Armenia Residence Permit: Types, Requirements, Cost, 2026 Changes

By WSE.AM editorial team, edited by Mark Muzyka · Updated 23 October 2026

Armenia residence permit: temporary vs permanent, requirements, documents, fees before and after 1 November 2026, and the facts on residence by investment.

Armenia has two main residence permits for foreigners: temporary (up to 1 year) and permanent (5 years). From 1 November 2026 applications move to the online platform of the Migration and Citizenship Service, the special status for the diaspora closes to new applicants, and the fee becomes 150 000 AMD for temporary or 250 000 AMD for permanent residence, plus 5 950 AMD for the card.

Up to date as of 23 October 2026. This is not legal advice: laws change, check the source or a lawyer before acting.

This guide covers types, requirements, documents and cost. The reform itself, including rules for people already living in Armenia, is explained in the new residence rules from November 2026.

Types of residence permit in Armenia

Until 1 November 2026 the Law on Foreigners has three residence statuses, each with its own document: a temporary residence card, a permanent residence card or a special passport. From 1 November 2026 the special status is removed and two types remain. Another new rule: a foreigner can hold only one status that confirms lawful residence.

Without a residence permit, a citizen of a visa-free country can stay in Armenia for a maximum of 180 days within a year, unless an international treaty sets another period. Check the visa rules for your passport on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Temporary residence permit: requirements

Under the current Article 15 you need one of these grounds:

• study;
• a work permit (see work permits for foreigners);
• being a family member of a foreigner who holds residence on certain grounds;
• being the spouse or close relative of an Armenian citizen or of a foreigner with permanent or special status;
• business (entrepreneurial) activity;
• Armenian origin;
• volunteering under a contract;
• other cases set by law.

From 1 November 2026 the list is reworded. Study also covers non-formal education, courses, exchanges and scientific, technological or innovation work. Instead of a work permit, the ground becomes a work visa or a permit to stay or reside for work. A family member is defined as the spouse, parent or child of an Armenian citizen or of a foreigner with residence or refugee status. Business activity stays. The Armenian-origin ground in Article 15 was not changed.

If you live in Armenia on a work basis, note that from 1 November 2026 that residence permit is cancelled if your employment contract ends and no new contract is signed through the digital system within 15 working days.

Extension. Today the law allows a temporary permit to be extended by a year each time, with the application filed at least 30 days before expiry. The new wording only says "up to one year". How renewal will work depends on a new government decree that was not published as of 23.10.2026, so confirm with the Migration and Citizenship Service.

Permanent residence in Armenia: requirements and the investment route

The big change for entrepreneurs: permanent residence through business can no longer be obtained straight away. You first need 3 years of temporary residence within the last 5 years.

Armenia residence permit by investment, honestly. The investment ground is in the law from 1 November 2026, but the amounts and types of assets are set by a separate government decree. That decree was not found as of 23.10.2026; under the Prime Minister's plan the drafts on investment criteria and on the 2027 quota were due to be submitted in the second ten days of October 2026 and adopted in the third. Any figure you see quoted today is not an official one. We also found no official "residence by donation" route. Financial requirements for entrepreneurs (turnover, taxes) reported in the media are not in the text of law ՀՕ-11-Ն either.

Special residency status for the diaspora

Under the current Article 18, special status goes to ethnic Armenians and to foreigners with economic or cultural activity in Armenia. It lasts 10 years, the decision is made by the Prime Minister, and you can apply to the Migration Service in Armenia or at an Armenian embassy or consulate abroad. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, review usually takes 3 to 4 months, the fee is 150 000 AMD, and survivors of the Armenian Genocide receive the status and passport free of charge.

There is a contradiction to be aware of. The pages of the Ministry and of the Migration Service still describe the 10-year special passport, but law ՀՕ-11-Ն repeals Article 18 from 1 November 2026. We follow the text of the law. People who received special status before that date keep its rights and duties until it expires.

