Residence Permit for Sole Proprietors in Armenia in 2026: Requirements, 155,950 Dram Fee, Term

Valid as of 11.11.2026.

Starting November 1, 2026, residence permits for sole proprietors are issued for up to 1 year. Requirement: you are registered as a sole proprietor and either hold at least 1,000,000 dram in the sole proprietor's accounts or have received a turnover of at least 1,000,000 dram within 60 days prior to the date of application. This follows from Art. 29.4 of the Law “On Foreigners” as amended by Law HO-11-N. Applications are submitted personally through the unified electronic platform. The fee is 155,950 dram. Decision is made within 30 days.

Law HO-11-N was adopted on 20.01.2026 and comes into force on November 1, 2026. For an overview of the changes, see the article New Rules 2026.

Conditions for Sole Proprietors

You may choose either option. It is sufficient to meet either monetary condition. How to register an SP is covered in the article Registering as an SP.

The law does not specify types of activities, turnover, or tax regime. Only one requirement: funds or turnover in the stated amount and, after obtaining the status, tax data in the database of the State Revenue Committee (SRC).

How to Apply

1. Register on the unified electronic platform of the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Applications for temporary status are accepted only through this platform (Art. 14 pt. 3, Art. 17 pt. 1).
2. Complete the application and attach supporting documents. The list of documents and completion procedure are set by the Government (Art. 17 pt. 3).
3. Pay the fee. It can be paid online.
4. Monitor notifications on the platform. If the service finds errors or requests additional documents, you have 5 days to respond. Otherwise, the review will be suspended. If you do not act for a month, the case will be closed (Art. 17 pts. 9 and 10).
5. Receive the decision. It will be issued within 30 days from the date of application, taking into account the annual quota for permits (Art. 17 pt. 4).

The platform automatically requests data from state registries: the population register, SRC database, legal entity register, civil status acts registry, cadastre, and others (Art. 42.2). Tax information regarding your activity is taken from the SRC database.

Documents

Until November 1, the migration portal required the following set:

• application form;
• three color photographs 35 by 45 mm;
• passport, its copy and notarized translation into Armenian;
• health certificate;
• proof of legal stay in Armenia;
• supporting documents (for SP—documents confirming entrepreneurial activity);
• receipt of fee payment.

The new list must be approved by the Government in a regulatory act. As of 11.11.2026, we did not find its text. Before submitting, check the checklist on the platform.

How Much Does It Cost

The fees are set in the Law “On State Duty” and calculated based on the basic duty. The basic duty is 1,000 dram (Art. 8 of the Law).

Until November 1, 2026, the fee was 105,000 dram and included the card. On the MFA RA website as of 11.11.2026, the old amounts of 105,000 and 140,000 dram are still shown. Rely on the text of the law. Law HO-215-N comes into force no later than November 1, 2026; on arlis it is listed as effective from 30.10.2026.

In the new version of the law, no separate line is given for renewal of temporary status. Check the amount required for renewal on the platform before applying.

The fee is named as payment for consideration of the application, not for card issuance. Therefore, if refused, it is non-refundable.

What to Prepare Before Applying

1. Open an SP and make sure an extract is present in the register. The procedure is described in the article Registering as an SP.
2. Decide how you will confirm your funds: account balance of the SP or turnover for the 60 days prior to application. Save account statements and documents for transactions during this period.
3. Decide on the tax regime, as within 180 days the SRC should show assessed taxes.
4. Prepare your passport with notarized translation into Armenian, and the health certificate.
5. Check that your stay in Armenia is legal. Proof of legal stay was among the documents required on the migration portal: it can be an entry visa, residence card, or entry stamp.
6. Pay the fee and submit your application on the platform.

If your legal stay expires while your application is being considered, your stay is regarded as legal until a decision is made (Art. 17 pt. 4, para. 2). Visa-free country citizens can remain in Armenia for up to 180 days in a year if not otherwise provided by international agreements (Art. 7 pt. 1 of the Law “On Foreigners”). Details: 180 Days Without Residence Permit.

What to Do After Obtaining the Residence Permit

Taxes in the First 180 Days

The status will be deemed terminated if within 180 days after its issuance there is no record in the SRC database of taxes assessed on your activity (Art. 29.4 pt. 5). Zero reports and SP inactivity put your status at risk.

The law does not clarify what is considered assessed taxes if you use a regime exempting most taxes. For more on tax regimes: Tax Regimes for SPs. Best to address this before choosing a regime.

Leaving the Country

If you are absent from Armenia for 183 days or more, you must notify the service via the platform within 10 days after that period (Art. 17 pt. 8). Exceptions apply only to investors and persons with permanent residence for special merit. There is no exception for SP residence permit holders.

Extension

The current law does not specify a deadline for submitting an extension application (the MFA website until November 1 stated "no later than 30 days before expiry"). Submit in advance. Under Art. 29.4 pt. 4, a new application and platform data that the business continues operating are required. If such data is unavailable, you submit the documents yourself.

Permanent Residence

Permanent residence for entrepreneurial activity is available if in the past 5 years you had temporary status for at least 3 years (Art. 16 pt. 1 subp. "v"). Permanent residence is issued for 5 years. There is no direct route from SP to permanent residence without these 3 years in the new law edition. Details: Permanent Residence and Special Residence Permit.

Key Changes Compared to Previous Rules

• Application is now online only. Previously, applications could be submitted via the migration portal and in person at the service.
• The law now specifies figures: 1,000,000 dram in accounts or turnover in 60 days.
• You may only have one residence status (Art. 14 pt. 2.2). Previously issued multiple residence statuses remain valid until expiry (Art. 30 pt. 5).
• Applications submitted before November 1, 2026, are considered under the old rules (Art. 30 pt. 4).
• Decision is made subject to the annual quota. As of 11.11.2026 the quota size was not published in available sources. Quota exhaustion is listed explicitly as a ground for refusal (Art. 19 pt. 1 subp. 13).

Refusal

Grounds for refusal are listed in Art. 19: false information, loss of grounds, conviction for a serious crime, security threat, quota exhaustion, and others. After refusal, a new application can generally be submitted after 1 year (Art. 20 pt. 4). Waiting is not required in some cases: if the reason is no longer valid you may apply earlier. This includes refusals due to quota exhaustion, outstanding convictions, or unenforced administrative acts. See Residence Permit Refusal for analysis.