A .al domain for your business

Why an Albanian business should have a .al domain

When a customer in Albania looks for a product or service, the first thing they see is the website address. A .al domain immediately says that the company operates here, speaks their language and follows local rules. That matters most when the customer has to pay online, leave contact details or visit a physical shop.

The national domain is also an asset that belongs to your company. Unlike a social media profile, a .al address does not depend on someone else's algorithm: you decide what appears there, where it points and which email addresses run on it.

Customer trust and local search

A site with a local extension feels closer to the customer than a generic address. For a restaurant in Shkodër, a law firm in Tirana or a construction company in Fier, that closeness turns into more phone calls and fewer doubts.

Search engines also use the extension as one of several geographic signals. A site under .al has a natural advantage for searches made from Albania, but the signal does not replace the basics: content in Albanian, accurate contact details, fast pages and links from well-known local sources.

• Write your address and phone number the same way on the site, on invoices and on your online profiles.
• Create separate pages for your main services instead of a single page.
• Connect the domain to reliable hosting so the site loads quickly.

Which extension should your company choose

The Albanian namespace offers four main extensions. Technically they work the same way; the difference lies in perception and in whether the name is available.

Prices exclude VAT and renewal costs the same as registration. Many companies choose .al as their main address and also register .com.al as protection, redirecting it to the first. The full comparison is in .al vs .com.al.

Documents a legal entity needs

Every .al domain registration is verified by AKEP. For a commercial company the core document is the QKB extract or an equivalent registration document. The entity name on the document must match the registrant name you enter in the order.

Besides the document, the application needs accurate contact details: entity name, address, email and phone. Pick an email address that someone reads regularly, because expiry notices and transfer confirmations are sent there. For a company, a shared address such as the admin office is better than the personal mailbox of an employee who may leave.

With complete documentation, approval usually takes 1–3 business days. False data or forged documents are a criminal offence under articles 186, 189 or 191 of the Albanian Criminal Code. The full list is on required documents.

One brand across every channel

The domain is the point where all your communication channels meet. The more consistent the name is everywhere, the easier customers find and remember you.

• Professional email — addresses like [email protected] look more serious than a free mailbox and carry the same name as the site. See professional email with a .al domain.
• Trademark check — before registering, check with the General Directorate of Industrial Property (DPPI) that the name is not someone else's registered trademark. Names that exactly match approved trademarks are reserved for their holders.
• Variants — the .al registry does not accept the letters ë and ç, so think about how customers will type your name without them.
• Using the domain — under the regulation, a .al domain that is not put into use for one year from registration or renewal may be released.

How to register your business domain

1. Search the name in the search box and check all extensions at once.
2. Enter the company details exactly as they appear in the QKB.
3. Upload the QKB extract or equivalent document.
4. Wait for AKEP approval, usually 1–3 business days.
5. Connect hosting and email through DNS and nameservers.

A domain can be registered for 1 to 10 years. For a brand that plans long term, a longer term reduces the risk of losing the name to a forgotten renewal.

Frequently asked questions