Military Service for New Citizens of Armenia in 2026: 18 months or 12, buyout for 2,500,000 drams

Short answer

Yes, a new male citizen is subject to military service. The term and conditions depend on your age at the time of obtaining citizenship. Up to age 27, you are conscripted like everyone else: service lasts 18 months. If you obtain citizenship after 27 but before turning 37, the service period is 12 months, or you can pay 2,500,000 drams instead. From age 37, there is no draft. Women are not required to serve.

The rules are established in the Law “On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen”. Do not confuse these with the rules for men born in Armenia: separate provisions apply to new citizens (Art. 19 part 1.1).

How age determines service

Men are subject to conscription until reaching 27. If you turn 27 during an official draft period, you may still be called during that draft (Art. 19 p. 1).

Special rule for those who receive citizenship after 27

Article 19 p. 1.1 of the law applies to men under 37 who received citizenship after age 27 and before that:

• served less than 12 months in the armed forces of another country or less than 18 months in alternative service, or
• did not serve at all.

For them, there are two options:

1. Serve 12 months in the Armenian army or perform alternative service for a period specified by the law on alternative service.
2. Pay 2,500,000 drams to the state budget and be exempt from service.

The buyout is only available if you have no grounds for exemption or deferral under Articles 21, 23, or 24. If such grounds exist, they take priority.

Who is exempt from service

Article 21 of the law exempts from service:

• those found unfit for health reasons;
• those who, before obtaining Armenian citizenship, served at least 12 months in the armed forces of another country or at least 18 months in alternative service;
• those who have a parent, brother or sister killed (or deceased) in combat defending Armenia, as well as the only son in a family where a parent, brother or sister was killed (or died) during military service. This exemption can be waived and you may choose to serve (p. 7).

Dual citizenship does not grant an exemption: dual citizens are not exempt from service regardless of service in another country (Art. 21 p. 6). See more in the article “Dual Citizenship”.

Those convicted of serious and especially serious crimes and sentenced to at least three years, as well as in other specified criminal cases, are not subject to conscription (Art. 19 p. 2). Nor can those currently serving a sentence or being criminally prosecuted be conscripted (Art. 19 p. 3).

Deferrals

Those without grounds for exemption may obtain a deferral for two reasons (Art. 22): health or family circumstances.

Health (Art. 23).

• If you need treatment, a deferral is given up to three times, each time up to one year.
• If you are temporarily unfit, a one-time deferral of three years is given.
• After the deferral, the medical board determines if you are fit, partially fit (you serve), or unfit (you are exempted).

Family (Art. 24). Deferral is provided, for example, if you have:

• two or more children, excluding adopted children;
• a child being raised without a mother;
• a second pregnancy at the sixth month or twin pregnancy;
• parents over 65 or parents with severe disability, if they have no other children, or the other child is a minor, disabled, or in service.

This is not a complete list. The law provides other cases, and in special family circumstances, the defense minister may grant deferral upon request (Art. 24 p. 4).

Study (Art. 22 p. 3). University students who have a contract with the Ministry of Defense are deferred until graduation, but not later than age 26. For vocational education, the limit is 20 years. There are also scientific and educational deferrals set by the government (Art. 22 pp. 5, 7, 8).

Deferral is not indefinite: if the condition ceases, you lose it. After deferral, for each declared draft you must present documents supporting the deferral to the military commission (Art. 24 p. 8). You may also choose to give up the deferral and serve (Art. 22 p. 6).

Military registration and transfer of data

Military registration is required for males turning 16 that year (Art. 21 of the Law “On Defense”). Registration is maintained by the military commissariat at your place of residence.

For new citizens, the process is as follows. After citizenship is granted, data are automatically entered in the population register, and conscript data are transferred to the Ministry of Defense (Government Decree No. 97-N, p. 78). The law does not set a specific time for individual summons; conscription is held during scheduled drafts announced by the Government, held at least twice a year (Art. 19 p. 4).

How the draft notice is delivered

After a draft is announced, citizens subject to conscription must appear at the military commissariat at their place of registration at the time specified in the notice, or the nearest one if that's not possible (Art. 20 p. 2). Notices are sent primarily to the citizen’s official email address, if available (Art. 20 p. 6). Therefore, provide up-to-date contact information in the register and check your email regularly.

What happens if you do not serve

Men who failed to serve in violation of the law cannot be employed in state service (Art. 5 p. 3). The right to renounce citizenship also depends on service: an application to renounce will be rejected if the man has not registered for military service at age 16, has not been conscripted, not placed in reserve, or if martial law is in effect during the procedure (Law “On Citizenship”, Art. 24 p. 2).

Therefore, men under 37 should clarify in advance how their age at obtaining citizenship will affect their service requirement and whether there are grounds for exemption.

Steps for men before applying for citizenship

1. Determine your age at the anticipated date of obtaining citizenship: service term and buyout eligibility depend on this.
2. Collect documents of previous service in another country: a certificate stating your service, translated and certified. Needed if you wish to claim exemption under Art. 21 p. 1 subp. 2.
3. Check for medical grounds for exemption or deferral.
4. Complete the citizenship application process, see the article “By Residence”.
5. After the oath, confirm your status at the military commissariat at your place of residence and apply for a passport and ID card.

If you have sons, their situation is covered in the article on children’s citizenship.