| Armenian passport Հայկական անձնագիր | |
|---|---|
The front cover of a contemporary Armenian Biometric Passport, since 2012. | |
Front personal-information page of an Armenian biometric passport, since 2012. | |
| Type | Passport |
| Issued by |  Armenia |
| First issued | 1994 (first version)[citation needed] 2012 (current version)[1] |
| Purpose | Identification & International Travel |
| Eligibility | Armenian citizenship |
| Expiration | 5 years after issuance |
| Cost | 10 000 ֏ |
Armenian passport (Armenian: Հայկական անձնագիր, romanized: Haykakan andznagir) is a passport issued to Armenian citizens to enable them to travel outside Armenia, and entitles the bearer to the protection of Armenia's consular officials overseas. Armenian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 65 countries and territories as of 2022.
Between the years 1994 and 2005, all Soviet Union passports were completely replaced with Armenian passports, invalidating Soviet Union passports' use in Armenia since 2005.[2] Today, Armenian passports are also used as proof of identity within the country, along with Armenian ID cards.
An ordinary Armenian passport is dark blue, with the Armenian coat of arms emblazoned in gold in the center of the front cover. The words Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն "Republic of Armenia" and Անձնագիր "Passport" in Armenian and English languages also appear on the front cover. The passport is valid for 10 years from the time of issue, with the further possibility of extending validity for an additional 5 years. The possibility of extending the passport by 5 years was eliminated in August 2017.[3] It contains 32 pages for special notes and visas, and information about its holder in both the Armenian and English languages.
Since 1 June 2012, two new ID-documents were introduced, which replaced the ordinary passports of Armenian citizens. One of the documents – the ID card — to be used locally within the country, and the second document – the biometric passport — to be used for traveling abroad. An electronic chip on the passport will contain digital images of fingerprints and photo of passport holder. Both biometric passports and eID cards are produced by Polish Security Printing Works (Polska Wytwornia Papierow Wartosciowych).[4][5][6] Old style (non-biometric) passports were re-introduced in 2016 on a temporary basis (until January 1, 2019), and currently Armenian citizens can acquire both biometric and regular passports.[7]
Armenian Passport includes the following data:
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Main article: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict |
As a result of the first Nagorno-Karabakh War between Artsakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan refuses entry to holders of Armenian passports, as well as passport-holders of any other country if they are of Armenian descent. It also strictly refuses entry to foreigners in general whose passport shows evidence of entry into the Republic of Artsakh, immediately declaring them permanent personae non gratae.
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Main article: Visa requirements for Armenian citizens |
