Eric Adams just became an Albanian citizen, and the whole thing traces back to a trip he took to Tirana last October when he was still running New York City.
President Bajram Begaj signed a special presidential decree granting citizenship, officially making it official that the former NYPD captain now holds a Balkan passport alongside his American one.
His spokesperson, Todd Shapiro, confirmed the move, calling it a reflection of the enduring relationship and mutual respect between Adams and the country.
The citizenship came after Adams spent four days in Albania during his final months as mayor, when he was already dealing with a federal corruption case that would eventually get dismissed after Trump’s administration got involved.
During that October visit, he met with Prime Minister Edi Rama and talked up the possibility of direct flights from New York to Tirana, praising the capital as a thriving community moving in the right direction.
He also discussed potential collaboration on tourism and technology initiatives, positioning himself as a bridge between the two cities.
The move comes as Adams faces mounting legal troubles back home, with the sexual assault case still pending and his political influence in New York essentially finished after his failed mayoral comeback attempt.
Adams dropped out of his re-election bid in 2025 and then endorsed Andrew Cuomo while attacking progressive nominee Zohran Mamdani, even suggesting without explanation that Mamdani’s election would make terrorism more likely in New York.
Mamdani won decisively and became the city’s first Muslim mayor, and his administration immediately stopped representing Adams in a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Lorna Beach-Mathura.
Adams allegedly demanded a sexual favor in exchange for career help back in 1993 when they both worked in the transit police bureau.
Adams has denied the allegations completely.
According to reporting from The Guardian, Albania allows foreign adults to acquire citizenship when it’s deemed in the national interest, provided they don’t pose a public safety threat.
The country’s legal framework allows this form of honorary citizenship for international figures, and Adams’s team framed it as a standard diplomatic gesture between world leaders.
His spokesperson said that leaders historically receive honorary or dual citizenship as symbols of international partnership and shared values, and that this recognition further strengthens the bond between New York and Albania.