Armenian Citizenship (Updated 2024)

This article has been updated on

 

Armenian Citizenship

Introduction

Obtaining a legal status by a person is directly tied to a stable legal relationship between this person and the state, which is clearly reflected in the phenomenon of citizenship. Given the recent geopolitical events, one can observe a sharp increase in the number of persons wishing to obtain Armenian citizenship. Based on the statistics published by the Passport and Visa Department of the Armenian Police of Armenia, 2619 applications for citizenship were submitted in 2021, and this number increased by 2.5 times for 2022 (7383 applications).

It is noteworthy to mention the issue in the context of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus since more than 41 states have applied economic and political sanctions against them. Given this, those states cannot provide their citizens with a wide range of rights (for example, more than 36 countries have closed their borders to Russian citizens). Hence, there is a need for many people to acquire citizenship or dual citizenship in another state.

Since the acquisition of citizenship has a specific purpose for each individual, apparently, it will be important to address the following questions:

Benefits of Acquiring an Armenian Citizenship (Armenian Passport)

According to the 2023 update, Armenia has been a popular destination for residency due to its high quality of life, security, and peaceful environment. The number of residency requests has significantly increased in 2023, rising to 5,197 from 4022 in 2022. However, due to a lack of resources, the number of processed requests has decreased from 9917 in 2022 to 9268 in 2023. As a result, the current requests will only be processed in November, causing a delay.

Armenia is ranked 7th as the most secure country, beating Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and Monaco, according to Numbeo, one of the most extensive databases. The country's safety and peaceful environment have attracted people seeking peace and stability. Armenian nationality provides many benefits in the tourism industry, especially regarding visas. Since February 1, 2024, Armenian citizens are exempt from visas to the UAE. Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs updates the list of visa-exempt countries regularly, and Armenian citizens can now visit 67 countries, including Qatar, China, Russian Federation, and Montenegro, without a visa. Many tourist countries like Brazil, Malaysia, and the Bahamas are also open to Armenian passport holders without visas. This has made Armenia an ideal destination for tourists and business travelers.

The education sector in Armenia has seen significant growth, with many foreign universities located in the country. Students can obtain two-state diplomas through a strong relationship with France, the USA, or Russia. This has made Armenia a popular destination for students seeking excellent education. The country is also home to many prestigious universities offering various programs in various fields, including medicine, engineering, and technology.

Overall, Armenia's growing popularity as a destination for residency, tourism, and education is a testament to the country's progressive policies and commitment to providing a safe, stable, and prosperous environment for its citizens and visitors alike.

By the virtue of its inclusion in the list of the first hundred democracies in the world, the Republic of Armenia provides its citizens with a wide range of benefits.

The exceptional opportunities and benefits provided to citizens and persons acquiring Armenian citizenship are enumerated below:

  1. The data updated in 2022 evidences that Armenian citizenship allows entering more than 20 countries without a visa, including China, Brazil, Argentina, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

  2. The Republic of Armenia allows dual citizenship. People with dual citizenship enjoy the same equal rights as Armenian citizens, there is only a ban to hold certain positions.

  3. The Republic of Armenia guarantees its citizens free and preferential access to inpatient and outpatient services, public health and related medical services.

  4. То improve the demographic situation and increase the birth rate, the Republic of Armenia provides material assistance to its citizens in the form of one-time benefits for pregnancy and childbirth, childcare benefits for a child under two years of age, etc.

  5. In order to expand the labor market, in contrast to some densely populated countries and countries with a large population, the average salary in Armenia is quite high, and the diversity of the labor market ensures ample opportunities. By acquiring Armenian citizenship, Indian citizens residing in Armenia will be in an advantageous position, since, unlike the average monthly salary in India ($300)., in Armenia it is twice the amount ($600)․

  6. Armenia provides its citizens with a number of benefits of qualitative higher education, including the possibility of free education, which is not available for foreigners.

  7. According to the 2022 Annual Report on Economic Freedom for Armenia ranks 11th in the list of 165 countries, ahead of Japan, Canada, Germany and Ukraine. This confirms the fact that Armenia provides a number of guarantees for free economic activities, which are additional benefits for its citizens.

  8. Only Armenian citizens can own a land plot by the right of ownership. Foreign citizens and stateless persons can only act as land users. The exception applies to land plots for the construction and maintenance of buildings for homesteads, gardening, an individual residential buildings, as well as land plots for the construction and maintenance of public and industrial facilities and for apartment buildings.

How to Acquire an Armenian Citizenship:

Modes for Acquiring an Armenian Citizenship

The Armenian legislation provides for various modes for acquiring citizenship related to nationality, marital status, place of residence and other features.

Recognition of Armenian Citizenship

A person is recognized as an Armenian citizen if they are Armenians by descent and notwithstanding their permanent residence in Armenia, do not have citizenship and apply for Armenian citizenship by December 31, 2023.

The same temporary limitation applies to persons permanently residing in the Republic of Armenia (without foreign citizenship), who are citizens of other republics of the former USSR.

Individuals residing outside Armenia, who are citizens of the former Armenian SSR that have not acquired another citizenship, before acquiring Armenian citizenship, must apply and receive a document confirming Armenian citizenship (provided by the Passport and Visa Department of the Armenian Police as well).

General Requirements

A person with legal capacity over 18 years of age, who is not an Armenian citizen and resides in a foreign state or in Armenia, has the right to acquire citizenship if he/she:

  1. has been permanently residing in Armenia for the last three years in accordance with the procedure established by law,

  2. is proficient in the Armenian language (a person is considered proficient in Armenian if he/she personally fills out an application form for admission to the Armenian citizenship),

  3. is familiar with the Constitution of RA (gives the correct answers to at least 17 questions of the test for knowledge of the Constitution of RA).

