Dual Citizenship in Armenia in 2026: Allowed, No Need to Renounce Previous Passport

Short Answer

Dual citizenship is allowed in Armenia. The Law "On Citizenship" does not require you to renounce your previous citizenship when obtaining Armenian citizenship. Acquiring another citizenship does not revoke your Armenian citizenship (Art. 1). Article 13.1 specifically describes the status and rights of dual nationals.

However, Armenia regulates only its own citizenship. What happens to your previous passport depends on the law of the country that issued it, so check the rules in advance.

What the Law Says

The principle is set out in three articles of the Law "On Citizenship".

Article 1. Renunciation of Armenian citizenship or acquisition of another citizenship does not by itself terminate Armenian citizenship.

Article 8. The state encourages stateless persons to acquire Armenian citizenship and does not prevent them from acquiring citizenship of another state.

Article 13.1 "Dual citizenship" establishes the main rules:

1. A dual national of the RA is a person who, in addition to Armenian citizenship, holds citizenship of another state or states.
2. For Armenia, a dual citizen is recognized only as a citizen of the RA. This also applies to those who, after January 1, 1995, acquired foreign citizenship or renounced Armenian citizenship without following the prescribed procedure.
3. A dual citizen has all rights and obligations of a citizen of the RA, except as provided by international treaties or law.
4. Special rule for state positions: if the Constitution or law requires Armenian citizenship only for a position, the candidate must report other citizenship(s), and a serving official must report a new citizenship within two weeks.
5. Violation of these requirements entails liability as established by law.

Do You Have to Renounce Your Previous Passport?

When acquiring citizenship under the general grounds, the requirements of Article 13 relate to age, residence, language, and Constitution. Renunciation of other citizenship is not among the conditions. The submission procedure confirms this: in the online application, you may indicate another citizenship and attach a foreign passport with Armenian translation (Decree No. 97-N, p. 30).

But you yourself need to check two things.

• The law of your country. Armenian law is silent on how your previous state will treat your new citizenship. Some countries terminate your citizenship upon voluntary acquisition of another or require notification. Check this with that country's consulate or a legal expert.
• Armenian documents. After taking the oath, you will be issued an RA ID card and passport. See details in the article "Citizen’s Passport".

How It Works in Practice

Military Duty of Dual Citizens

Second citizenship does not exempt you from military service. Art. 21 part 6 of the Law "On Military Service and Status of Servicemen" states directly: a dual national who acquires citizenship of another country is not exempt from compulsory service, regardless of prior service in another country.

Exemption is possible only if, prior to acquiring Armenian citizenship, you served in the army of another state for at least 12 months, or completed at least 18 months of alternative service (Art. 21 part 1, para. 2). Details for males of different ages are available in the article "Military Duty".

Taxes and Residency

Second citizenship and taxes are not directly linked. Tax status is determined by tax legislation and double taxation treaties. If you live in Armenia and pay taxes elsewhere, see articles "Tax Residency" and "Double Taxation".

Other Rights Guaranteed to All Citizens

A dual national enjoys the same guarantees as other RA citizens (Law "On Citizenship"):

• Equality. Citizens are equal before the law regardless of how they acquired citizenship, nationality, language, religion, or other factors (Art. 3).
• Extradition. RA citizens cannot be extradited to a foreign state except as provided by international treaties ratified by Armenia (Art. 5).
• Living abroad. Living outside Armenia does not by itself terminate Armenian citizenship (Art. 6).
• Marriage. Marriage to a foreigner does not affect citizenship status; nor does a spouse’s change of citizenship affect the other (Art. 6).
• Protection abroad. Armenian citizens are entitled to protection abroad by the state (Art. 7).

These provisions are important for those living between two countries: living abroad or marriage to a foreign national does not by itself affect Armenian citizenship.

Dual Citizenship for Children

The law allows a child to have dual citizenship from birth. If one parent is an Armenian citizen and the other a foreign national, the child has the right to acquire Armenian citizenship “regardless of whether they have another citizenship” (Art. 11 part 3), with the parents’ written consent. The same applies to children of foreigners who become Armenian citizens: the child acquires it regardless of other citizenship, upon application for a passport (Art. 16 part 3). For details on conditions, ages, and consents, see the article "Children's Citizenship".

How to Keep Your Citizenship

Dual citizenship does not protect against loss of citizenship for other reasons. Under Art. 23 of the law, Armenian citizenship is terminated if it was acquired based on forged documents or false information and less than 10 years have passed since the violation. Exception: termination is not permitted if the person would become stateless. Therefore, honestly declare all nationalities you hold.

The law does not allow deprivation of Armenian citizenship or the right to change citizenship (Art. 1 part 3).

If You Decide to Renounce Armenian Citizenship

You have the right to change and renounce your Armenian citizenship. The application is submitted via the same MCS system, with a duty of 150,000 drams (Law on State Duty, Art. 13). If you do not have another citizenship, a certificate from a foreign authority confirming the possibility of acquiring one is required (Art. 24 part 3). The application is processed within up to 6 months under the law (Art. 29).

The application will be denied (Art. 24 part 2) if:

• there are criminal proceedings against you, or a court sentence or ruling is in force and enforceable;
• renunciation is contrary to state security interests;
• you have outstanding tax or public-law monetary obligations to the state;
• you have outstanding military obligations: for example, if a male has not registered with the draft board at age 16, has not served, or is not in the reserve, or if martial law is in effect during consideration.

For men, this last point means you can only renounce citizenship after resolving military service status. This is another reason to read the article "Military Duty" before applying.

After the decree takes effect, you have one month: you must either legalize your stay in Armenia or leave (Art. 27 part 8.1).

What to Do if You Already Have Two Passports

1. Check the law of your first country of citizenship: do you need to inform them about acquiring Armenian citizenship.
2. Declare all citizenships in your application, attach translated passports.
3. Obtain Armenian ID card and passport after the oath.
4. Men of conscription age: check your draft board status in advance.
5. If you plan to hold a government position, report your other citizenship as required by law.