Residence Permit by Marriage in Armenia in 2026: Spouse of a Citizen, Documents, Fee

Current as of 11.11.2026.

The spouse of an Armenian citizen receives a temporary residence permit for up to 1 year. The basis: you are a spouse of a citizen of Armenia or a foreigner with Armenian residency status (art. 15 part 1 clause “d” of the Law “On Foreigners”, as amended by HO-11-N). As of November 1, 2026, the application is submitted not by you but by your citizen spouse, via the unified electronic platform. The fee is 155,950 drams. The decision is made within 30 days.

Law HO-11-N was adopted on 20.01.2026 and is effective from November 1, 2026. General overview of changes: New 2026 Rules.

Who Is Considered a Family Member

From November 1, 2026, the following can receive temporary status on family grounds:

• spouse;
• parent;
• child

of a citizen of Armenia or a foreigner who holds a residence status or refugee status in Armenia (art. 15 part 1 clause “d”).

Until November 1, the list is broader: the previous law also included brothers, sisters, grandparents and grandchildren. These categories are now omitted. For permanent residence (PR), only the spouse, parent and child of a citizen remain (art. 16 part 1 clause “a”).

A child under 16 is registered by the status or citizenship of the parent (art. 29.5 part 3). Details: Residence Permit for Children.

How to Apply

For a marriage-based residence permit, the application is submitted by the Armenian citizen or family member with residence status via the platform (art. 29.5 part 1). The procedure is:

1. The citizen spouse logs in to the unified electronic platform of the Migration and Citizenship Service.
2. He/she fills in the application and uploads the documents. The list and procedure are set by the Government (art. 17 part 3).
3. The fee is paid, which can be done online.
4. If the service finds errors or requests more documents, you have 5 days to respond, otherwise the review is paused. If nothing is done within a month, the case is closed (art. 17 parts 9 and 10).
5. The decision is made within 30 days from submission, taking into account the annual quota for statuses (art. 17 part 4).

The platform checks data in government databases. For marriage, it queries the Civil Registry: records of foreign marriages and marriages of Armenian citizens with foreigners. Housing is verified by cadastre, taxes and employment by the SRC database (art. 42.2).

Documents

Until November 1, on the migration portal under “close relative of a citizen” they required confirmation of relationship and the RA citizen’s passport. The general package was:

• application form;
• three color photos 35 x 45 mm;
• passport, its copy and notarized translation into Armenian;
• health certificate;
• proof of legal stay in Armenia;
• marriage certificate as proof of basis;
• fee payment receipt.

The new list is to be approved by the Government by a sub-act. As of 11.11.2026, we have not found the text. If the marriage certificate was issued abroad, check in advance whether an apostille and translation are required. Rules are in the articles Apostille and Notarized Translation. If the marriage is registered in Armenia, see Marriage Registration.

Fees

Fees are calculated based on the base state fee, which is 1,000 drams (art. 8 of the Law “On State Duty”). New rates are set by Law HO-215-N.

Until November 1, 2026, the fee for temporary status was 105,000 drams, for permanent 140,000. The RA MFA website as of 11.11.2026 still shows the previous amounts. The law applies. Law HO-215-N comes into force no later than November 1, 2026, on arlis it is designated as active from 30.10.2026.

The new law does not mention a separate fee for extension—check the platform for current information. The fee is for application review, so if refused it is not refundable.

Duration, Extension and Right to Work

• Status is granted for up to 1 year (art. 15 part 2). The law does not state a deadline for extension applications (prior to November 1, the MFA website said “no later than 30 days before the term ends”). Apply in advance.
• You may work without a work permit for the duration of the status. Holders of temporary status on family grounds are exempt (art. 23 part 1 clause 2).
• If you are absent from Armenia for 183 days or longer, you must notify the service via the platform within 10 days after this period (art. 17 part 8).
• You can hold only one residence status. Previously issued multiple statuses remain valid until expiry (art. 14 part 2.2, art. 30 part 5).

PR for the Spouse of a Citizen

Permanent residence (PR) on family grounds is granted if:

• you are the spouse, parent, or child of a citizen of Armenia;
• you have housing and means of subsistence;
• within the last 5 years you have held temporary status for at least 3 years

(art. 16 part 1 clause "a"). PR is granted for 5 years. Details: PR and Special Residency.

Divorce and Loss of Grounds

If the grounds disappear, the migration service declares the status invalid (art. 21 part 1 clause 1). The law provides for just one case on divorce: if you received status as a spouse of a foreigner with Armenian residency, in the case of divorce or annulment you may apply for extension if you were married and lived in Armenia for at least a year (art. 15 part 3). For spouses of Armenian citizens, this rule does not exist according to texts available to us. Consider planning a residence permit on other grounds in advance: for example as an individual entrepreneur or via a company.

What to Check Before Applying

1. The marriage is registered and recorded in the Civil Registry. The platform requests this data automatically (art. 42.2).
2. You have a passport with notarized Armenian translation, health certificate, and three color photos 35 x 45 mm (pre-November 1 package from the migration portal).
3. You have proof of legal stay in Armenia: entry visa, residence card or entry stamp.
4. Your citizen spouse has access to the platform and documents confirming the relationship.
5. Fee is paid.

If your legal stay period expires while your application is pending, your stay is considered legal until a decision is made (art. 17 part 4, par. 2). Visa-free citizens can stay in Armenia no more than 180 days within a year without a permit (art. 7 part 1 of the Law “On Foreigners”). More: 180 days without a residence permit.

Refusal

Grounds for refusal are listed in art. 19. For family-based residence, significant grounds are:

• you were expelled from Armenia or stripped of your status within the last 3 years;
• convictions for medium, serious, or especially serious crimes that are not expunged;
• credible information about activities against state security, terrorism, smuggling, trafficking, or organizing illegal migration;
• infectious disease dangerous to public health, as listed by Government (cl. 4, art. 8 part 1 clause “d”);
• substantiated threats to security or public order;
• false information about yourself or a purpose of stay other than stated;
• unexecuted administrative order for violation of the foreigners law if not more than a year has passed;
• annual quota has been exhausted (cl. 13).

If you have a lawfully residing spouse, parent, or child in Armenia, refusal due to conviction (cl. 2) does not apply (art. 19 part 2). After refusal, you may reapply after one year. If the reason no longer applies, e.g. refusal due to quota, you may reapply sooner (art. 20 part 4). Analysis: Residence Permit Refusal.