Standards and procedures to be followed for making requests for information and complaints. Includes the disclosure of:
Request for information
- A request for information must be made in writing and submitted in person, by mail, or by email, accurately providing the identity and signature of the requester. In all cases, the request is recorded in the Register of Requests and Responses, as provided in Article 8 of this law.
2. In all cases, the information request is registered and assigned a serial number. The serial number, along with the contact details of the coordinator for the right to information, is given to the requester who submitted the information request.
3. Information requests are recorded in the order they are received and are processed without any distinction among them.
- The information request must contain:
a) the name and surname of the applicant;
b) the postal or electronic address where the information is requested to be sent;
c) description of the information required;
ç) the format in which the information is preferred;
d) any data that the applicant considers may assist in identifying the information requested. 5. If the request for information does not specify the format in which the information is requested, it shall be provided in the most efficient manner and at the lowest cost to the public authority.
Deadline for receiving information:
- The public authority processes the information request by providing the requested information as soon as possible, but no later than 10 working days from the date of its submission, except in cases where a special law provides otherwise.
- When the public authority receiving the information request forwards it to another authority, the latter must provide a response no later than 15 working days from the date the request arrived at the first authority.
- The deadlines provided in points 1 and 2 of this article may be extended by no more than 5 working days for one of the following reasons:
a) the need to request and review multiple or voluminous documents;
b) the need to extend searches to offices and premises that are physically separate from the central office of the authority;
c) the need to consult with other public authorities before making a decision on whether to fulfill the request.
The decision to extend the deadline must be communicated to the requester immediately.
- In any case, the failure to process the information request within the above-mentioned deadlines shall be considered a refusal.
- The provisions of this article also apply to access to archival information of any kind.
Handling requests for information
Deadlines for processing the request by the municipality administration
- In cases where the public authority to which the information request is addressed is unclear about the content or nature of the request, it must contact the requester immediately, but in any case no later than 48 hours from the date of submission of the request, to obtain the necessary clarifications. In all cases, the public authority assists the requester in specifying the request.
- If, after reviewing the request, the public authority finds that it does not hold the requested information, it must, no later than 10 calendar days from the date of submission of the request, forward it to the competent authority, while also informing the requester. The only reason that justifies sending the request to another authority is the lack of the requested information.
- The public authority to which the information request was addressed notifies the requester that their request has been forwarded to another authority and provides them with the contact details of the authority to which the request was sent.
Ways of providing information
- All information requests are generally processed through free consultation of the information at the premises of the public authority, via the unified government portal e-albania.al, or, where applicable, through the official website of the public authority.
- Requests related to written documents are processed by providing the requester with:
a) a complete copy in the same format used by the public authority, except in special cases;
b) a complete copy of the information via email, when the information is available in such a form or can be converted.
- Regarding requests related to other forms, the information is provided in the most effective manner and at the lowest cost to the public authority.
- In any case, the decision to refuse the requested form must be provided in writing and with justification.
Information provided previously
- The public authority ensures that information which has been provided at least once to a requester is made available in the most practical way possible to all other persons who may request it in the future.
- Information requests for information recorded in the Register of Requests and Responses are completed no later than 3 working days from the moment the request is submitted.
Fee for providing information
Fiscal Package, VKB No. 74, dated 23.12.2025
- Public administration services are free of charge. The provision of information may be subject to a fee, previously determined and made public by the public authority on its website and in public reception areas. The fee is the cost of reproducing the requested information and, where appropriate, sending it. Information requested electronically is provided free of charge.
- The cost of reproduction cannot be higher than the actual cost of the material on which the information is reproduced. The cost of delivery cannot be higher than the average cost of the same service on the market.
- The Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data periodically reviews, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, the fees published by public authorities and, where appropriate, orders their adjustment.
Subjects that benefit from free information
Citizens regularly registered in social assistance schemes, as well as beneficiaries under Law No. 111/2017 “On State-Guaranteed Legal Aid,” as amended, receive the information free of charge up to a certain number of pages per request or the equivalent value when the information is provided in another format.
The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance shall, by joint instruction, determine the number of pages for which information is available free of charge, pursuant to point 4 of this article, as well as the cases of exemption from payment of the fee.
Procedures for Reviewing Complaints
- Any person who believes that their rights under this law have been violated has the right to file a complaint
through administrative channels with the Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data
Personally, in accordance with this law and the Code of Administrative Procedures.
- The administrative complaint to the Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data must be filed within 30 working days from the date when:
a) the complainant has received a notification of the refusal of information;
b) the deadline provided in this law for providing the information has passed. - Upon receiving the complaint, the Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data
The Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data forwards the complaint to the unit responsible for the right to information, which verifies the facts and legal basis of the complaint. For this purpose, the complainant and the public authority against which the complaint is made may be asked to submit written statements, and information may be obtained from any other person or source. When deemed necessary, the Commissioner holds a public hearing session with the participation of the parties.
- The Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data issues a decision on
the complaint within 15 working days from the date the complaint was submitted.
- The Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data decides:
a) the non-acceptance of the complaint when:
i) the deadline provided in point 2 of this article has passed;
ii) the complaint is not submitted in written form;
iii) the name and address of the complainant are not provided;
b) the acceptance of the complaint and ordering the public authority to provide the requested information, in full or in part, and, where applicable, the proposal to declassify information;
c) the dismissal of the complaint, partially or entirely;
ç) the deadline within which the public authority must comply with the order.
6. If the Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data does not issue a decision within the deadline provided in point 4 of this article, the complainant has the right to appeal to the court.
6/1. The public authority is obliged to comply with the Commissioner’s decision when it has ordered the provision of the requested information, in full or in part, except in cases where the court orders the suspension of its execution.
7. The administrative procedure provided for in this article does not affect the powers of the Ombudsman concerning the supervision and enforcement of civil rights, in accordance with Law No. 8454, dated 4.2.1999, “On the Ombudsman.”
The completed complaint form can be sent to the Office of the Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data at the email address info@idp.al, in person, or by mail to the address: Rr. Abdi Toptani, Nd. 5, Tiranë,
