Armenian Special Residence Permit for 10 Years in 2026: Who Was Eligible and What Replaced It

Current as of 11.11.2026. The 10-year special residence permit with the RA special passport was granted under Article 18 of the "Law on Foreigners": to ethnic Armenians and foreigners who conduct economic or cultural activity in Armenia. Law HO-11-N took effect on November 1, 2026, repealing this article. No new special statuses are issued. Those obtained before November 1 remain valid until expiration.

Who Was Eligible

Article 18 of the Law on Foreigners in its former wording (until November 1, 2026) states:

1. Special residence status was granted to foreigners of Armenian nationality. It could also be issued to other foreigners conducting economic or cultural activities in Armenia (part 1).
2. Validity period: 10 years. The status could be obtained more than once (part 2).
3. Applications were submitted in Armenia to the migration service, or abroad to an embassy or consulate of Armenia (part 3).
4. The decision was made by the Prime Minister of RA (part 5).

The RA MFA describes the same logic: the status is granted to foreigners of Armenian origin and to other notable persons who have rendered significant service to Armenia or its people, or who are engaged in economic or cultural activities in Armenia. Status holders received a special passport and did not require an entry visa.

What Changed on November 1, 2026

Law HO-11-N was adopted on 20.01.2026 and took effect on November 1, 2026. Regarding special status, it does three things:

• Removes special status from the list of statuses in Article 14: only temporary and permanent remain in the law.
• Completely repeals Article 18, i.e., removes the grounds, period, and procedure for issuance.
• Deletes mention of the special passport from Articles 11 and 14.

Transitional provision Article 30 part 6: those who obtained special status before November 1, 2026, continue to enjoy the rights and obligations under the old law until its expiration. Article 30 part 5 applies similarly to holders of multiple statuses: documents may be used until their expiry. Applications submitted before November 1 are considered according to the old rules (Article 30 part 4).

What Replaces the Special Status

A permanent status for 5 years. Article 16 of the Law as amended by HO-11-N lists the grounds:

• ethnic Armenian origin. The law does not require prior residence;
• kinship with a citizen of RA (spouse, parent, child) subject to sufficient housing and means, and at least three years of temporary status within the last five years;
• entrepreneurship, plus the same three years of temporary status;
• investment;
• exceptional service to the Republic of Armenia.

The status is for 5 years; the procedure is set by a Government decision.

Armenian Origin

Under Article 29.5 part 2, the applicant registers on the platform, uploads documents, and books an in-person submission after a preliminary completeness check. The platform lists these documents: birth certificate. If no ethnicity is stated, a document attesting nationality is needed: baptism certificate, birth certificate or document of a parent, grandparent, brother or sister, parents' marriage certificate, or a foreign government document. Foreign documents must be submitted with a notarial or consular Armenian translation, including the passport. More on applying: Online application and Residence permit by Armenian origin.

Exceptional Merits

A permanent status under item "e" of part 1 of Article 16 is granted by decision of the Prime Minister (Article 17 part 5). The 30-day decision period does not apply in this case (Article 17 part 4).

Notification of Departure

A holder of temporary or permanent status who is absent from Armenia for 183 days or more is obliged, within 10 days, to notify the Migration Service through the platform (Article 17 part 8). Exception — for those whose status is based on investments or exceptional merits (items "d" and "e" of part 1 of Article 16). Ethnic Armenians with permanent status under item "b" are not exempt and must notify. For the consequences of failing to notify and absence from the country, see 180 days without a residence permit.

Cost of the Special Status

Basis: Article 14, item 8 of the "Law on State Duty" in the former wording. The new item 8 (HO-215-N) does not include an entry for special status. Processing a permanent status application is 250,000 drams, issuing the card is 5,950 drams. The law also allows the Government to exempt groups of persons from the fee; we have not found such decisions.

Separately, the RA MFA notes that Armenian Genocide survivors received special passports via a simplified procedure and were exempt from the fee. Whether this privilege will remain after November 1, 2026 is unknown.

How to Apply Previously

The list at migration.e-gov.am and RA MFA page listed these documents:

• application and application form;
• letter addressed to the ambassador or general consul of Armenia (for submission abroad) indicating citizenship, reason for applying, occupation, previous visits to Armenia, and possible criminal record;
• passport or travel document and notarized translations into Armenian;
• six color photos 35×45 mm;
• one of the documents confirming Armenian nationality (baptism, foreign government document with apostille, birth certificate or document of a parent, grandparent, brother, or sister);
• for minors, parent's passport and proof of relationship; for proxies, proxy's passport;
• receipt of fee payment. The fee did not apply to persons under 18.

If an applicant was rejected, re-application was possible after one year (RA MFA). Today, you cannot apply for special status, but this list helps to understand what nationality documents are needed for permanent status based on Armenian origin.

Rights of Special Passport Holders

According to the RA MFA description, a holder of special status enjoyed the protection of Armenian law and the rights and obligations of citizens, except for the right to vote and stand for election, and to join political organizations. Holders were exempt from military service in the Armenian Army. The special passport did not waive visa requirements in other CIS countries: one had to show their national passport. For existing special statuses, these rights and obligations remain until expiry (Article 30, part 6, HO-11-N).

If You Hold Special Status

1. Check when it expires: the date is stated in the document.
2. Refer to Article 30 part 6: rights and obligations remain as before until expiration.
3. Decide in advance what you will do next. The law does not specify a procedure for extension or whether you can apply for permanent status while holding special. Consult an expert on this.
4. If expiration is close, prepare documents confirming nationality and a translation of your passport: Residence permit documents.
5. On general rules for permanent status: Permanent and Special Residence Permit.