ArmeniaRepatriation

Ethnic repatriation in Armenia

Armenia grants citizenship to people of Armenian descent under a simplified procedure. The citizenship law removes for them the requirements of prior residence in the country, of command of Armenian and of familiarity with the Constitution. The application is filed through the electronic system of the Migration and Citizenship Service, and the decision is taken by the President by decree. The previous citizenship is kept: taking Armenian citizenship does not cancel it.

Visa term

Citizenship is granted straight away; the passport is indefinite

Threshold

The state duty is nominal (about EUR 2), plus legalisation of documents and translations

Processing time

From several months to about a year

Work

A full right to work, to run a business and to hold public office

Source: arlis.am — Law of Armenia “On Citizenship”, art. 13 part 3

How Armenian descent is proved

The Migration and Citizenship Service accepts three kinds of evidence. One of them is enough.

A certificate of baptism

Those baptised in the structures of the Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic or Armenian Evangelical Church — from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to the dioceses in Moscow, Paris, New York and Buenos Aires.
The charge for issuing the certificate is set by the diocese itself: there is no such line in the state schedule of fees.
A certificate stating that the person baptised is Armenian, certified in the manner prescribed by law.

A document of a foreign state

Those whose ethnicity is recorded in the documents of their country of residence or citizenship.
Legalisation or an apostille is paid for in the country that issued the document, at its rates.
A certificate from the competent authority with consular legalisation or an apostille and with a translation into Armenian.

Documents of relatives

Those whose parents, grandfather, grandmother, brother or sister are recorded as Armenians.
Payments go to the archives and civil registry offices that issue duplicate certificates.
The relative's birth certificate with the entry of ethnicity, plus a document from a state body confirming the family relationship.

When repatriation will not suit you

The ground works only where descent can be proved by a document.

There is Armenian descent, but nothing to confirm it: the documents are lost, the ethnicity is recorded nowhere.

You look for another ground for the move — a temporary residence permit for work, study or business.

You do not want to change citizenship: work, tax status or military obligation get in the way.

You apply for the special residence status: it is given to the same persons of Armenian descent and the citizenship does not change.

It is the spouse who is of Armenian descent, not the applicant.

You wait until the spouse becomes a citizen and apply on the basis of marriage, or obtain a temporary residence permit on the basis of close family ties.

What it costs

Below are the consular rates of the state duty of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, in force from 1 January 2026.

State duty for the grant of citizenshipPaid when the application is filed. The ground does not affect the amount: Armenian descent does not reduce the duty.	50 000 AMD
Translation of a foreign document into Armenian at the consulatePer page. Every foreign document is translated after legalisation or an apostille.	10 000 AMD
Foreign travel passport of a citizen of ArmeniaIssued after the presidential decree. The consular rate for an applicant aged 16 and over.	65 000 AMD
Foreign travel passport for a child under 16It applies instead of the adult rate when the passport is for a child.	30 000 AMD
Special residence status instead of citizenshipThe branch for those who want to live in Armenia on the basis of Armenian descent but not change citizenship. The rate covers the status, the document and the registration.	150 000 AMD
Certificate of Armenian citizenshipTaken when a document on citizenship is needed sooner than the passport will be ready.	+25 000 AMD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Certificate of Armenian citizenship” adds 25 000 AMD; the “Foreign travel passport for a child under 16” branch replaces the “Foreign travel passport of a citizen of Armenia” line — 90 000 AMD; the “Special residence status instead of citizenship” branch replaces the “State duty for the grant of citizenship” line — 225 000 AMD. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	125,000–150 000 AMD

Paid separately

Certificate of baptism in an Armenian church — The charge is set by the diocese; it does not appear in the state schedule of fees.
Consular legalisation or apostille of foreign documents — The rate is set by the state that issued the document.
Notarised translation of documents inside Armenia — Notaries' rates are not part of the consular list.
Passport and identity card issued inside Armenia — Only the consular list is published; the fees of the Migration and Citizenship Service are not named in it.
Duplicate certificates from the archives and civil registry offices of the country of birth — The price is set by the foreign authority.

The duty is not refunded if citizenship is refused.

Documents to gather

The list of the Embassy of Armenia and of the government decree on the documents for obtaining citizenship.

