No Side Switch, No Alcohol: Albania from China in 2026

There is no side to relearn when you drive from China to Albania: both keep right. What a Chinese visitor needs to settle instead is a document, a drinking rule with no room in it, and a realistic picture of the roads outside the cities.

The licence question comes first

China has joined neither the 1949 Geneva nor the 1968 Vienna road traffic convention, and no International Driving Permit is issued in China. UK government advice for Albania says a 1968 permit is useful and that the 1949 permit is no longer accepted, so there is no permit a Chinese driver can bring that fits that advice. Before you book, ask the hire firm in writing what it accepts from a Chinese licence holder, and keep the reply with your licence and passport. If the answer is no, a car with a driver is the safer plan. The Driving Permit Checker covers other countries.

A drinking limit that means zero

Article 184 of the Road Code bans driving after drinking, stricter even than the 0.02 limit at home. A reading up to 0.3 g/l already costs ALL 5,000-15,000, and from 0.3 g/l the licence is suspended too. Keep alcohol out of any day you plan to drive.

Roads to read carefully

Article 140 sets 40 km/h in built-up areas, 80 km/h on secondary interurban roads, 90 km/h on main interurban roads and 130 km/h on motorways. The motorways are modern, but UK advice warns of poor rural surfaces, potholes, unmarked roadworks and unlit vehicles at night. Up to 10 km/h over costs ALL 1,000-3,000 and 10-30 km/h over ALL 2,000-4,000; the speeding fine calculator gives a quick estimate.

Article 72 requires a warning triangle and a first-aid kit in the car. After any accident, stay at the scene until the police arrive. Dial 112 for emergencies, 129 for police, 127 for an ambulance and 128 for the fire service. Signal drops in the mountains, so save offline maps before you leave. The full local detail is in the Albania driving guide.

Sources

• Road Code of the Republic of Albania, law no. 8378/1998, consolidated text including Law 58/2026, articles 72, 140, 184: qbz.gov.al
• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Albania (1968 IDP useful; 1949 IDP no longer accepted; accidents; road conditions): gov.uk
• Global Affairs Canada, Albania travel advice (112, 129, 127, 128): travel.gc.ca
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 and 1968 Conventions on Road Traffic (China not a party to either): treaties.un.org
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, China country profile (BAC 0.02 g/dl): who.int