HayPass opened its first office at Yerevan Mall on 31 October 2026. Armenia’s Interior Ministry said on 2 November that thousands had preregistered online and were arriving for services.
Armenia launched its new biometric-document system on 31 October 2026, when HayPass opened its first service office at Yerevan Mall. Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan presented the first new passports to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan.
HayPass is the private company providing biometric passport and identity-card services under a public-private partnership. Biometric data are measurements of a person’s physical characteristics used to help establish identity.
HayPass had received 7,700 applications, and 2,700 applicants had already submitted their biometric data, the company’s director general said at a press conference at Armenia’s Interior Ministry. HayPass opened its first branch at Yerevan Mall on 31 October, and its 12 regional offices have also opened.
At its 29 October Cabinet meeting, Armenia’s government adopted rules on issuing or refusing passports and identification cards, including expedited issuance timeframes, additional fees and private-partner involvement. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the plan envisaged 14 offices nationwide, including offices in Yerevan shopping malls.
Applicants who register without strong authentication have their information checked against the State Population Register. If the information does not match, they are referred to the Migration and Citizenship Service and can book an appointment only after the data is corrected and approved by the authorized body, the ministry said.
Its main public website was inaccessible on 1 November. The statistics agency said it had detected no database compromise or leakage of legally protected information and promised to restore access.
On 2 November, Armenia’s Interior Ministry said thousands of citizens had completed preregistration through Haypass.am and were arriving to receive services.
In the 31 October account, HayPass’s head explained that applicants begin online by providing information, booking an appointment and paying before visiting a service centre. Migration and Citizenship Service head Nelli Davtyan said people having difficulty registering online could complete that stage at a HayPass centre.
The Migration and Citizenship Service said the platform and biometric-data collection were operating normally. A specialist technical team examines and resolves individual technical problems when they arise, the service said.
During the office visit, Sargsyan explained how biometric data are collected, documents are issued and services are organized. Pashinyan personally supplied the biometric data needed to apply for new documents.
Pashinyan said the system should make citizens’ lives more convenient, enable secure access to digital services and help protect their identities.
In a 31 October report by Armenpress, Migration and Citizenship Service head Nelli Davtyan announced that 12 regional offices would open from the Monday following the launch. She said the nationwide network would reach 23 service offices by the first quarter of 2027.
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