What changes for Armenian residence permits from 1 November 2026?

Checked on 2026-10-25

From 1 November 2026, Law HO-11-N moves all temporary and permanent residence applications to a single online platform run by the Migration and Citizenship Service, adds annual government quotas, and drops special residence status for new applicants. Holders must report absences of 183 days or more. Applications filed earlier follow the old rules.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Start date	1 November 2026, for the law and for the new electronic platform	Law HO-11-N, art. 30.1 and 30.3; MCS notice of 19 June 2026
How you apply	Only through the unified electronic platform of the Migration and Citizenship Service	Law HO-11-N, art. 7 (new art. 14.3); art. 10 (new art. 17.1)
Old booking channels	migration.e-gov.am and the Early One app stop offering residence services from 1 November	MCS notice of 19 June 2026
Quotas	The government sets a yearly limit by type, number and ground; a filled quota is a ground to refuse	Law HO-11-N, art. 2; art. 10 (new art. 17.4); art. 12 (new art. 19.1.13)
Special residence status	Removed; existing holders keep its rights and duties until it expires	Law HO-11-N, art. 7; art. 30.6
One status only	A foreigner may hold only one status that confirms lawful residence	Law HO-11-N, art. 7 (new art. 14.2.2); art. 30.5
Long absence	183 days or more abroad: notify through the platform within 10 days	Law HO-11-N, art. 10 (new art. 17.8)
Missing documents	Act within 5 days of the platform’s notice, or the case is suspended; closed after one more month	Law HO-11-N, art. 10 (new art. 17.9–17.10)
Applications already filed	Decided under the old rules	Law HO-11-N, art. 30.4

One online platform

The law says temporary and permanent residence proceedings are carried out only through a unified electronic platform run by the Migration and Citizenship Service. Grants, refusals, cards and cancellations all go through it. The service’s notice of 19 June 2026 says residence services on migration.e-gov.am and the Early One app end from 1 November. People who booked appointments for dates after 1 November can apply through the new system instead.

You still have to appear in person to collect the card: the law requires fingerprints and an electronic copy of your signature. A parent or legal representative collects the card for a child under 16.

Quotas

The law adds a quota: a limit the government sets each year on residence statuses, by type, number and ground. The service decides within 30 days, “also taking into account” the quota for that year. Once the quota for the year is filled, that is a ground to refuse an application.

Special residence status ends

The law deletes special residence status, and the special passport that certified it, from the list of residence statuses (new art. 14.2). People who got it before 1 November 2026 keep the rights and duties it gave them until it expires. From then on, the law allows a foreigner only one status at a time that confirms lawful residence. Anyone who held more than one before the change can use the documents until they expire.

New duties for residents

Absences. A temporary or permanent resident who is out of Armenia for 183 days or more must notify the service through the platform. The deadline is 10 days, counted from the moment the 183 days are reached. This doesn’t apply to permanent residents on investment or exceptional-services grounds. The law lists failure to notify as a ground to end the status (new art. 21.1.7).

Responding to the platform. If the platform tells you to fix errors or send more documents and you don’t do it within 5 days, the platform suspends your case automatically. If you take no steps to resume it within one month, the platform closes it.

Under the new law, temporary status is granted for up to one year and permanent status for five years (new arts. 15.2 and 16.2).
If a status is refused, the law lets you apply again after one year, or earlier for some grounds once the reason is gone (new art. 20.4).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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