Armenia Changes Temporary and Permanent Residence Rules From November 1

The rules for obtaining temporary and permanent residence permits in Armenia will change from November 1, 2026. The reform will affect eligibility criteria, application procedures and the overall system for issuing residence permits, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.

Residence Status in Armenia

The new rules were initially scheduled to take effect on August 1, 2026, but the date was later postponed to November 1. From that date, Armenia will have two types of residence status — temporary and permanent. The special residence status will be abolished as a separate category.

Another change concerns quotas. The government will be able to set annual limits on the number of temporary and permanent residence permits depending on the type of status and the grounds for obtaining it. Once a quota for a particular category has been exhausted, an application may be rejected. The law itself does not specify the limits.

A foreign national will be allowed to hold only one status confirming the right to reside in Armenia. Documents issued before the reform takes effect will remain valid until their expiry date. Applications submitted before November 1 will be considered under the previous rules.

Who Can Obtain Temporary Residence in Armenia

Temporary residence permits in Armenia will be issued for up to one year. They will be available to foreigners who study, work, run a business or engage in scientific, technological or innovative activities. Family ties will also remain a valid ground, including a spouse, child or parent who is an Armenian citizen or holds residence or refugee status in the country.

A separate visa will be introduced for people arriving for work from countries whose citizens require a visa to enter Armenia. It will allow them to stay in the country for up to 120 days for short-term employment, to apply for a temporary residence permit or to collect an already approved document. The visa cannot be extended and may be issued only once per calendar year.

After obtaining a work-based residence permit, a foreign national will have to sign a contract with a company or client within 15 working days. If the contract is terminated, the same period will be allowed to arrange a new one.

Who Can Obtain Permanent Residence in Armenia

The new rules clarify the grounds for obtaining permanent residence in Armenia. Foreigners whose spouse, child or parent holds Armenian citizenship will be eligible if they meet several requirements, including having accommodation and sufficient means of subsistence, as well as holding temporary residence status in the country for at least three of the five years preceding the application. Similar requirements will apply to entrepreneurs, who must conduct business and hold a temporary residence permit in Armenia.

People of Armenian origin, investors and foreigners with exceptional services to Armenia will not be required to spend three years under temporary residence status before applying. The law does not specify a minimum investment amount.

Permanent residence status will be granted for five years. Decisions on applications based on exceptional services to Armenia will be made by the prime minister.

Online Applications for Temporary and Permanent Residence

From November 1, applications for temporary and permanent residence in Armenia will be accepted through a new electronic system. The service will allow applicants to submit documents, track their applications and correct deficiencies without visiting the Migration and Citizenship Service. The existing migration.e-gov.am platform and the Early One application will no longer be used for these purposes.

Applicants will not need to visit the agency to submit their documents. An in-person visit will be required only at one stage of the process. The Armenian Interior Ministry previously said that the new platform would be permit.am, where applicants will be able to upload the required materials and make corrections online when necessary.

At the end of August, the Interior Ministry presented a preliminary version of the platform. The agency confirmed that not only applications but also their subsequent processing, including administrative procedures, will move to an electronic format.

Biometrics and Processing Times

A decision to grant temporary or permanent residence in Armenia, or to reject an application, must be made within 30 days after the documents are submitted. If a foreign national’s permitted period of stay expires during this time, they will be allowed to remain legally in Armenia until the procedure is completed.

Once an application is approved, the residence card must be collected in person. Fingerprints and an electronic signature sample will be taken when the document is issued. Children under 16 are exempt from this requirement, and their card may be collected by a parent or legal representative.

If errors are identified or additional information is required, the applicant will receive a notification through the electronic system. Five days will be given to make corrections, after which the procedure will be suspended. If the applicant takes no action to resume the process within one month, consideration of the application will be terminated.

Temporary and Permanent Residence Trends in Armenia

In the first half of 2026, foreign nationals in Armenia obtained 10,561 residence statuses, 59% more than in the same period of 2025. Of these, 8,181 were temporary residence permits and 2,085 were permanent, while 295 applicants received special residence status.

Most temporary permits were linked to employment, with 6,085 issued on this basis. Russian, Indian and Iranian citizens were the most frequent recipients of temporary status. Russians also accounted for the largest number of permanent residence permits, with 1,233 issued. Citizens of Georgia and Iran were also among the main recipients. Special status was most often granted to citizens of Syria, Russia and Iran.

The overall increase was largely driven by work-based temporary residence permits. This trend has become one of the most notable changes in Armenia’s migration statistics ahead of the launch of the new system.

Armenia May Face a New Relocation Wave

Signs of another increase in the number of Russians moving to Armenia emerged in August. Demand for long-term rental housing in Yerevan also increased: according to market participants, by mid-August it was up to 30% higher than a year earlier. Experts attribute part of the growth to seasonal factors but also report an increase in the number of clients from Russia.

The human rights organization Kovcheg (The Ark) also recorded a sharp rise in Russians’ interest in emigration. During the first 20 days of August, the number of requests submitted through its relocation bot was 6.3 times higher than during the whole of May. Armenia and Georgia were among the most popular destinations. Human rights advocates link the trend to concerns about a possible new mobilization campaign in Russia. Russian authorities, however, deny reports that another mobilization is being prepared.

International Investment analysts note that if a new relocation wave develops, Armenia could again face a rapid increase in the number of foreigners seeking to remain in the country long term. In these circumstances, the migration reform takes on additional importance: the authorities will have to maintain the country’s appeal to professionals, entrepreneurs and investors while managing pressure on the housing market, employment and public services.