Albania is party to the following international legal frameworks related to refugees:

• 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which provides the internationally recognised definition of a refugee and outlines the legal protection, rights, and assistance a refugee is entitled to receive.
• 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, which expanded the Convention to apply universally and protect all persons fleeing conflict and persecution.
• 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, which established a framework for the international protection of stateless persons.
• 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which set rules for the conferral and non-withdrawal of citizenship to prevent cases of statelessness from arising.
• 1997 European Convention on Nationality, which established principles and rules on nationality.

Additionally, Albania ratified the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR, formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms), which is a supranational convention that protects human rights and political freedoms in Europe. While not a refugee-specific treaty, the ECHR provides a set of fundamental human rights and freedoms that apply to everyone within the jurisdiction of its Member States, including refugees and asylum seekers. These rights serve as important legal protection for refugees, especially when national asylum or immigration decisions are challenged.

In addition to its obligations under the aforementioned international instruments, Albania is obligated to respect the international customary legal principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits any country from deporting any person to a country where they face the threat of persecution.

Albania has also ratified several other international legal instruments that also relate to the treatment of refugees, including the:

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which sets out protections for a wide range of human rights, including freedom from torture and other cruel or unusual punishment, fair trial rights, equality, and non-discrimination.
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which ensures the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights to education, fair and just working conditions, adequate standards of living, social security, and the highest attainable standard of health.
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which protects children’s rights and obliges public bodies to consider children’s best interests. 
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which sets out provisions to ensure women’s full enjoyment of human rights on an equal basis with men.
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), which obliges signatories to take action to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which seeks to eliminate disability discrimination and safeguard the rights of disabled people.
• International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICRMW), which sets standards for national laws and procedures to protect migrant workers’ rights. 
• Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which requires signatories to take effective measures to prevent acts of torture.

In Albania, the authority responsible for refugee status determination (RSD) is the Directorate for Asylum and Citizenship in Tirana. This body conducts interviews, evaluates applications, and makes decisions regarding asylum claims.

Article 40 of the Albanian Constitution stipulates that “foreigners have the right of asylum according to law.” Refugee-related matters are governed by Law No.10/2021 on Asylum in the Republic of Albania, which outlines the conditions and procedures for granting refugee status, subsidiary and temporary protection, loss of international protection, the rights and obligations of refugees, family reunification, and integration.

Article 5 of Law No.10/2021 lists the necessary conditions to apply for asylum in Albania. The principle of non-refoulement must be observed pursuant to Article 11. Applicants have the right to be assisted by a legal adviser and should be provided with interpretation services when needed. The procedure for examining asylum applications is detailed in Articles 26 to 38. Recognised refugees can, however, lose refugee status under certain circumstances, such as leaving Albania and/or returning to their country of origin.

Law No. 79/2021 “On Foreigners” regulates the entry and exit (Chapter II); visas (Chapter III); residence, family reunification, and employment of foreigners (Chapter IV); and removal (Chapter V). The law also contains provisions relating to children, family life, non-refoulement, and discrimination.