The rules require online registration, state approval and full cashless payment before office visits. Issuance is scheduled to begin on November 1, while existing documents remain valid until expiry.
Armenia’s Cabinet adopted passport and identification-card procedures on October 29, 2026, requiring applicants to register online, receive state approval and pay before visiting an office. The Migration and Citizenship Service has since confirmed the separate document fees and said the rollout does not require people to replace still-valid documents immediately.
Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan said issuance of the new-format biometric documents would begin on November 1, in comments at the Cabinet meeting carried by Armenpress. October 29 and 30 are the old system’s final operating days. Biometric documents use physical identifying information, such as fingerprints and photographs.
The decision also covers refusals, issuance deadlines and expedited service for an additional fee. The government said it implements Part 18 of Article 10 of the Law on Identification Documents.
In its October 29 clarification, the Migration and Citizenship Service gave the following state fees in Armenian drams (AMD):
| Document | Fee (AMD) |
|---|---|
| Previous biometric passport | 25,000 |
| New biometric passport | 28,650 |
Ukraine’s ombudsman plans food and medical aid for about 2,000 people in the Russian-occupied city on October 30, with mine clearance still under way.
3 min
| New identification card | 5,950 |
The service rejected a description of the change as an almost tenfold passport-price increase. Adding the costs of a passport, an ID card and a later replacement does not give the price of a single passport, the service said. The state had added no surcharge to the private partner’s proposed price, and the partner was selected through an open tender at the lowest offered price.
Existing passports and identification cards remain valid until their stated expiry dates; they do not automatically become invalid on November 1. The service also said an old-format ID card can support an application for a new biometric passport. Applicants do not have to replace that card first.
Sargsyan said holders who choose biometric documents before their existing documents expire must surrender all their existing passports and identification cards.
The service said the government plans support covering all or part of the state fee for certain social groups. Under that proposed support, the state would bear the cost.
The Migration and Citizenship Service said it retains responsibility for determining a person’s legal status, confirming identity, and maintaining and controlling the State Population Register.
The state approves each document application. Only after that approval does the private partner perform its assigned technical tasks: collecting biometric data, printing the document and issuing it, the service said.
In an October 20 announcement, Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs scheduled online preregistration to open on October 31 through Haypass’s official website, www.haypass.am. The ministry described two application routes:
If the details do not match, applicants are directed to the Migration and Citizenship Service to clarify them and make any necessary corrections. They can book only after the details have been corrected and approved by the authorized body.
Sargsyan said the ministry must approve applicants through checks against the register before they can visit the private partner’s office. Applicants must pay in full through the platform using cashless payment and will receive an emailed QR code for their office visit.
At the private partner’s office, applicants will provide fingerprints and have their photographs taken. Sargsyan said self-service kiosks would also let applicants complete both steps without interacting with staff. She said the documents would comply with European Union (EU) standards.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said 14 offices would operate across Armenia from November, including two in Yerevan shopping malls.
Pashinyan described work under way to let biometric-passport holders use readers at Zvartnots Airport and other border checkpoints without contact with a border guard. He presented this as work in progress, not as a border service launching on November 1.
The Migration and Citizenship Service said previously issued biometric passports had not worked with automated gates at foreign borders because the international information exchange needed to verify their authenticity had not been carried out.
Pashinyan said automated crossings abroad would depend on agreements and data exchanges with other countries, including possible arrangements with France or the EU. He described that prospect as important to the EU visa-liberalization process. The next scheduled steps for document applicants are the October 31 opening of online preregistration and the November 1 start of issuance.
The change applies across pension schemes from 28 October 2026. Where the member died before 75 and had enough remaining allowance, delays beyond two years no longer make lump sums taxable.
4 min
The October 29 decision extends monthly support for families of missing servicemen through December 2026 inclusive, beyond the previous September cutoff.
2 min
Update ·
The Migration and Citizenship Service confirms passport and ID fees, says an old-format ID can support a new passport application, and explains the responsibilities retained by the state.
