ArmeniaVisa-free regime

Visa-free entry in Armenia

Armenia admits citizens of some states without a visa: a valid passport is enough at the border and no application need be filed in advance. The decision to admit is taken by the border officer on entry. The visa-free period is limited, and the days of all trips within a year are added up rather than counted afresh from each entry. To stay longer you obtain a visa or a residence status from the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Visa term

No more than 180 days within one year

Processing time

There is no application: the decision is taken by the border officer on entry.

Source: arlis.am — Law of the Republic of Armenia on Foreigners, art. 7 (as amended by ՀՕ-330-Ն of 06.07.2022)

Who is admitted without a visa

The visa-free regime rests on three grounds. Your own citizenship is checked against the lists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

The unilateral list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Citizens of 45 states: EU countries, the USA, the United Kingdom, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the UAE, Qatar and others from the Ministry's list
There is no visa fee: no visa is issued either in advance or at the border
At the border you show a valid passport of any type

Bilateral agreements

Citizens of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Serbia, China, Iran and other partner countries
No fee is charged: the regime is established by an intergovernmental treaty, not by a decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A passport of the type named in the agreement; for most countries on the list all types of passport qualify

Temporary exemption on the basis of a residence permit

Citizens of 111 countries who hold a residence permit of the USA, an EU country, the Schengen area, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Oman
You do not buy a visa, but the exemption itself is temporary: it applies from 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2027
A passport and a residence card valid for at least 6 months on the day of entry to Armenia

When visa-free entry is not enough

The visa-free regime covers trips and getting to know the country. Anything else needs other grounds.

You want to live in Armenia all year round

Obtain a temporary residence status: it is granted for study, work, business or family ties and renewed each year.

You are taking a job and are not a citizen of an EAEU state

The employer runs the procedure on the state platform workpermit.am. You may not work without a work permit unless you fall within the list of exceptions in article 23 of the Law on Foreigners.

Your citizenship is not on the visa-free lists and you have no residence permit of the required countries either

Obtain a visitor visa: at a consulate of Armenia, through the electronic visa system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or by invitation.

Who it suits

Documents

At the border you show a valid passport. You file no application in advance.

What it costs

Visa-free entry itself costs nothing. Payments are made by those not covered by the visa-free regime or by those who want to stay longer than the permitted period.

Entry visaCitizens of visa-free countries are not issued a visa either at a consulate or at the border	0 AMD
Border crossingThe Law on State Duty sets no charge for crossing the border or for the entry stamp	0 AMD
Visitor visa for up to 21 daysFor those whose citizenship is not on the visa-free lists. The fee is non-refundable	+3 000 AMD
Visitor visa for up to 120 daysA single-entry visa for a longer trip instead of the short visitor visa	15 000 AMD
Multiple-entry visa for up to 120 days, valid for a yearFor those who travel to Armenia regularly	40 000 AMD
Transit visa, single entryFor travelling through the territory of Armenia to a third country	+10 000 AMD
Temporary residence status and cardPaid by those who stay beyond the visa-free period; the same amount is charged for each renewal. No duty is paid for children under 18	+105 000 AMD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Visitor visa for up to 21 days” adds 3 000 AMD; “Transit visa, single entry” adds 10 000 AMD; “Temporary residence status and card” adds 105 000 AMD. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	0–118 000 AMD

Paid separately

Fine for exceeding the permitted period of stay — Overstaying is an administrative offence, but the amount of the fine is not published on open state pages
Notarised translation of the passport into Armenian — Required when applying for a residence status. The rate is set by the notary; there is no single published price
Certificate of health — Part of the list of documents on the migration portal. The cost depends on the medical institution

The duty is paid before the application is filed, and the receipt is attached to the documents. All consular fees are non-refundable.

How the process runs

Visa-free entry has no separate procedure: everything is decided at the border. The preparation has to be done before the trip.

1
Checking the visa-free regime
You see whether your citizenship is on the lists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia — on the unilateral list or among the bilateral agreements. If your citizenship is not there, you check the temporary exemption based on a residence permit.
2
Checking the passport
The passport must be valid on the day of entry. The border officer takes the decision to admit you on the basis of it.
3
Crossing the border
No application is filed in advance and no visa is bought. The border service checks the document and puts in the entry stamp.
4
Keeping count of the days of stay
You count the days yourself: the border service adds up all trips within a year rather than starting the period afresh from each entry.
5
Leaving or changing the ground
Before the permitted period ends you either leave the country or file documents for a residence status. Visitor visas are issued and extended by the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and electronic visas by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Timelines and rights

Work

Citizens of EAEU states do not need a work permit: the employment contract is registered in the electronic records system. For everyone else article 22 of the Law on Foreigners requires a work permit, unless the person falls within the list of exceptions in article 23.

Who you can bring with you

Visa-free entry gives no right to bring relatives in: each person crosses the border on their own citizenship and their own passport.

A spouse

Enters independently if their citizenship is on the visa-free lists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Otherwise they obtain a visitor visa on general terms.

Children

Each needs their own valid travel document: the law requires one from every foreign national on entry.

Relatives who are staying for a long time

Family ties with a citizen of Armenia are an independent ground for a temporary residence status. The application goes to the department for determining the legal status of foreigners, and visa-free entry then remains only the way of getting into the country.

Trips, renewal and the grace period

Without a visa you stay no more than 180 days in one year. The days are added up, not counted afresh from each entry.

Citizens of visa-free countries stay in Armenia for no more than 180 days within one year, unless an international treaty sets a different period. The days of all trips within a year are added up. The visa-free period cannot be extended: the law provides for no grace period. To stay longer you apply, before the period ends, for a residence status at the department for determining the legal status of foreigners at 14 Tairov Street in Yerevan. Temporary status is granted for up to one year and renewed each time for the same period; permanent status is granted for five years and only after three years of lawful residence in Armenia.

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.

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

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

Permanent status under article 16 of the Law on Foreigners is granted after 3 years of residence in Armenia where there are close family ties with a citizen or a resident.

Route to citizenship

Naturalisation requires 3 years of permanent residence, command of Armenian and knowledge of the Constitution. On the basis of marriage, Armenian descent or a child who is a citizen, neither the period of residence nor the language is asked for.

Frequently asked questions about Visa-free entry

Do citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus need a visa?

No. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia lists them among the states with which a bilateral visa-free regime applies for all types of passport. The same list includes Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Serbia, China, Iran, Argentina and Brazil.

And do citizens of the EU, the USA and the United Kingdom need a visa?

No. They are on the unilateral list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Armenia exempted them from the visa by its own decision, without reciprocal obligations. They enter with a passport of any type.

Can you work in Armenia while staying under visa-free entry?

Citizens of EAEU states need no permit document for the whole term of the employment contract — that is established by the EAEU Treaty. They can register on the state platform and obtain a certificate confirming the lawfulness of their stay. For all other foreign nationals the employer obtains a work permit.

How do you prove lawful entry when applying for a residence status?

A visa, a residence card, a special passport or a border stamp in the passport will do. The migration portal requires, together with these, a passport with a notarised translation into Armenian, colour photographs 35×45 mm, a certificate of health and the receipt for payment of the duty.

Who issues and extends the visa if the visa-free regime does not apply?

Visitor visas are issued and extended by the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia. Official, diplomatic and electronic visas are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The application for an extension is filed before the current visa expires.

Can you be refused entry if no visa is required?

Yes. The Law on Foreigners lists the grounds for refusal of entry: previous expulsion from Armenia, false information when crossing the border, a conviction for a grave crime, working without a permit, a threat to state security. The decision is taken by the border service.

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.