Armenia Proposes Fivefold Increase in Citizenship Fee and Tenfold Increase for Renunciation

YEREVAN — Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has proposed increasing the state fee for obtaining Armenian citizenship fivefold and the fee for renouncing citizenship tenfold, raising them to 250,000 drams and 1.5 million drams, respectively. The proposed legislation has been submitted for public discussion.

Under the draft legislation, the citizenship application fee would increase from 50 times the base state fee, or 50,000 drams, to 250 times the base fee, or 250,000 drams. The fee for renouncing citizenship would rise from 150,000 drams to 1.5 million drams. The proposal would also tighten requirements regarding actual residence in Armenia.

The proposed changes are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2028. Applications submitted before that date would continue to be processed under the existing rules.

Under the draft, applicants seeking citizenship on general grounds would be required to have held legal residency in Armenia during the previous five years and to have been physically present in the country for at least 915 days during that period. They would also be required to demonstrate knowledge of the Armenian language and familiarity with the Constitution.

Those who have been legally married to an Armenian citizen for at least two years, as well as applicants who have an Armenian citizen child or parent and refugees, would be required to have three years of legal residency and at least 549 days of physical presence in Armenia.

Ethnic Armenians would be eligible for citizenship only after establishing residence in Armenia. They would be required to have legal residency during the previous two years and to have spent at least 366 days physically present in the country. Armenian ethnicity would be verified by a special commission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs based on documents, archival records, and certificates issued by churches or community organizations.

Individuals who previously renounced Armenian citizenship would be permitted to apply for restoration only after five years, provided they had resided in Armenia for at least 366 days during the two years preceding their application.

The citizenship process would be administered electronically. A presidential decree granting citizenship would take effect once the applicant signs the oath within one year. Under the proposal, a presidential decision rejecting an application on national security or public-order grounds would not be subject to administrative or judicial review.