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Granting of citizenship of the Republic of Armenia

Last updated 2026-10-22 Route skilled-work Authority President of Armenia by decree; Migration and Citizenship Service processes

Official page Migration and Citizenship Service, citizenship grounds

Key facts

Validity
Permanent
Stay per entry
Not applicable
Threshold
3 years of permanent legal residence, age 18, legal capacity, and a test on the Constitution and the Armenian language
Settlement
Direct
PR clock
Already held
Local employment
Unrestricted

Granting of citizenship of the Republic of Armenia

Naturalisation after three years of permanent legal residence, subject to a test on the Constitution and the Armenian language, granted by presidential decree.

The figure most people have wrong is the clock. Three years of a temporary residence card is not enough and the file will be refused. The requirement is three years of permanent residence, which itself needs three years of temporary status. The number is six years end to end.

Programme snapshot

ItemCurrent rule
Main audienceForeigners who have held permanent residence for three years
Route familyskilled-work
ValidityPermanent
Stay per entryNot applicable
Threshold3 years of permanent legal residence, age 18, legal capacity, and a test on the Constitution and the Armenian language
RenewalNot applicable
SettlementDirect
PR clockAlready held
Citizenship clock3 years from permanent residence, about 6 years from the first temporary card
FamilySpouse and minor children may naturalise alongside or after
Local employmentUnrestricted
Tax headlineCitizens are tax resident by default; 20 percent flat
ProcessingOnline only through mcs-citizenship.am since 2026-01-01, then an in-person appointment. Fee AMD 50,000 (2026)

Application flow

  1. Confirm you have held permanent residence for three full years, not temporary status.
  2. Assemble civil documents with apostille or consular legalisation, then Armenian translation. A translation by a sworn translator needs its own apostille.
  3. Apply online at mcs-citizenship.am. Paper filing is no longer accepted.
  4. Pay the fee, AMD 50,000 (2026).
  5. Book the in-person appointment to present originals.
  6. Sit the test: 33 questions in Armenian on the Constitution. Attempts are unlimited.
  7. Wait for the presidential decree. Timing is not published.

Good fit

Someone who actually wants the passport, understands it is weak for travel at roughly 65 visa-free destinations, and values it for regional mobility, land ownership and the right to live here without renewal. Diaspora Armenians, who skip the residence clock and the test entirely on the origin route. A foreign spouse of a citizen, who can use the two-year marriage route instead.

Poor fit

Anyone who thinks three years of a temporary card qualifies, because it does not and the fee is not refundable. Anyone who needs a strong travel document, since this one is not. Families with adult sons, who should price conscription before filing.

Watchpoints

  1. Three years of permanent residence, not three years in the country. The most common refusal reason. The six-year figure is three plus three, and no shortcut exists except marriage or Armenian origin.
  2. The test is in Armenian and has no English syllabus. 33 questions on the Constitution. Attempts are unlimited, but most applicants need a tutor, and the language bar is the real filter.
  3. Ethnic Armenians are exempt from the test. Everyone else is not, including spouses of citizens.
  4. Dual citizenship is permitted. Armenia does not require renunciation and does not notify your other state. This is the single biggest advantage over Georgia and the CIS states that forbid it.
  5. Conscription follows naturalisation. Male citizens are subject to military service. For diaspora families with adult sons this is the most expensive surprise in the file, and it should be priced before applying.
  6. Document legalisation is a chain, not a step. Apostille, then translation, then a further apostille on the translator’s signature. Each link adds weeks.
  7. Two faster routes exist. Marriage to a citizen needs 2 years of registered marriage plus 365 days of legal residence during it, and still requires the test. Armenian origin needs documentary proof of ethnicity, no residence and no test.

Sources