TIRANA, Albania — A small municipality in Albania’s capital city has welcomed its newest resident: former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has also become a fully fledged citizen. But a central question remains: Why? Adams made international headlines when he acquired Albanian citizenship, but now he has gone a step further, formally registering as a resident in his new neighborhood and providing his fingerprints and mugshot for his new ID card and Albanian passport.
Florian Pullazi, the head of Administrative Unit No. 2, where Adams now officially resides, did not confirm to POLITICO whether Adams will actually live in Tirana or what his motives were for obtaining citizenship and a passport. He did, however, say that Adams’ obtaining citizenship reflects the “long and deep ties between the city of New York and the Albanian community in the USA.” In a post on social media, Pullazi described the former mayor as a “great friend of the Albanians,” a “politician known for his focus on public affairs,” and “a former captain of the New York Police Department.” The Albanian passport, ranked 43rd globally in 2025 by the Henley Passport Index, grants the holder visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 123 countries.
While Albania isn’t in the European Union, the country’s passport grants access to the bloc’s free-travel Schengen area for up to 90 days. As for in-country benefits, Adams will be able to live and work in Albania, vote, buy arable land, use the local health service and even run for office in local or national elections. In fact, speculation has been rife locally that Adams could be poised to run for mayor of Tirana, as the incumbent mayor, Erion Veliaj, has been in prison for over a year, facing corruption and financial misconduct charges.
But one individual close to Adams, granted anonymity to speak freely about him, said this is not the case. The person said they had heard no talk of Adams running for public office in Albania and that it is their understanding Adams is getting citizenship for local business reasons. “I think he has better options, let’s put it like that,” the person said, referring to the Tirana mayoralty.
Alisa Roever, a former model and a friend of Adams who runs a charity with his brother, agreed there’s no way the former mayor is running for public office in Albania. “Totally out of the question,” Roever said. Several other individuals said they believed the step was related to business interests and to “great relationships” Adams has in the country.
Adams did not respond to POLITICO’s request for comment. Adams in Albania Adams left office in late 2025 after a single term marred by corruption scandals, some of which involved overseas entanglements. The former mayor’s September 2024 indictment accused him of doing political favors for Turkish government operatives in exchange for bribes like heavily discounted airline tickets and free luxury hotel stays.
The indictment was quashed by former President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice last year as part of an arrangement that the presiding judge wrote “smacks of a bargain” between Trump and the former mayor. Adams accepted the passport and added: “I love being American, but today, thanks to your prime minister, I’m Albanian.” | Albanian Government (handout) Adams first visited Albania in October 2025, when he was still mayor and reeling from political fallout from the corruption scandal. At the time, Adams’ whistlestop tour raised eyebrows, particularly when he met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who himself faces corruption allegations from local opposition parties.
During the visit, the two discussed developing tourism and business between the two countries, as well as a direct flight to New York. The then-mayor spoke highly of Tirana, calling it a “thriving community and city moving in the right direction.” “I wanted to come here and learn more about technology, about how this prime minister has been able to take care of the revolution of this country and city,” he said. While the direct flight between the two cities is yet to materialize, Adams took his apparent support for Albania to the next level.
Proud to be an Albanian On April 10, it was announced that a special decree from Albanian President Bajram Begaj had granted Adams Albanian citizenship. Usually, Albanian citizenship is granted through familial connections or after living officially in the country for a number of years, and passing a language and history exam. But in special cases, citizenship can be fast-tracked due to significant contributions to the country in the fields of science, the economy, or, as in the case of global pop singing sensation and Kosovar Albanian Dua Lipa in 2022, culture.
POLITICO was unable to confirm the conditions under which Adams was granted citizenship by special decree and what contributions he has made, or will make, to the country. As for his new neighborhood, Administrative Unit No. 2 is characterized by five-story