If a foreign citizen wishes to live in the Republic of Armenia, or to acquire citizenship of the RA in common order, first he should prepare the documents which will let him stay on the territory of the Republic of  Armenia and obtain the residence status.

It is possible to distinguish 3 types of resident status:

• temporary (temporary residence card);
• permanent (permanent residence card);
• special (special passport of residence).

The temporary residence card is valid for 1 year. The foreigner needs to prove the presence of any of the following circumstances to obtain a temporary residence card:

• studying in education organization situated in the Republic of Armenia;
• a labor permit;
• marriage with the citizen of the Republic of Armenia or foreign citizen, who has the residence status in the territory of the RA;
• the fact of being in close family relations with the citizen of the RA or with the foreign citizen, who has permanent residence status in the RA;
• when carrying out the entrepreneurial activity;
• being Armenian descent.

In case of expiration of the validity of that card, the person has an opportunity to renew the status of temporary residence each time for 1 year. 

An application for extension of residence card’s validity must be filed to the competent body not less than 30 days before its expiration. The permanent residence card is issued to a foreign citizen for 5 years.

A foreigner needs to prove the presence of following circumstances to obtain permanent residence status in Armenia:

• Presence of close relatives in the territory of the RA;
• Provision of housing and presence of the source for maintenance of life in the RA;
• The fact of residing in Armenia within 3 years before filing the application for obtainment of permanent residence card.

The permanent residence card can also be issued to persons of Armenian descent or persons performing an entrepreneurial activity in the Republic of Armenia.

For renewal of permanent card’s validity, it is necessary to file an application not less than 30 days before its expiration.

The special status of residence is issued to the foreigners who are Armenians by origin or who carry out cultural or economic activity in the territory of the Republic of Armenia. Passport of special residence is issued for 10 years.       

For obtainment of the documents establishing the status of temporary or permanent residence in the territory of Armenia, foreigners have to file an application to an appropriate body of Police of the RA. After consideration of the application, that body makes a decision about granting the temporary or permanent status of residence or about a refusal to grant the temporary or permanent status of residence within 30 days. Foreigners who have residence status are registered by the competent body of Police of the RA.

For acquisition of special residence status applicant needs to file an application to the competent body of Police, and if the applicant is abroad he has to file an application to diplomatic representation or consular institution of the Republic of Armenia. The decision about granting special residence status is taken by the President of the Republic of Armenia and without appeal.

Reasons for refusal to grant residence status:

• a person has been deported from the Republic of Armenia or divested from residence status and 3-year term has not elapsed since decisions about it came into force;
• a person has been sentenced to the RA for committing grave or gravest crime and conviction is not canceled or removed;
• there is affirmative information that person carries out activity, arrears organizer or participant of an organization concerned with:
  • causing harm to state security, the overthrow of constitutional order, weakening defense capacity of the RA;
  • terrorism;
  • illegal cross-border movement of arms, ammunition, explosives, radioactive materials, narcotics or psychotropic substances;
  • trafficking in persons;
• a person from the diseases noted in the law;
• there are serious and proved threats to state security of the Republic of Armenia from a person;
• when filing an application the person presented false information about himself or didn’t provide the necessary documents, or his residence in Armenia has a different purpose than provided in the application;
• A person has been brought to administrative liability, and the 1-year term hasn’t elapsed since the decision entered into effect.

For acquisition of temporary or permanent residence status a person must present:

• application;
• 3 photos (35 x 45);
• passport, a copy of passport and a notarized translation into the Armenian language;
• documents confirming the circumstances necessary for obtainment (extension) of residence status in the RA;
• health certificate;
• receipt confirming the payment of state duty.

For obtaining a special residence status in the territory of Armenia the person needs to submit the following list of documents:

• application;
• documents confirming the legality of residence in the territory of the Republic of Armenia (entry visa, residence card, passport of special residence of the RA and so on);
• document confirming Armenian ethnicity;
• document about cultural and economic activity in Armenia;
• passport and travel documents, notarized and translated into Armenian;
• 4 photos (35 x 45);
• receipt confirming the payment of state duty.