Tirana International Airport (TIA), also called Nënë Tereza, is a pick-up point for cars in this site's search, alongside the rental offices and city delivery in Tirana. This page covers what happens between landing and driving away, and how the car goes back at the end of the rental.
Where can I collect a hire car at Tirana Airport?
The booking search offers three pick-up options for Tirana: "Tirana Airport (TIA)", "At one of the rental offices" and "City delivery". The Specify location control in the search narrows the results to one of them.
The exact handover arrangement for your car is set by the rental company that owns it. Its contact details arrive by email once the booking is made. For car hire at Tirana Airport the search can be filtered to cars with no deposit, cars that need no credit card, or full insurance, and the results sort by price.
What do I need at the pick-up?
The main driver brings a valid national driving licence with its details in Latin script, valid until the last day of the rental or later. Copies and electronic licences are refused. A licence valid only in its own country should travel with an International Driving Permit, which the terms strongly recommend and which may be asked for.
If the booking needs a credit card, it must be a physical embossed card in the main driver's name, and it must be at the pick-up. Some rental companies take a debit card; the booking and the voucher say so when they do, and the same rules on a physical, embossed card in the driver's name apply.
The balance of the rental is paid at the pick-up. The advance of 15 to 20% was paid online when the car was booked.
Find your hire car.
Search cars for your dates at Tirana Airport.
Search cars for your datesWhat if my flight is late?
Contact the rental company. The booking rules treat a failure to arrive at the booked place and time without coordinating with the rental company as a no-show, and a no-show is handled as a late cancellation, so the advance is kept.
The terms also require your phone to be reachable, with the number given at booking and the right country code, from the day before pick-up to the end of the rental. The terms rule out service quality claims when the renter could not be reached by phone or messenger.
How do I drive out of Tirana Airport?
The airport sits 17 kilometres outside Tirana, by the airport's own figure. Its access road is Rruga e Aeroportit, the SH60, which meets the SH2 motorway that runs between Tirana and Durrës.
The airport's directions from Tirana take the SH2 towards Durrës, then the ramp from the SH2 onto the SH60. From Durrës they follow the SH2 towards Tirana as far as Vorë, take the ramp onto the SH52, then join the SH60 for about 3.1 km to a roundabout, where the third exit leads to the airport. Leaving with a hire car, the same roads run the other way.
Pick-up
Collect the car at Tirana Airport (TIA), or have it delivered to an address in Tirana.
Is there parking at Tirana Airport?
The airport has several car parks: P1 with covered and uncovered spaces, P2 and P3 covered, and an underground car park. There is also a Kiss & Fly zone for drop-offs.
Tariffs are charged in Albanian lek and set by the airport. The airport also charges a fine for a lost ticket.
Can I collect in Tirana instead of at the airport?
Yes, on cars offered with City delivery: the car comes to an address in Tirana rather than waiting at the airport. Car hire in Tirana can also start at one of the rental offices, the third pick-up option in the search.
How do I return the car at the airport?
Return it to the drop-off place on the booking, with the same fuel level it had at pick-up. A lower level is charged at the rental company's rates, and a higher one is not refunded. A car returned so dirty that it cannot be inspected is washed at the renter's cost.
The minimum chargeable rental is 24 hours, and part of a day is charged as a full day: Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon is two days. To extend the rental, inform the rental company in advance. A car can also go back somewhere else: the search offers one-way drop-offs in Durrës, Sarandë, Vlorë and Shkodër, among other cities, and the price shown includes any one-way charge.