Any person who has reached the age of 18 can apply for citizenship of the Republic of Armenia. The conditions for obtaining or terminating the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia are established in the Law of the Republic of Armenia "On Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia" and the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia N 1390-Н (of November 23, 2007).
Acquisition of citizenship of the Republic of Armenia
Any person who has reached the age of 18 can apply for citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, if he/she, in accordance with the procedure established by law, has been permanently residing in the Republic of Armenia for the last three years, can explain himself/herself in Armenian and is familiar with the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.
Without meeting with the requirement on the period of residence, citizenship of the Republic of Armenia is granted to a person who is not a citizen of the Republic of Armenia and:
- married a citizen of the Republic of Armenia or has a child who is a citizen of the Republic of Armenia;
- whose parents or one of them previously had the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia or were born in the Republic of Armenia, and who applied for citizenship of the Republic of Armenia within 3 years after reaching the age of 18;
- who is of Armenian origin, i.e. has Armenian ancestors;
- who, after January 1, 1995, renounced the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia according to his/her application.
Armenian citizenship may be granted without any requirements to persons who have rendered exceptional services to the Republic of Armenia.
Armenian citizenship is granted by a decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia.
Termination of citizenship of the Republic of Armenia
Every citizen of the Republic of Armenia who has reached the age of 18 has the right to change citizenship - to renounce the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia and acquire the citizenship of another state.
A citizen's application for renunciation of citizenship of the Republic of Armenia shall be rejected if:
- a criminal prosecution has been initiated against him/her;
- there is a judgment or a court decision that has entered into legal force and is subject to execution;
- his/her withdrawal from the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia is contrary to the interests of the national security of the Republic of Armenia;
- he/she has a default related to the interests of the state, enterprises, organizations, or citizens.
- he/she has no citizenship of another state and before signing the Decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia on the termination of the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia does not submit a written certificate issued by the competent authority of a foreign state on the legal possibility of acquiring citizenship of this state.
1. Citizenship by nationality (Armenian origin)
Ethnic Armenians are eligible for citizenship without having to meet any language or residency requirements. However, it should be noted that in order to establish Armenian origin, certain formal requirements must be met. Having an Armenian name or speaking Armenian fluently is not enough. You will need to provide proof that you (or your parents or grandparents) are ethnic Armenian. The most common way to do this is to show a baptismal certificate issued by a church organization that confirms Armenian nationality. In some countries, Armenian nationality may also be mentioned in government documents (eg birth certificate, family records, etc.).
The law does not contain a complete list of documents that can be submitted to confirm Armenian origin. For example, it could be a statement from the local Armenian community or from another organization. However, it is important that the document be certified (legalized) at the Armenian embassy/consulate in the country where the document was issued. For example, the Armenian embassy must certify a baptismal certificate before it can be used to apply for citizenship.
The Armenian translation of the birth certificate must also be submitted to the passport office. This means that you will most likely have to legalize two documents: a birth certificate and a baptismal certificate.
Please note that according to Article 47 of the 2015 Constitution, ethnic Armenians are entitled to citizenship after moving to Armenia. This restriction has not yet been applied because the Citizenship Law has not been brought into line with the Constitution. However, it is advisable to petition early to take advantage of the current, more liberal rules.
2. Citizenship by marriage
If you are the spouse of an Armenian citizen, you are eligible to apply for Armenian citizenship provided you meet the following criteria:
The marriage has been officially registered for the last two years, as well as
You have lived in Armenia for at least 365 days during this two-year period, or you have a common child, an Armenian citizen.
In practice, the 365-day residence requirement is considered to be met if the applicant retained a residence permit in Armenia (temporary, permanent, or special) during this period, regardless of the number of days he/she actually spent in Armenia.
In addition, you will need to pass a knowledge test of the Armenian Constitution before your application is accepted. This is a simple multiple-choice test with 33 questions and you only need to answer 17 of them correctly to pass the test. Since you are exempt from language requirements, you can take a foreign language test. Usually a licensed translator will be present to translate the questions.
3. Citizenship by place of residence
You are eligible to apply for Armenian citizenship if you have been permanently resident in the country for the past three years.
Since the Law on Citizenship does not define the term "permanent resident" and does not provide for a minimum stay requirement, in practice the three-year requirement is considered to be met if the applicant retains a residence permit in Armenia (temporary, permanent or special). during this period, regardless of how many days he/she actually spent in Armenia.
You can become a legal resident by investing in Armenia, starting a business, working or studying in the country. For more information, check the residency page.
