Armenia · Business & founder
Residence Permit via Company Formation
Open, but tightening from 1 November 2026 under Article 29.4. There will be a new minimum charter capital of AMD 2,000,000, roughly USD 5,300, for an LLC or JSC, and AMD 1,000,000, roughly USD 2,700, in a local account for a sole entrepreneur. Permanent residence fees are also changing. The fee stays at AMD 140,000 through 31 December 2026, then rises to AMD 250,000 from 1 January 2027. US citizens remain at AMD 140,000.
Three years from permanent residence to a passport is fast on its own. Add unrestricted dual citizenship since the 2007 amendment, and a language test that disappears entirely for anyone of Armenian descent, and this becomes the fastest genuine naturalisation route in the region. For a family with any Armenian ancestry, it is materially better than anything else on this list.
Qualifying routes
Roughly USD 5,300 in charter capital, required from 1 November 2026.
Roughly USD 2,700 in a local account, required from 1 November 2026.
The facts
- Minimum investment
- 2M AMD
- Total landed cost
- Expect charter capital plus roughly USD 2,000–5,000 in formation, legal and permit costs. The permanent residence fee is AMD 140,000 through end-2026, then AMD 250,000.
- Route type
- Business & founder
- Timeline
- 1–4 months (There is a genuine arbitrage window here. Applications filed between 1 November and 31 December 2026 process under the new system but still at the old fees.)
- Physical presence
- Biometrics cannot be done at an embassy. You will need to travel to Armenia in person for them. Beyond that, ongoing presence is not required to hold the permit.
- Family
- SpouseChildren
- Permanent residency
- A 5-year permanent residence permit is available. Ethnic Armenians can apply for it directly, with no prior temporary-residence requirement.
- Citizenship
- Citizenship requires 3 years of permanent residence, plus a basic grasp of Armenian language and the constitution. That requirement is waived entirely for persons of Armenian origin, former citizens, and spouses, children or parents of citizens.
- Language test
- Applicants are tested on Armenian language and the constitution. The test is waived for persons of Armenian origin.
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- a registered Armenian company meeting the new minimum charter capital requirementdemonstrable business activity and taxes assessed within 180 days of grantan NSS security interviewa Social Numberin-person biometrics, taken in Armeniaa clean criminal record
- Shell companies will not survive the new enforcement regime. From 1 November 2026, if the tax database shows no taxes assessed within 180 days of grant, the permit can be invalidated. The National Security Service also runs a security interview to test whether the business is genuine.
- BANKING FOR RUSSIAN NATIONALS HAS SUBSTANTIALLY BROKEN. The European Commission added Russia to its AML high-risk list on 3 December 2025. Armenian banks are now refusing accounts and closing existing ones, including for Russians holding residence permits, registered businesses or long-standing ties. The old idea of Armenia as a banking bridge for Russians no longer holds. For a Russian-national client, sequence the bank account before the residency, not after. Banking access, not immigration status, is the binding constraint.
- 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 now required.
- The high-tech regime's two branches are mutually exclusive. You must choose either the 1% turnover tax or the 18% CIT package, not both.
- A Social Number is now mandatory for company registration, a rule in effect since 25 January 2026. Mandatory health insurance contributions were also added in 2026.
- Armenia has exchanged data under CRS since September 2025, now with 47 partners, and that number is scaling toward roughly 120.