| Meline Nadaryan Associate | Larisa Petrosyan Associate Lawyer |
General Information
As of November 1, 2026, the Republic of Armenia has transferred procedures for granting residence status to foreign nationals, related administrative proceedings, and work authorization to a unified electronic platform.
System: Electronic Residence Case Management System (MCS Permits)
Platform: https://mcs-permits.am
Important Transitional Provision: Applications submitted before November 1, 2026, will continue to be reviewed under the previous regulations. Residence statuses granted before that date remain valid until their respective expiration dates.
Applicants and employers can continue to track the status of previously submitted applications by logging into their personal or employer accounts on the former platform: https://workpermit.am/. This means that applications currently in progress will continue to be processed through the old platform, and all notifications will be sent via the old system. It will only be possible to cancel pending applications and obtain a PSN (Public Services Number).
Work Entry Visa
Foreign nationals intending to obtain temporary residence status to work in Armenia must obtain a Work Entry Visa before entering Armenia, unless exempt from visa requirements under Armenian law. A work permit application cannot be submitted while the foreign employee is outside Armenia.
The Work Entry visa is:
- Valid for up to 120 days.
- Issued for single or multiple entry.
- Non-extendable.
- Issued only once per calendar year.
The visa allows the foreign national to enter Armenia, engage in short-term employment, apply for temporary residence status, or collect the residence card.
Note: The visa requirement must be assessed individually based on the employee’s nationality and applicable visa exemptions.
Annual Quotas
As of November 1, 2026, a new system of annual quotas for residence statuses has been introduced under Armenian legislation.
A quota is the maximum number of residence permits the Armenian Government allows per year. When deciding whether to grant or refuse residence status, the Migration and Citizenship Service takes into account the quota established for the relevant year.
At present, the Government’s decision concerning the applicable quotas has not yet entered into force.
Registration of the Organization
Before registering an organization, it is necessary to ensure that:
- The director’s Public Services Number (PSN) must be visible in the State Register.
- The director has an electronic signature, which can be obtained from telecommunications companies (Ucom/Team Telecom Armenia/Viva).
- The director can complete the strict identity verification procedure required by the platform.
Important: If the director cannot complete identity verification or their PSN is not reflected in the State Register, the relevant information must first be corrected with the competent authority. Until these discrepancies are resolved, registration of the organization may not be possible.
Registration of a Foreign Employee
The following documents and information must be prepared in advance:
- A valid passport.
- A color copy of the passport.
- The employee’s email address.
- A 3×4 cm photograph.
Important Note
All foreign-language documents must be duly certified in accordance with the applicable legal requirements and accompanied by an Armenian translation, notarized or certified through consular channels, as required. This requirement also applies to passport translations.
As under the former Workpermit system, the employer must provide the following employment-related information:
- Employee’s position;
- Job responsibilities;
- Salary;
- Working hours;
- Employment commencement date.
Activation of the Employee’s Personal Account
After the workpermit application is created, a verification email is sent to the employee’s email address registered in the system.
The employee must:
- Receive the email notification.
- Open the link provided in the email.
- Complete the identity verification or facial recognition procedure required by the platform.
- Create a password.
- Activate their personal account.
Important: The employee’s email address must be valid and accessible, as system notifications and the personal account activation link will be sent to that address.
State Duty
After creating the application, the applicable state duty must be paid online via an online platform
e-payments.am.
The state duty for a temporary residence card is AMD 150,000.
Payment can be made through the electronic payment system by either:
- The employer organization through its account; or
- The foreign employee through their personal account.
Processing Timeframes and Additional Document Requests
Under the new system, a decision to grant or refuse residence status is generally made within 30 days from the date of submission of the application.
The Migration and Citizenship Service may request additional documents or information if discrepancies are identified in the submitted documents or if further examination is required.
Upon receiving such a notification, the requested actions must be completed within five days. Otherwise, the administrative proceedings will be automatically suspended. The other deadlines have not changed.
Issuance and Collection of the Residence Card
Following a positive decision on the application for residence status, the applicant must proceed with the residence card issuance process.
The applicant’s personal appearance is mandatory for the collection of the residence card.
The applicant must appear in person before the competent authority in order to:
- Provide fingerprints;
- Provide an electronic signature specimen;
- Verify their identity and collect the residence card.
Important Note
The system has only recently been launched, and certain details have not yet been clarified or made publicly available. Consequently, this guide is not yet complete and does not address all outstanding questions.