This matters for property too. Foreigners cannot own land in Armenia; holders of special status were the exception. From 1 November 2026 the exception refers to foreigners with permanent residence for exceptional merit, while earlier special status holders keep their rights until their status expires. Buying an apartment is a separate question, covered in buying a flat in Armenia as a foreigner.

After 1 November 2026 the diaspora still has temporary and permanent residence on the basis of Armenian origin, and the simplified path to Armenian citizenship.

How to apply: documents and where to file

Until 1 November 2026. For temporary and permanent residence you go in person, by appointment, to the department for the legal status of foreigners of the Migration and Citizenship Service (Yerevan, 14 Tairov Street). According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs you need:

1. An application. 2. Three colour photos, 35×45 mm. 3. Your passport, a copy and a notarised Armenian translation of the passport. 4. Documents proving your ground (marriage, kinship, business, study and so on). 5. A health certificate. 6. A receipt for the state fee.

The decision is made within 30 days of filing, except for residence based on a work permit or volunteering. For work-based residence, since 1 January 2022 the employer files the application for the candidate, online only.

From 1 November 2026. Temporary and permanent residence is handled only through the single electronic platform of the Migration and Citizenship Service, and the fee can be paid online. Applications filed before 1 November 2026 are reviewed under the old rules. The document list for the new procedure is set by a new government decree not yet published as of 23.10.2026, and the platform's address is not officially confirmed, so look for the link on the Migration and Citizenship Service website.

Other new procedural rules:

• if your lawful stay runs out while the application is pending, your stay counts as lawful until the procedure ends;
• if the platform flags errors, you have 5 days to fix them, otherwise the procedure is suspended, and after a month of inaction it is closed;
• the decision still comes within 30 days, but it takes into account the annual quota on residence statuses, and an exhausted quota is expressly a ground for refusal. The 2027 quota was not published as of 23.10.2026.

For permanent residence on family grounds the law requires housing. If you do not have it yet, browse apartments for rent in Yerevan or ask wse.am to find a flat for you. Once you have the card, you will likely need a public service (social) number.

Armenia residence permit cost before and after 1 November 2026

All amounts are multiples of the base duty of 1 000 AMD under the Law on State Duty. US citizens pay different rates on a reciprocity basis, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 85 000 AMD for a temporary residence card, 1 000 AMD for its extension and 140 000 AMD for permanent residence (rules in force until 1 November 2026).

The start date of the new fees is disputed. Media and law firms write "from 1 January 2027", which matches the original law ՀՕ-12-Ն. But law ՀՕ-213-Ն of 11.05.2026 repealed that part, and the same rates were reintroduced by law ՀՕ-215-Ն, which takes effect on the 10th day after the platform launch is announced and no later than 1 November 2026. The Ministry of Internal Affairs news of 06.10.2026 also points to 1 November.

Under the new wording, those exempt from the fee include people under 18, family members of refugees, ethnic Armenians from a country where a life-threatening emergency has arisen (as determined by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and people with exceptional merit applying for permanent residence on that ground. The date these exemptions apply from differs between sources, so check it with the Migration and Citizenship Service.

Leaving Armenia for long: the 183-day rule

Today a permanent resident who leaves Armenia for more than 6 months notifies the migration authority in writing. From 1 November 2026 the rule changes: if you are away for 183 days or more, you must notify the Migration Service through the platform no later than 10 days after those 183 days have passed. This applies to temporary and permanent residence, except residence for investment and for exceptional merit. If you do not notify, your status can be declared void.

Sources

• Law on Foreigners, current wording (arlis.am)
• Law ՀՕ-11-Ն amending the Law on Foreigners (arlis.am)
• Law ՀՕ-215-Ն amending the Law on State Duty (arlis.am)
• Law ՀՕ-12-Ն amending the Law on State Duty (arlis.am)
• Law on State Duty (arlis.am)
• Prime Minister's decision on the plan for implementing acts (arlis.am)
• Land Code of Armenia (arlis.am)
• Migration and Citizenship Service: residence and visas
• [Migration and Cit

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