In addition to the three-year stay requirement, you will need to pass a test of knowledge of the Armenian Constitution. This is a simple multiple-choice test with 33 questions and you only need to answer 17 of them correctly to pass the test. The test is given in Armenian, so you may have to spend some time (perhaps 1-2 months) to learn basic Armenian.
4. Citizenship by exception (investment)
In some cases, significant donations or investments may be considered "exceptional services" to Armenia, for which the President can grant citizenship without any other requirements. Exceptional citizenship is granted on an expedited basis (usually within 2-3 months) as the Prime Minister's Office can directly submit candidates to the President without having to go through an interministerial citizenship committee.
Each case is considered on its individual merits and the factors that may influence the decision are the amount of investment and/or charitable contributions, job creation, payment of taxes, the nationality of the applicant, his/her ties to the country, etc.
5. Passports, identity documents, social security number
After the President of the Republic signs your citizenship decree, you can apply for an Armenian passport and identity card. You currently have the option to apply for a regular or biometric passport. If you have been issued a regular passport, you can later apply for and receive a biometric passport and thus have two valid passports. Please note that the biometric passport also shows your "place of residence". If you don't want your country of residence to appear on your passport, it's best to use a regular passport.
You can also get an identity document (ID card), which is issued in the form of a plastic card. This document also contains your social security number (public service number).
6. Special residence (special passport)
Prior to the legalization of dual citizenship in Armenia in 2005, special passports were very common among ethnic Armenians who did not want to give up their current citizenship. But even now, many foreigners prefer to apply for a special residence permit rather than become full citizens (for example, due to concerns about military service).
A special residence permit (passport) is valid for ten years and can be renewed indefinitely every 10 years. It differs from a temporary/permanent residence permit in that it is issued in the form of a passport rather than a card. It allows its holder to freely enter and exit Armenia without a visa, live, work, study, do business and engage in any other legal activity in Armenia without work permits or other documents. One notable advantage of a special passport is that its holder can own agricultural and other lands directly in their name, without the need to create a legal entity.
In practice, foreigners of Armenian origin, ie ethnic Armenians, are issued special passports. In exceptional cases, special passports may be issued to non-Armenians who are engaged in economic or cultural activities in Armenia. Children under 16 can also get special passports.
The time required to obtain a special passport is about 60 days. Unlike citizenship applications, you can apply for a special passport remotely by providing a power of attorney to your representative.
7. Family members
If you have Armenian citizenship, your minor children can receive citizenship immediately upon your request. However, if you do not live in Armenia, certified consent of the child's second parent may be required. The child's consent is also required if he/she is 14 years or older. Passports for children can be issued without your presence to your lawyer or another representative in Armenia to whom you issued
power of attorney. Starting from 2018, an ethnic Armenian child can obtain Armenian citizenship, even if neither parent is a citizen of Armenia.
Adult sons and daughters, as a rule, need to go through a separate naturalization procedure.
Your spouse can apply for Armenian citizenship if he/she meets the criteria specified above in the "Citizenship by Marriage" section.
After granting citizenship, your spouse, parent, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandfather or grandmother or grandson can receive a temporary (for one year) residence permit. A permanent (five-year) residence permit can also be obtained after three years of residence in Armenia. In some cases, a special (10-year) residence status may be granted (see above in the section "Special residence").
8. Address registration
All citizens of Armenia must have a registered address ․ The registered address is mainly used for delivery of official notifications.
If a foreign address was specified in your application for citizenship, it will be automatically registered as your official address. If you want to register a local address (for example, because you want your passport or identity card to show "Armenia" as your country of residence), you will need to provide proof that you live in Armenia. This may be a certificate of ownership or lease of residential premises or the owner's consent to the registration. If none of these documents are available, you can ask the local police to do a fact check (usually it takes up to two weeks) and confirm that you really live at the given address. If you are a man under the age of 55, registration at another address may require you to register at another military department located in the new area of your residence.
Consular registration is required if you have become a resident of a foreign state, i.e. stay there for more than 183 days.
9. Refusal and re-application
If your citizenship application is rejected, you can reapply after one year. Applicants are usually notified of the rejection by a text message that does not state the reason for the rejection. The refusal can be challenged in court. As a rule, the only way to find out the grounds for refusal is to file an appeal with the administrative court.
10. Recognition of Armenian citizenship
You are automatically recognized as an Armenian citizen if you were a permanent resident of Armenia on July 13, 1995, provided that you were a citizen of the former Armenian SSR and had no other citizenship.
At your request, you can be recognized as a citizen of Armenia if you have no other citizenship, and
You do not live in Armenia, are an ethnic Armenian and a former citizen of the Armenian SSR, or
You live in Armenia and 1) you were a citizen of the former USSR or 2) you are an ethnic Armenian.
