The 180-day visa-free limit, the amendments that apply from 1 November 2026, a social card and registration, a bank account and what sources disagree on. A dated checklist, not a residence guide.
In brief
As of 6 November 2026, Armenia is still easy to enter: Russian citizens can stay visa-free up to 180 days a year. What changed is the status after that. Amendments to the Law on Foreigners adopted on 20 January 2026 apply mainly from 1 November 2026: applications move to a single electronic platform, documents become biometric, and the special 10-year status and the investor category are abolished (reports from a law-firm page and news sites). Fees conflict between sources, from AMD 150,000 to about 255,950 for a temporary permit from 1 January 2027. In the first month you need an address and registration, a social card, a bank account and a clear plan for your status. We found no official text, so check the migration service before you pay or file.
Entry and stay: the 180-day limit and registration
Russian citizens can stay in Armenia without a visa for up to 180 days in one year, according to several 2026 pages. The count starts from the entry date. Sources disagree on registration. One says registration is required for a stay longer than 30 days, another that it is normally done only if you plan to stay beyond 180 days. The state fee for registration is AMD 1,000 in one source. Our advice is to ask the migration service which version applies to your passport and to keep the entry stamp.
Meduza warns about repeated border runs that reset the count, and notes that overstaying the limit brings a fine but, according to the same summary, not automatic deportation or an entry ban. A law-firm page describes the border-run trick as risky, and we do not recommend it. For anything beyond 180 days you need a residence permit, see the next section.
Kazakh, Belarusian and Ukrainian citizens may have different entry terms, and we did not check them. Confirm your own passport with the embassy.
What changes on 1 November 2026
A law-firm page says the amendments to the Law on Foreigners were adopted on 20 January 2026 and take effect on 1 November 2026, with fee changes from 1 January 2027. Several news pages repeat the main points. Reported changes: - Applications are filed online through a single electronic platform, and the card is collected in person. Applicants aged 16 and over give fingerprints and a sample of the electronic signature. - Documents for foreigners become biometric, and the social card, the ID card and the residence permit are combined in one card. - The special residence status for 10 years and the investor category are abolished from 1 November 2026, and existing holders keep their rights until the end of the term. - Family sponsorship for permanent residence narrows to a spouse, a parent and a child. - One source mentions a duty to notify the authorities of a long absence within 10 days after 183 days. - Business residence: thresholds of AMD 1 million on an entrepreneur account or in shares, or AMD 2 million in a limited company, are quoted without dates, and we cannot say which apply from November.
Fees conflict. One source says the state fee rises to AMD 150,000 for a temporary permit and AMD 250,000 for a permanent one, with a reference to the Interior Ministry. Another gives about AMD 255,950 for both. A third mentions AMD 30,000 for working EAEU citizens. Between 1 November and 1 January the old fees apply. Do not pay anyone based on these figures before you check the migration service. One page says you must live in Armenia more than 185 days a year to keep a permit, which may not match the notification rule above, so confirm it.
Online filing from 1 November was described by several pages, but a second search did not confirm it. If the platform is not available yet, ask the migration service how to file.
Days 1 to 3: address and the paperwork that cannot wait
- Keep your passport, the entry stamp, and the address in one folder.
- Get a local SIM. We found no registration rules for foreigners, so ask the shop what they need.
- Sign a lease with a written address, because the social card, the bank and the registration all ask for an address.
- Make a notarised Armenian translation of your passport. A guide puts the cost at AMD 5,000 to 8,000 in 2026.
- Decide which status you are aiming for: a stay within the 180 days, a work route, a business route, a family route or a student route. See buying property in Armenia for the rules on ownership, which are separate from residence.
Week 1: social card and registration
A guide describes the usual order: the notarised passport translation first, then the social card (the number is often called SSN), then registration at the address. Another page says the registration comes after you have the card. Under the November amendments the social card, ID card and permit are to be merged into one biometric card for foreigners, so the paper procedure may change. We did not find the tax number (TIN) procedure or the deadlines, and we did not find what the social card gives a foreigner who does not work. Ask the office that issues the card which documents they need.
Health: Armenia's public system is tied to the social card and to status, and we did not research it. For a private policy and the logic of cover, read health insurance and doctors after moving abroad.
Weeks 2 to 4: bank account and the plan for the permit
Banks in Armenia ask what you are doing in the country. A 2022 Forbes piece reported that banks first opened accounts on a passport and proof of income and then began to ask for proof of a long stay: a work certificate, a sole-proprietor or company registration, or a lease of three to six months. A 2026 commercial blog says the hard part of setting up a business is not the registration but the account, and that banks increasingly want proof of actual residence. A 2026 review lists Unibank, Ardshinbank, ABB, Converse, Ararat Bank and Evocabank as banks that open accounts for non-residents. That is a commercial list and we could not verify it.
Practical steps: - Bring the passport, the lease, the registration and the social card. - Ask each bank for its list of documents by phone before you go. - Expect questions about the source of funds, see bank checks for Russian citizens. - Do not count on an account in the first week.
For alternatives and the general logic read resident bank account abroad.
Driving, schools and tax residency
We found no reliable information on exchanging a Russian or Belarusian driving licence in Armenia, on school enrolment or on SIM rules, so we do not state any. For the licence question use the driving licence article. For the tax side, including the 183-day logic, read tax residency when relocating.
Typical mistakes in the first month
- Using the old fee figures or paying an agent based on a number from a blog.
- Planning to stay beyond 180 days without a permit.
- Waiting for the online platform without a plan B.
- Opening the bank conversation before you have a lease and a registration.
- Believing that a business registration automatically gives residence.
- Treating border runs as a long-term plan.
One-page checklist
- Passport, entry stamp, lease and address in one folder.
- Count your 180 days from the entry date.
- Ask the migration service which fees and rules apply to you now.
- Notarised Armenian translation of the passport.
- Social card, then registration, in the order the office confirms.
- A list of documents from each bank before the visit.
- A written plan for your status after the visa-free period.
- Every deadline in a calendar.
This article is general information and not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm each step with the migration service, the embassy or a lawyer.
FAQ
How long can a Russian citizen stay in Armenia without a visa? Several 2026 pages say up to 180 days in one year, counted from entry. For a longer stay you need a residence permit.
What changes on 1 November 2026? Reports say online applications, biometric documents, one combined card, the end of the special status and the investor category, and higher fees from 1 January 2027. The sources disagree on the fee amounts, so check the migration service.
Do I need registration? Sources disagree: one says after 30 days, another only if you plan to stay beyond 180 days. Ask the migration service and keep your entry stamp.
Can I open a bank account in Armenia as a foreigner? Yes in principle, but banks ask for proof of a long stay and the source of funds. Ask each bank for its list in advance.
Does a business registration give me residence? Business residence has thresholds that conflict between sources (AMD 1 million or 2 million), and the rules change on 1 November. Do not assume it does.