However, there are exceptions when only the requirement for knowing the Armenian Constitution applies, or where no requirements apply at all.

Armenian Citizenship by Ethnicity (Armenian Ancestry)

Unlike individuals of other nationalities, Armenians by descent can acquire Armenian citizenship in a simplified manner. They are not subject to the general requirements, i.e. there is no need to reside in Armenia for the last 3 years, be proficient in Armenian and know the Armenian Constitution.

The person is required to submit at least one of the following documents confirming their Armenian descent:

  1. A certificate of baptism issued by a church organization and validated by an Armenian the diplomatic mission or consular office in a foreign state (list of church organizations with the power to issue a valid certificate of baptism). Furthermore, the document must contain a record of the baptized person’s (or their parents’) Armenian descent.

  2. An apostilled document or a document with consular legalization, indicating Armenian descent, issued by the foreign state’s competent authorities (Civil Status Acts Registration Agency, state bodies issuing passports, etc.).

  3. A parent’s (a grandfather’s, grandmother’s, sister’s, or brother’s) birth certificate or another identity document, which contains a record of Armenian descent.

Documents will be considered as a basis for acquiring citizenship in case they were issued by the competent state authorities, such documents should also confirm the person’s family relationship.

The right to acquire citizenship based on descent also applies to individuals of Armenian descent with or without legal capacity, whose guardian is an Armenian citizen.

Acquisition of Armenian Citizenship by Marriage (Citizenship for Spouses and Parents)

A person who does not have Armenian citizenship may acquire one if he/she:

  1. has been in a registered marriage with an Armenian citizen for 2 years before applying for Armenian citizenship,

  2. has lived in Armenia for at least 365 days during the indicated years,

  3. has a child with Armenian citizenship.

In this case, he/she has the right to acquire Armenian citizenship, and the knowledge of the Constitution of RA would be the only applicable requirement (as opposed to cases where the general requirements apply).

The above-mentioned exception is also applicable for individuals whose parent(s) had previously been Armenian citizens, or if the persons were born in Armenia and upon reaching the age of 18, within 3 years, applied for admission to Armenian citizenship.

The test for knowledge of the Armenian Constitution consists of 33 questions. Each test question has three answers with one correct answer. It shall be filled on the spot within an hour. Remarkably, the test is considered to be passed if the person gives the right answers to more than half of the questions. Otherwise, if a person fails to give right answers to more than half of the questions, he/she may retake the test the next day or, if desired, on any other business day, as long as the number of correct answers stands at 17.

Citizenship of Armenia by Residence

Individuals who have established permanent residence in Armenia within the last 3 years have the right to apply for Armenian citizenship. The requirement for a three-year period of residence is also considered to be met when a person has continuously been in Armenia based on a residence status (Temporary residence status, Permanent residence status, Special residence status (Special Armenian passport)). In this case, the person is also obliged to pass a test on knowledge of the Armenian Constitution.

Getting Armenian Citizenship of Family Members

If at least one of the family members has Armenian citizenship, this fact is already the basis for the easier procedure of obtaining citizenship for the other family members. In the case the spouse wants to obtain RA citizenship, firstly, it is necessary to consider whether the requirements of the sub-chapter on the acquisition of Armenian citizenship based on marriage are applicable.

It is also necessary to address the question of how the parents’ (citizenship) status shall affect the child’s citizenship. From this perspective, the following possible cases should be considered:

  • When both parents are Armenian citizens, the child also acquires Armenian citizenship,

  • When only one of the parents is a RA citizen, and the other’s status unknown or they are stateless person, the child acquires an Armenian citizenship,

  • When one of the parents is a RA citizen, and the other is a citizen of another state, the child has the right to acquire the RA citizenship, depending on the content of the parents’ written consent. Even if there is no such consent, the child has the right to acquire Armenian citizenship in any case.

There are also cases when, although the child is Armenian, their parents are not RA citizens. In this situation, the child obtains the right to acquire Armenian citizenship from the moment they establish residence in Armenia and gets a registration in the system of state register for population.

We should also draw attention to the advantage that the spouse, parent, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather or grandson of a RA citizen can receive temporary, permanent and special residence statuses, in addition to citizenship.

Acquisition of Citizenship by Exceptional Procedure (Armenian Citizenship by Investment Program)

In case of no need to meet the general requirements, the President of the Republic of Armenia grants Armenian citizenship to a person who has rendered exceptional services to Armenia and made a significant contribution to various spheres, made significant donations and investments in Armenia. In this case, citizenship is granted on an expedited basis. The Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia can directly submit candidates (for citizenship) to the President, leaving out the step of presenting them to the interdepartmental commission on citizenship. The exceptionality of circumstances is considered in each case, based on the scope of merit and its significance.

Restoration of Armenian Citizenship

An individual who has lost Armenian citizenship may restore his/her citizenship by applying if there is no reasonable suspicion that this person poses or may pose:

  • a danger to the state and public security,

  • public order,

  • public health and morality,

  • rights and freedoms, honor and reputation of others.

In case of restoration of citizenship, the application may be rejected if the individual's citizenship has been previously terminated because documentation or information presented for the basis of citizenship was falsified.

Acquisition of Armenian Citizenship by Group

Acquisition of Armenian citizenship by a group is only implemented by the decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia in cases of immigration and other cases envisaged by law.

Other Modes

A child adopted by Armenian citizens acquires Armenian citizenship.

If one of the spouses adopting a child is a stateless person or a foreigner, and the other is an Armenian citizen, then the child acquires Armenian citizenship.

A child in Armenia, whose parents are unknown, is an Armenian citizen. A child who is a citizen of Armenia, who has an Armenian citizen as their guardian or custodian, retains Armenian citizenship, regardless whether its parents terminated their Armenian citizenship.