Almost a year after the start of the production of fiscal stamps for excise goods by the state-owned company "ALBTrace", the new stamps that will be recently released on the market will be equipped with a traceability system.

The Minister of Finance Petrit Malaj announced on Wednesday after the end of a government meeting, that in addition to the traceability system, the fiscal stamps will also have a barcode that will enable the consumer to be informed about the food safety of the product they consume through scanning.

“The proposals that we bring are actually some innovations because the new stamps that will be put into circulation have two elements: First, the security elements are increased, which makes it impossible or reduces the possibility of their counterfeiting. On the other hand, we will also move the Track & Trace technology to fiscal stamps, giving the opportunity to tax and customs authorities to follow the products from the manufacturer or importer to the final consumer. On the other hand, another innovation of the new fiscal stamps will be the bar code that we will place on these fiscal stamps, where consumers will have the opportunity to interact with the excise product,” Malaj said.

He noted that through the bar code, via a phone, the authorities and operators will be able to scan the product and receive information about the manufacturer, the importer is, the date on which the product entered Albania, and other information that may be useful, and of course also benefit food safety. “As you know, these fiscal stamps have been produced by the state-owned company ALBTrace, and are produced at a cost that is 20% cheaper than they were produced by the previous concessionaire. So, the changes that we propose are proposals that are in line with the approximation of European Union standards, and on the other hand, we undoubtedly improve the quality of fiscal administration, but also increase food safety standards in the country," Malaj stated.

The production of fiscal stamps for excise goods by the state-owned company has started in March 2025, after the end of the concession contract with the company "SICPA Security Solutions Albania sh.p.k".

For a period of over 10 years, from 2011 to 2024, the production of fiscal stamps was carried out by the concessionaire company according to the concession contract.