Armenia

The hard deadline is 1 November 2026. No new special passports will be issued after that date, and this is the single most time-critical item in the region. The status carried two rights that nothing replaces: direct ownership of agricultural land, and extended-family sponsorship reaching siblings, grandparents and grandchildren, well beyond the nuclear unit. Both rights die with the status on 1 November 2026. Any family that qualifies, whether through Armenian origin or genuine business ties, and might ever want either right should file now, not next quarter.

Three years from the grant of permanent residence. That makes it the fastest genuine naturalisation route in the region. Dual citizenship has been unrestricted since the 2007 amendment, so you keep your existing passports. Ethnic Armenians can also access permanent residence with no prior temporary-residence requirement. For a family with any Armenian ancestry, this is materially better than anything else on this list, particularly because the language requirement disappears entirely for persons of Armenian origin, former citizens, and spouses, children or parents of citizens.

In principle, yes. Applicants must show knowledge of the Armenian language and familiarity with the constitution. But it is waived entirely for persons of Armenian origin, and also for former citizens and for spouses, children or parents of Armenian citizens. So for the descent-based profile the country is really targeting, there is effectively no language barrier. For an applicant with no Armenian connection, the test is a real requirement.

Increasingly, no. The old idea of Armenia as a Russian banking bridge no longer holds up. After the European Commission added Russia to its AML high-risk list on 3 December 2025, Armenian banks began refusing accounts and closing existing ones, including for Russians holding residence permits, registered businesses or long-standing ties. For a Russian-national client, the practical lesson is to sequence the bank account before the residency, not after. Banking access, not immigration status, is now the binding constraint. Kazakh banks are applying the same pressure since December 2025, so this looks like a regional pattern.

Under Article 29.4, the minimum charter capital rises to AMD 2,000,000 (roughly USD 5,300) for an LLC or JSC, and to AMD 1,000,000 (roughly USD 2,700) in a local account for a sole entrepreneur. Permanent residence fees are moving too. They stay at AMD 140,000 through 31 December 2026, then rise to AMD 250,000 from 1 January 2027. US citizens remain at AMD 140,000. There is a brief window for arbitrage: applications filed between 1 November and 31 December 2026 process under the new system but at the old fees. A Social Number has been mandatory for company registration since 25 January 2026.

No, not under the enforcement rules coming into force on 1 November 2026. If the tax database shows no taxes assessed within 180 days of the grant, the permit may be invalidated. The National Security Service also runs a security interview testing whether the business is genuine. Visa-required nationals can no longer enter on a tourist visa and adjust status locally. A new Work Entry Visa (AMD 15,000, 120 days a year) is required instead. In short, the residence has to sit on a real, tax-paying business.

Personal income tax is 20%, but it is schedular rather than truly flat. That means 20% on employment and interest, 10% on royalties and lease income, and 5% on dividends, with 0% capital gains on securities and on property sold to individuals. Founders can use the High-Tech regime for 2025–2031, choosing either a 1% turnover tax (turnover up to AMD 115m, at least 90% qualifying IT) or the general 18% corporate tax with a package of staff incentives. The two branches are mutually exclusive. A micro-business regime gives 0% turnover tax up to AMD 24m.

Yes. Armenia has exchanged under the Common Reporting Standard since September 2025, initially with 47 partners and scaling toward roughly 120. There is no opacity here. This matters because it removes any notion that an Armenian structure offers reporting secrecy. The real attraction of Armenia is a fast, dual-citizenship-friendly naturalisation path for people of Armenian descent, not confidentiality.