Why the contract must be notarised and registered in the Cadastre, why there is no transfer tax but the buyer type matters for tax, what happens to a residence permit, and which questions to settle with the bank before the money moves.
In brief
In Armenia a sale contract must be notarised and the buyer becomes the owner only when the transfer is registered in the State Cadastre; the sources say the parties need an Armenian taxpayer number (TIN) for the notary and the Cadastre. There is no stamp duty or transfer tax on real estate, and a law-firm guide puts the buyer-side notary plus cadastre registration at about AMD 60,000. For tax, one law firm says an individual who sells real estate directly generally pays no tax, while the PwC summary (reviewed February 2026) says that sales of non-business property to individuals are exempt but sales to a tax agent are taxed at 10% or 20%, and a sale by a company is taxed at 18% on the gain. The weak points are the buyer type, the bank trail for the money and the residence permit. Based on search summaries in November 2026; unconfirmed points are marked in the text.
What to prepare before you list
- The cadastre certificate of title for the property, showing you as the owner and any encumbrances. This is general practice; ask the notary what they will request.
- Your passport and your Armenian TIN. The sources say the notary and the Cadastre need a TIN for the parties; if you never obtained one when you bought, ask the notary how to get it before the deal. Our article on buying in Armenia explains the rules for foreign owners.
- The contract by which you bought and proof of what you paid. Even when the sale itself is tax-free, you will need them for the bank and for the tax authority of your home country.
- A check that there are no unpaid annual property tax and utility debts. The annual property tax is charged on cadastral value; one source gives a rate of 0-1% with the first AMD 3 million not taxed, another says it reached the full rate in 2026. The sources conflict, so ask the notary what is checked on a sale.
How the sale works
All real estate sale contracts must be notarised. The notary checks the parties and the documents, and the transfer is registered with the State Committee of the Real Estate Cadastre; the sources stress that title passes only when it is registered in the Cadastre. We did not find a total timeline from listing to registration, a deposit mechanism or a typical contract structure, so ask the notary to confirm them and plan with a margin.
Signing from abroad
Selling without being in Armenia normally means a power of attorney for a trusted person. We found nothing in the results about the form for foreign sellers. The usual route is a document notarised in your country, apostilled under the Hague Convention or legalised, translated and accepted by an Armenian notary. This is general practice, not a checklist for your country: ask the Armenian notary to confirm the form before you pay for the apostille, and keep the powers narrow, naming the property, the price range and the account for the money.
The agent and the costs
We did not find an agent commission for Armenia in the sources, so no figure is given. Agree it in writing, with who pays and when. Armenia has no stamp duty or transfer tax on real estate. The buyer-side cost of the notary plus cadastre registration is put at about AMD 60,000 by one law-firm guide from 2025; who pays what on a sale is not confirmed and is settled in the contract. If the home is managed remotely, see property management for remote owners.
Tax in brief
The tax depends mainly on who the seller and the buyer are.
- An individual selling real estate directly: one law firm says non-resident individuals generally pay no tax on the sale, citing Tax Code articles that we did not check. Another source says capital gains tax applies to legal entities only.
- The buyer type: the PwC summary says sales of non-business property to individuals are exempt, while sales to a tax agent are taxed at 10% or 20% depending on the property type and the buyer. If your buyer is a company, confirm the rate before you agree the price.
- A company as seller: 18% on the gain; an individual selling to a company: 10% withholding (one law-firm guide).
- A holding-period exemption for direct sales by individuals: we did not find one. The three-years-plus-one rule in the sources applies to shares of real-estate-holding companies.
We found no official page from the State Revenue Committee, so confirm the buyer type and the rate with an Armenian tax adviser. For the comparison with other countries see taxes on a sale by country, and check what your home country requires you to declare.
Getting the money out
The sources do not describe how a foreign seller receives the money: whether payment is in drams or in foreign currency, which bank account is used and what the bank asks for. Agree the currency and the account in the contract, and ask your Armenian bank, before the deal, which documents it needs to credit the money and send it abroad. Keep the paper trail that explains the source of the funds: your purchase contract, the sale contract and proof of tax; our article on bank checks explains what banks look for.
If you hold a Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh or Ukrainian passport, expect extra questions. We found no source on how Armenian banks treat sale proceeds in such cases, so ask the bank before you sign. The rest of the route, converting and sending the money to your own account, is in repatriating money after selling property abroad.
If your residence permit is involved
Most law-firm sources say that buying property alone does not give an Armenian residence permit; property usually supports a business or rental activity that is registered and taxed. In that case a sale does not end a permit that never depended on ownership, but it can matter if the permit rests on a rental business. The sources also report changes in 2026: an investor fast-track to permanent residence from 1 November 2026, a digital five-year permanent card from 1 August 2026 and a business route with AMD 2,000,000 of charter capital. We could not find the enacted text or confirm whether property counts, and the sources conflict on dates. Ask a migration lawyer before you sell, and see your first 30 days in Armenia for the residence basics.
Common mistakes
- Agreeing a price before you know whether the buyer is an individual or a company.
- Not having an Armenian TIN when the notary needs it.
- Signing before you know in which currency and to which account the money will come.
- Giving a wide power of attorney instead of a narrow one for one property.
- Selling without checking how the sale affects a residence permit that rests on a rental business.
- Forgetting that the sale may have to be declared in the country where you are a tax resident.
A step-by-step checklist with approximate timing
Timing is our estimate; the sources do not give a total.
- Weeks 0-2: get the cadastre certificate and your TIN, check debts, find out the account and bank route, choose the notary and confirm the buyer type.
- Weeks 2-6: list, agree the price and the currency, prepare a narrow power of attorney if you will not be present.
- Contract day: notarisation; registration in the Cadastre follows.
- After registration: receive the money, keep the documents, file taxes at home if required.
FAQ
Is there a transfer tax on real estate in Armenia? Sources say Armenia has no stamp duty or transfer tax on real estate. The buyer pays the notary and the cadastre registration, about AMD 60,000 according to one guide.
Do I pay tax when I sell as an individual? One law firm says an individual selling directly generally pays no tax and the PwC summary says sales to individuals are exempt, but sales to a tax agent are taxed at 10% or 20%. Confirm with an Armenian tax adviser who the buyer is.
Can I sell without going to Armenia? Normally yes, with a notarised and apostilled power of attorney, but we found no specific rule in the sources. Confirm the form with the Armenian notary.
Will selling cancel my residence permit? Buying property alone generally does not give a permit, so a sale usually does not end one, but a permit that rests on a rental business may be affected. The 2026 changes are reported but not confirmed. Ask a migration lawyer.
In which currency will I be paid? The sources do not say. Agree the currency and the account in the contract and ask your bank which documents it needs.
This article is information only and not legal or tax advice. The rules change; confirm them with an Armenian notary or lawyer.