From 140 to 130 km/h: Polish Drivers in Albania, 2026

Poles who search for Albania’s promile limit get a blunt answer: it is zero. Albania bans driving after drinking, where Poland’s limit is 0.02. There is no safe number to aim for, and the penalties start from the first measurable reading. The rest of the legal picture is gentler. You keep to the right, an EU licence is accepted for stays of up to 12 months, and motorway speed drops only slightly from the 140 km/h on Polish motorways.

The drink-driving ladder

Albania’s fines rise with the reading in g/l:

Driving between 22:00 and 07:00 adds one third to two thirds to the penalty. A repeat reading above 0.5 g/l means the licence is revoked permanently. The coastal resorts in summer are where a drink at dinner is most tempting, and also where police checks are most visible, so book a taxi or nominate a driver who does not drink.

Licence and the IDP question

Polish licences are EU licences, and Albania accepts them for up to a year. The law does not require an International Driving Permit from EU holders. Rental desks sometimes ask for one anyway, and the country notes add a wrinkle: the UK Foreign Office says a 1968-model IDP is useful in Albania, while the 1949 model is no longer accepted. If you want a permit in the glovebox as a precaution, ask for the 1968 model. After a year, an Albanian licence is needed. Use the Driving Permit Checker if a desk queries your papers.

Speeds against Poland’s

The motorway gap is small, while the town limit is ten below home and enforcement is genuine, with fixed cameras and mobile radar. Up to 10 km/h over costs ALL 1,000-3,000, and 10-30 km/h over costs ALL 2,000-4,000. Beyond 30 km/h over outside towns (or 20 km/h in town) the fine is ALL 5,000-15,000 with a suspension of one to three months.

Other fines worth knowing

• No seatbelt: ALL 5,000-15,000.
• Holding a phone: ALL 5,000-15,000, and a second offence in the same year brings a three-month suspension.
• Running a red light: ALL 20,000-30,000.

The road itself

The new motorways are good, yet rural surfaces are uneven, markings fade, and you will meet unpredictable overtaking, livestock and the occasional unlit vehicle after dark. The 80 km/h rural limit often overstates what the road can take, so drive to the surface, not the sign. Download offline maps, because mobile signal is patchy in rural areas. If you are checking whether Albania sells a vignette like the Czech and Slovak systems, the vignette guide lists the countries that do.

The first evening

Pick the car up in daylight if the flight allows it. Walk round the vehicle, photograph the bodywork, and confirm that the triangle and first-aid kit are in the boot before you sign. Set the route in your map app while parked, and drive the first stretch below the limit while you learn how local drivers overtake and merge.

Equipment and emergencies

Albania requires a warning triangle and a first-aid kit; a fire extinguisher, reflective vest and spare bulbs are recommended. The police can check at the roadside. Call 112 for police, 127 for an ambulance and 128 for fire. Poland’s 997, 998 and 999 are not Albanian numbers. The Albania driving guide has the rest, and the Speeding Fine Calculator models a fine before you go.

Sources