Foreigners face higher costs and stricter requirements to obtain residency in Armenia
Armenia’s new residency application rules
From 1 November, foreigners in Armenia have had to apply for residency permits entirely online. The government has also increased the state fees applicants must pay.
A temporary residence permit now costs 150,000 drams ($418), up from 105,000 drams ($293). A permanent residence permit now costs 250,000 drams ($698), compared with 135,000 drams ($377) previously. Applicants will not receive a refund if the authorities reject their application.
The Migration and Citizenship Service says the number of people seeking residence permits in Armenia has recently increased.
For example, Armenia granted residence permits to 10,561 foreigners in the first half of 2026, compared with 6,656 during the same period in 2025. That represents a 59% increase. Russian citizens make up the largest group among those who received temporary or permanent residence permits.
Analyst Artem Yerkanyan believes that Armenia is regulating the inflow of foreign nationals in line with its own interests.
He explains that making it harder to obtain residency clearly shows that the country is shifting its priorities from quantity to quality.
However, he sees no reason to believe that Armenia will stop attracting people relocating from abroad, particularly from Russia.
“For the overwhelming majority of Russian relocants, this reform will not be a life-changing ordeal. They will be able to adapt easily to the new conditions,” Yerkanyan said, pointing to the rules that apply within the Eurasian Economic Union.
Russia leads the EAEU, whose members include Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. The union operates a customs framework that guarantees the free movement of labour, goods, services and capital.
Foreign nationals can obtain temporary residency if they have grounds to stay in Armenia for at least one year. These include studying, employment, family circumstances, business activities, Armenian ancestry or other grounds recognised by law.
Foreigners can qualify for permanent residency if they are married to an Armenian citizen, have a close relative who holds Armenian citizenship or have a close relative with special residency status. However, applicants must also have accommodation and sufficient means of subsistence, and must have lived in Armenia for at least three years. Applicants of Armenian ancestry or those who run a business in the country can also qualify for permanent residency.
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Special residency status will no longer be granted: what is changing?
The changes, which took effect on 1 November, affect not only state fees but also the eligibility criteria for residency and the procedures for processing applications.
The Interior Ministry says temporary residence permits will now be valid for up to one year, while permanent residence permits will last five years.
The grounds for obtaining permanent residency include:
- Armenian ethnicity;
- making investments in Armenia;
- providing exceptional services to the country;
- having family ties or running a business in Armenia, subject to additional legal requirements.
From now on, Armenia will have only two types of residency status: temporary and permanent.
The authorities will no longer grant special residency status. However, those who already hold it will retain all their rights and obligations until their status expires.
Until 1 November 2026, Armenia also granted a special residency status valid for 10 years. The prime minister awarded it to foreign nationals of Armenian descent, as well as foreigners engaged in economic or cultural activities in Armenia. They received a special Armenian passport that allowed them to enter and live in Armenia without an entry visa.
People with special residency status enjoyed the same rights and freedoms as Armenian citizens and had the same obligations. The only exception was that they could not vote. They were also exempt from compulsory military service in the Armenian Armed Forces.
Applicants must now submit residence permit applications through a single online platform. The authorities will make decisions within 30 days.
“EAEU regulations will remain in force” – deputy interior minister
Armenia’s Deputy Interior Minister Armen Ghazaryan said that citizens of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states remain subject to special rules. These reflect the union’s principle of free movement of labour.
As a result, EAEU citizens do not need special permits to work in another member state.
“This provision remains in force. Throughout their employment in Armenia, citizens of EAEU member states – for example, Russia or Kyrgyzstan – are considered to be legally residing in the country.”
According to Ghazaryan, once EAEU citizens obtain a document confirming the legality of their stay in Armenia, they enjoy the same rights as other foreign nationals legally residing in the country.
The document confirming their legal stay costs 30,000 drams ($83).
The deputy minister stressed the importance of digitising procedures for granting residency on the basis of employment or education. He noted that study ranks second among the reasons foreign nationals apply for residency in Armenia. Employment accounts for the largest number of applications.
He also said the government plans to introduce a new type of visa – a work visa – to make it easier for people to enter Armenia. It will complement the existing visa categories: visitor, official, diplomatic and transit visas.
Comment
Analyst Artem Yerkanyan notes that the changes which took effect on 1 November will primarily affect foreigners engaged in economic activities in Armenia.
He points out that, previously, a foreign national could obtain residency by registering as an individual entrepreneur and paying minimal tax. Under the new rules, applicants will have to:
- “Invest a more substantial amount in their business – either maintain a bank account balance of at least 1 million drams ($2,793) or provide proof of turnover over the previous 60 days;
- In addition, if a foreign national is a co-founder of a limited liability company, its registered capital must amount to at least 2 million drams ($5,586).”
As for Russian citizens, the expert noted that they will continue to benefit from the privileges available to citizens of EAEU member states. In particular, Russians can stay in Armenia for 180 days a year without restrictions.
“Moreover, if they take up employment in Armenia under an employment contract, they will no longer need additional permits. They will only have to pay the fees and taxes required by law,” he added.
Yerkanyan believes that Russian relocants will be able to adapt to the new rules after the necessary consultations.
“They should approach these changes with understanding, as they reflect Armenia’s national interests. Armenia is not the only country reforming its legislation. Kazakhstan, for example, has taken a similar path, and its rules are considerably stricter.”
According to Yerkanyan, the changes to the residency application process reflect both Armenia’s transition to biometric passports and its efforts to liberalise the visa regime with the European Union. In other words, the EU has driven these changes through its requirements.
He believes countries around the world are now seeking to attract migrants who are “law-abiding, economically active, competent and well-educated”:
“In this respect, Armenia is in a fairly advantageous position, because the migrants arriving here – Russians, as well as Indians and Iranians – are not ‘problematic’ migrants.”
In his view, Europe, by contrast, faces serious threats from the arrival of “problematic” migrants. However, he stresses that Armenia should also approach migration with greater caution.
“Until recently, the Russians arriving in Armenia were self-sufficient IT specialists. But if Russia does announce mobilisation, less affluent people may try to move to Armenia. They are more likely to create additional problems for the country than to contribute to the state budget.”
Armenia’s new residency application rules