The application form in the prescribed format
A valid passport of a foreign state and a copy of it
Six colour photographs 35×45 mm
The birth certificate and a copy of it
A document confirming Armenian descent
A document from a state body on family ties — where descent is proved through a parent, grandfather, grandmother, brother or sister
The marriage certificate and the spouse's passport — if the applicant has changed surname
The receipt for payment of the state duty
Foreign documents — with consular legalisation or an apostille and a translation into Armenian

How the process runs

From 1 January 2026 the citizenship application is accepted only through the electronic case management system.

1
Collecting the evidence of descent
You obtain the certificate of baptism, a document of a foreign authority on ethnicity or the documents of a relative. Foreign papers are legalised or apostilled and translated into Armenian.
2
Filing the application online
You register in the mcs-citizenship.am system, choose the service, upload scans of the documents and a photograph, and pay the duty.
3
Booking an appointment and submitting the originals
The system offers a time for the visit. The originals are brought to the Migration and Citizenship Service or to the embassy or consulate of Armenia in the country of residence.
4
Checks by the authorities
90 working days for the whole examination
Opinions on the application are given by the National Security Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after which the file goes to the office of the President.
5
The presidential decree
Citizenship is granted by a decree of the President. After the decree the passport and the identity card of a citizen of Armenia are issued.

Who you can bring with you

Descent works for the applicant themselves. Citizenship passes automatically only to children; other relatives need grounds of their own.

Children under 14

They receive citizenship together with their parents. If one parent applies and the other is a foreign national or stateless, the written consent of the second parent or the child's residence in Armenia is required.

Children aged 14 to 18

The written consent of the child themselves is added to the application.

A spouse without Armenian descent

Citizenship is not granted through a partner's descent. The separate ground is marriage: the law requires 2 years of marriage to a citizen of Armenia and 365 days of lawful residence in the country during that time.

Parents, brothers and sisters

There is no joint application for them. If they are themselves Armenian by descent, each files a separate application on the same ground.

Trips, renewal and the grace period

No prior residence is required

Citizenship is indefinite: it does not need renewing and there is no grace period. Only the documents are renewed. The Migration and Citizenship Service issues the citizen's identity card for 10 years, after which it is replaced; whether to obtain the card is for the citizen to decide, there is no obligation to do so.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Ethnic repatriation	Asylum in Armenia	Visa-free entry
Visa term	Citizenship is granted straight away; the passport is indefinite	The refugee identity card is usually valid for 10 years, with an indefinite right of residence	No more than 180 days within one year
Grounds	Armenian descent	Convention grounds	Citizenship of a country with which Armenia has a visa-free regime
Money	The state duty is nominal (about EUR 2), plus legalisation of documents and translations	No state duty is charged; housing, allowances and social support from the state and UNHCR	You pay no visa fee
Residence	No prior residence is required	You have to live in the country in fact; travel to the country of citizenship leads to loss of the status	Without a visa you stay no more than 180 days in one year

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

No permanent residence permit is needed — citizenship comes at once

Route to citizenship

Repatriation is a simplified route to citizenship, bypassing a residence permit and the language

Frequently asked questions about Ethnic repatriation

Do you have to renounce your previous citizenship?

No. The law does not require you to leave the citizenship of another country, and taking Armenian citizenship does not terminate the previous one. The reverse is also true: obtaining the passport of another state does not by itself cancel Armenian citizenship. You can leave it only by a separate application and after confirming that you hold another citizenship.

Will you be called up for military service after obtaining citizenship?

Compulsory military service applies to new citizens. Those who, before obtaining Armenian citizenship, served in the armed forces of another state for at least 12 months or completed alternative service there for at least 18 months are exempt. The Government of Armenia may exclude particular states from this rule.

Are a certificate of no criminal record and a medical certificate required?

They are not in the published list of documents for obtaining citizenship. The authorities carry out the check on the applicant themselves: opinions are given by the National Security Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Where do you file the application and can it be done from abroad?

The application is filed through the electronic citizenship case management system; there is no other way. The originals are brought by appointment to the Migration and Citizenship Service in Yerevan — Davtashen, 4th block, building 17/10 — or to the embassy or consulate of Armenia in the country of residence.

Do the documents have to be translated into Armenian?

Yes. Documents of foreign states are accepted only with consular legalisation or an apostille, and after that they are translated into Armenian. The translation can be certified at a consulate of Armenia or by a notary in the country.

Other ways to move to Armenia

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Armenia.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.