Albania's landmark data protection law, fully aligned with GDPR, establishes comprehensive obligations for organizations processing personal data. Understand the requirements and how PrivaxisOS helps you comply.
On January 31, 2025, Albania enacted Law No. 124/2024, replacing the outdated 2008 legislation as part of its EU accession process.
The new law is explicitly designed to be “fully aligned” with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Law Enforcement Directive. Albanian businesses must now meet the same rigorous standards as their EU counterparts.
The Commissioner for the Right to Information and Personal Data Protection serves as the supervisory authority, empowered to monitor compliance, investigate complaints, conduct audits, and impose administrative penalties.
Law passed by Parliament
Published in Official Gazette
Law enters into force
Full compliance deadline (2 years)
The law applies broadly to any organization processing personal data of Albanian residents.
All controllers and processors established in Albania, regardless of where processing occurs
Non-Albanian entities offering goods/services to or monitoring behavior of Albanian residents
Foreign entities must appoint a representative located in Albania
Automated processing and structured manual filing systems
Health, biometric, genetic, criminal records with enhanced protections
Personal/household use only; national security operations
Banking & Finance
Healthcare
Technology
E-commerce
Manufacturing
All Industries
Aligned with GDPR Article 5 — the foundation of all lawful data processing under the new law.
Processing must have a legal basis, be fair to data subjects, and be conducted transparently with clear information provided.
Data must be collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes and not further processed incompatibly.
Only collect data that is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for the stated purposes.
Personal data must be accurate and kept up to date; inaccurate data must be erased or rectified without delay.
Data should be kept only as long as necessary for the processing purposes; define and enforce retention periods.
Implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure security against unauthorized access or loss.
Individuals have strengthened rights over their personal data, with mandatory response within 30–60 days.
Data subjects must be informed about processing activities, purposes, recipients, and their rights at the time of collection.
Individuals can request confirmation of processing and access to their personal data, including a copy of the data.
Data subjects can request correction of inaccurate personal data or completion of incomplete data.
Also known as ‘right to be forgotten’ — request deletion when data is no longer necessary or consent withdrawn.
Request limitation of processing in certain circumstances, such as when accuracy is contested.
Receive personal data in structured, machine-readable format and transmit to another controller.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests, direct marketing, or scientific/historical research.
Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, with legal effects.
The law imposes significant documentation, assessment, and governance requirements on all organizations.
Mandatory documentation per Article 30 including:
Required before high-risk processing:
Mandatory appointment when:
Mandatory reporting requirements:
The law introduces GDPR-equivalent fines with two tiers of administrative penalties, plus additional consequences.
Violations including:
Serious violations including:
Loss of customer trust and market position
Processing bans and operational restrictions
Civil claims from affected individuals
Mandatory audits and corrective measures
Personal liability for severe violations
Spreadsheets, emails, and paper-based tracking cannot meet the regulatory requirements of Law 124/2024.
Personal data exists across multiple departments, systems, and formats with no central inventory or control.
Staff become overwhelmed as data volumes grow. Spreadsheets cannot handle the documentation requirements and audit needs.
30-day response deadlines for DSRs leave no room for inefficiency. Missing deadlines triggers complaints and potential enforcement.
Regulators expect complete audit trails and evidence of compliance. Manual systems lack the systematic record-keeping needed.
Organizations have until early 2027 to achieve full compliance. Those who start now have time to implement properly. Those who delay face rushed implementations and higher risk.
You need a comprehensive platform that brings everything together
A comprehensive, integrated platform designed specifically for Albanian Law 124/2024 compliance.
Complete processing activity registry
Automated request workflows
DPIA, PIA, VRA, TIA, SRA
Cookie & tracker detection
Executive compliance dashboards
Don’t wait until the 2027 deadline. See how PrivaxisOS helps Albanian organizations achieve and maintain compliance with Law 124/2024.