Aim: Antiretroviral therapy decreased mortality and morbidity in people living with HIV/AIDS especially when initiated early, before advanced immunodeficiency has developed. In daily practice, it__ampersandsignlsquo;s particularly challenging when dealing with HIV-positive, late presenters individuals. The aim of our study was to determine, frequency, demographic features and factors associated with late presentation among febrile persons, newly diagnosed as HIV infected, during 2005__ampersandsignndash;2012 period of time, in Albania. Methods: All HIV-positive patients with no prior history of HIV infection, admitted to Infectious Diseases Service, University Hospital Centre ?Mother Teresa? of Tirana, from January 2005 to December 2012, were target of our study. ?Late presenter? was defined based on the definition of ?HIV in Europe Initiative?, 2009. Demographic, epidemiological, clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and outcome data were collected. Results: In total 87 cases (92.6%) out of 94 patients newly diagnosed with HIV were late presenters. According to univariate analysis, the age, male gender, heterosexual contact, emigration and level of education were associated with late presentation for HIV diagnosis. In the multivariate analysis, age (30-39), male gender, heterosexual contact, migration status and level of education were the only independent risk factors for late presentation. Conclusion: A considerable proportion of people newly diagnosed HIV infected, enter late in health care, presenting advanced HIV disease and consequently are treated rather late. In order to be able to detect and treat them early as recommended by international guidelines, it__ampersandsignlsquo;s necessary to develop policies and interventions targeting social categories at high risk for late presentation.