Who can get permanent residence in Armenia?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Armenia grants five-year permanent residence to a close relative of an Armenian citizen with housing and means who has lived there three years, to people of Armenian origin, and to entrepreneurs. From 1 November 2026 the law adds investors and exceptional services, and requires three years of temporary status for family and business.

Key facts

What	The source says	Source
Relatives of citizens (now)	Spouse or close relative of an Armenian citizen or special-status holder, with housing and means in Armenia, after at least 3 years living there	MCS permanent status page, “Requirements”; MFA, “Eligibility for a Permanent Resident Card”
Other grounds (now)	Armenian origin; entrepreneurial activity in Armenia	MCS permanent status page, “Requirements”
Card	5 years, extendable by 5 more; apply at least 30 days before expiry	MFA, “Eligibility for a Permanent Resident Card”
State duty	AMD 140,000	MFA, Fees table, row 3
Relatives (from 1 Nov 2026)	Spouse, parent or child of an Armenian citizen, housing and means, and at least 3 years of temporary status in the last 5	Law HO-11-N, art. 9 (new art. 16.1.a)
Business (from 1 Nov 2026)	Business activity and at least 3 years of temporary status in the last 5	Law HO-11-N, art. 9 (new art. 16.1.c)
New grounds (from 1 Nov 2026)	Investment in Armenia; exceptional services to Armenia	Law HO-11-N, art. 9 (new art. 16.1.d–e)

Who qualifies today

The Migration and Citizenship Service’s guidance names three grounds:

You are the spouse or a close relative (parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild) of an Armenian citizen or of a holder of special residence status, you have housing and means of subsistence in Armenia, and you lived in Armenia for at least three years before applying.
You are of Armenian origin.
You run a business in Armenia.

The card lasts five years. The Foreign Ministry says it can be extended by five more years, and you must apply at least 30 days before it expires. The state duty is AMD 140,000.

What changes on 1 November 2026

Law HO-11-N rewrites article 16 of the Law “On Foreigners”. From 1 November 2026, permanent status goes to a foreigner who:

has a spouse, parent or child who is an Armenian citizen in Armenia, has housing and means of subsistence there, and held temporary residence status for at least three years within the five years before applying;
is Armenian by nationality;
runs a business in Armenia and held temporary status for at least three of the last five years;
has invested in Armenia; or
has rendered exceptional services to Armenia.

Compared with the current guidance, the family ground narrows to spouse, parent or child of a citizen, and the three years must be years of temporary residence status. The status is still granted for five years.

The government sets the conditions for the investment ground, and the status lapses if the holder stops meeting them. Status for exceptional services is granted by decision of the Prime Minister. Applications filed before 1 November 2026 are decided under the old rules (art. 30.4).

For the business ground, the new law sets AMD 2 million of company capital, or AMD 1 million for a sole trader (new art. 29.4.3).
From 1 November 2026 all applications go through the service’s unified electronic platform (new art. 17.1).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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