Officer at the Tirana Police Directorate

Journalist – We have a case, Mrs. Sihana Qarkaxhija.

Officer – Yes, yes.

Journalist – She has applied several times. Several times she has been turned down, due to lack of documentation. She has gone from Police Station No. 2, to the Police Directorate, to the Ministry of Interior. And for 3 years, the lady in question, although she has been working in Albania for many years, is married, has children, and is unable to obtain citizenship!

Officer – Can you make a written request and we can clarify for you.

Journalist – You're also the police officer who deals with such cases. A lady who meets all three criteria and just hangs around?!

Officer – Okay, okay. The lady's documents went to the ministry from the ministry, I think, I think, meaning they were returned due to a problem. Sihana Qarkaxhija, you told me, didn't you?

Journalist – Yes, Sihana Qarkaxhija.

Officer – Yes, 1 minute. This lady's documentation was returned with the motivation that the rental contract is not in accordance with the provisions of the law "on citizenship". That is, this is the motive that was returned. The documentation was returned on 03.03.2025 to Police Station No. 2.

Journalist – And what should the lady do now, should she fill out all the documents again?

Officer – No, the lady must … to … that is, meet this rental criterion. The certificate of ownership of the apartment where the lady is renting is with 3 owners. Meanwhile, the contract is signed with one of them.

Journalist – How is it possible that the lady in question, with that contract, received a residence permit for 5-6 years, with the same contract. She got married with that contract!

Officer – Mr. Sokol, then the law on “residence permits” is different and the law on “citizenships” is different!

Journalist – Is this the first time he has returned or is it the second time? Because the first time he did not return for this criterion, he returned for a different criterion…

Officer – That's why I told you that I can't remember, that's why I said make a request.

After a few minutes...

Officer – Regarding that application, it only needs to meet the lease contract criteria. The documentation is within the legal deadlines, because it is from December 2024.

Journalist – The deadlines are only 6 months as far as I know.

Officer - 6 months is fine, because it is 13.12.2024.

Journalist – Why wasn't he told earlier that he had this deficiency?!

Officer – Now it's established!

Journalist – It's been 3 years, Mr. Yzeir, 3 years!

Officer – Well, he didn't come back for these things the next time, so...