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Special Residence — Armenian Origin

ArmeniaAncestry and return

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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What family, citizenship, ethnic, historical or former-resident connection creates access to this route?

This is the Armenian-ancestry basis of Armenia's Special Residency Status, created by the Law on Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Republic of Armenia (1994) and the revised Law on Aliens. It is granted by the Prime Minister of Armenia to foreign citizens of Armenian ancestry.

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  • General Information
    The Special Residency Status is granted by the Prime Minister of Armenia to the foreign citizens of Armenian ancestry and also to other distinguished individuals, who have provided significant services to the Armenian state and nation and/or are engaged in economic and cultural activities in Armenia.
  • General Information
    The Law on Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Republic of Armenia, enacted in 1994, and then the revised Law on Aliens allow foreign citizens to receive a Special Residency Status in the Republic of Armenia.

How far back can the qualifying connection extend, and what important transmission limitations exist?

The page does not state a fixed number of generations. The accepted proof documents reach a parent, grandparent or a full sibling (or a half-sibling in a specific case), so a connection through a parent or grandparent is clearly accepted; the page does not say whether a great-grandparent or more distant ancestor is accepted.

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Limits of the record
  • The page does not state a maximum number of generations back that the Armenian-descent connection may extend.
  • Application Information / Required documents
    d) birth certificate or identification document of a parent (grandfather, grandmother, full sister or full brother /full siblings/), with an indication of Armenian descent.
  • Application Information / Required documents
    The birth certificate of a half-brother or half-sister (half-siblings) or any other document confirming Armenian descent may serve as a document confirming Armenian descent in the case the Armenian descent of the sibling is conditioned by having the same parent;

What records are central to proving the lineage or historical connection?

Central proof is any one of: a baptism document issued by a religious institution and validated by an Armenian embassy/consular service, indicating the Armenian descent of the baptised person or a parent; a document on Armenian descent issued by an authorised body of a foreign state, apostilled and consular-validated; another document confirming Armenian descent, validated by the embassy/consulate; or a parent's or grandparent's (or full sibling's) birth certificate or identification document indicating Armenian descent. Where the descent is proven via a sibling's document, an additional document confirming the family connection, issued by an authorised state body, must also be submitted; passports and birth certificates indicating Armenian ethnicity also count as Armenian-descent documents.

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  • Application Information / Required documents
    a) a document of baptism issued by religious institutions and validated by the embassy or consular service, with an indication of Armenian descent of the baptized person or of a parent;
  • Application Information / Required documents
    b) a document on having Armenian descent issued by an authorized body of a foreign state, with apostille and consular validation;
  • Application Information / Required documents
    Besides the documents mentioned in paragraph "d" of this point, the applicant is required to submit a document confirming the family connection of the person, issued by an authorized state body (documents confirming Armenian descent also include passports and birth certificates with an indication of Armenian ethnicity);

Does the pathway result in a visa, residence permit, right of return, citizenship or another status?

The pathway results in Special Residency Status, evidenced by a Special Armenian Passport, granted for a ten-year term. Holders no longer need an entry visa to travel to Armenia, though the Special Passport does not waive visa requirements for other CIS countries.

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  • General Information
    The Special Residency Status is granted for a ten-year term.
  • General Information
    Those granted Special Residency Status will be issued Special Armenian Passports and will no longer be required to obtain entry visas for traveling to Armenia.
  • General Information
    Please note, that Special Passport will not waive visa requirements for other CIS countries.

What application progression, residence obligations, family consequences or further citizenship/residence possibilities follow?

While holding the status, the person has the full protection of Armenian law and the rights and obligations of Armenian citizens, except the right to vote, run for office or join political organisations, and is exempt from Armenian military service. A refused applicant may reapply one year after the rejection. The official source does not describe a route from this status to Armenian citizenship.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The page does not state whether or how Special Residency Status leads to Armenian citizenship.
  • Important Notes
    Usually the application is processed within 3-4 months. In some cases, requiring additional consideration, the processing time can be longer.
  • Important Notes
    The application may be denied by the Armenian authorities in some cases. The rejected applicants may reapply for the Special Residency Status one year after their initial application was rejected.
  • General Information
    While in Armenia, they will enjoy the full protection of the Armenian law, as well as the rights and obligations of Armenian citizens, except for the right to vote and to run for office, enroll in political organizations. They will be exempt from military service in the Armenian National Army.
  • Important Notes
    Special Passport fee is a state duty and it is 150000 Armenian Drams. Replacement passport fee is 75000 Armenian Drams.
  • General Information
    The survivors of the Armenian Genocide are granted Special Passports through a facilitated procedure, and the application fee is waived.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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