Armenia: cross-border payments and remote closing

For a buyer who lives abroad, the hard part of an Armenian purchase is rarely the price. It is moving the money in a way that the notary and the Cadastre will accept, and signing without flying in. This briefing sets out the usual sequence and the points where deals stall. The practice described comes mostly from a local law firm's published guidance, so confirm each step with your own lawyer.

The sequence of a purchase

Local guidance describes seven steps for a foreigner:

• obtain a taxpayer number (TIN) and prepare the passport with a notarised Armenian translation
• order a fresh Cadastre extract on the property
• review the title, the seller's identity and any claims
• draft the sale contract with the buyer's TIN, the property details, the price and the way of payment
• have the contract notarised; the notary's fee is described as small, in the order of tens of thousands of drams at most
• submit the notarised contract to the State Cadastre, reported as within 30 days of notarisation
• wait for registration, which is reported to take a few working days

The point to repeat to every client: title passes only when the Cadastre registration is complete. A signed and notarised contract alone does not make the buyer the owner.

How the money should move

Armenian law is reported to require non-cash payment for real estate deals above a threshold. Published sources disagree about the number: figures from a few hundred thousand drams up to fifty million appear in different places, and one page speaks of a dollar figure. Do not quote a threshold to a client. Plan every payment as a bank transfer or an escrow payment and keep the paper trail, because notaries and the Cadastre expect to see proof.

The same guidance says the price in the contract and the matching payment should be in Armenian drams, and warns that paying in a foreign currency risks fines of up to the value of the deal. This is unconfirmed here, so ask the buyer's bank and the notary how a transfer from abroad is converted and what the receipt will show.

Practical points:

• ask the buyer to send one transfer per agreed stage and to put the property address, the date and the contract number in the payment reference
• keep the transfer confirmation, including the SWIFT message, for the file
• escrow arrangements exist at Armenian banks, with funds released only after the notarised agreement and the confirmed Cadastre registration, which suits remote buyers
• the money should come from the buyer's own account, and a payer who is not the buyer needs an explanation and a record
• never accept cash for a purchase because a client suggests it

Costs to put on the page for a remote buyer

Registration and notary fees are low compared with the price, but sources disagree on the exact registration fee, so say "tens of thousands of drams" and confirm. A power of attorney is described as costing around AMD 30,000 and certified translation around AMD 2,000 per page. Add the agent's fee if the buyer pays it and bank charges on the transfer. Annual property tax and any VAT on a new building from a developer come later, see our briefing on the 2026 changes.

Closing without being in Armenia

For a buyer who cannot attend, the usual route is a power of attorney, which local guidance describes as notarised abroad, apostilled and translated into Armenian, so that a representative can sign the notarised contract and file for registration. Check these points with your lawyer before you accept one:

• what the representative may do: sign the contract, receive documents, file at the Cadastre, deal with the bank
• whether it names the property and a maximum price
• how and when it can be revoked
• that the buyer's identity documents and the translation match the power of attorney exactly

Residence permits are a different matter. Under the law reported to start on 1 November 2026, applicants must attend in person for fingerprints and an electronic signature, and a power of attorney cannot replace that.

Where deals stall

• the buyer has no TIN yet, or the passport translation is not notarised
• the transfer comes from an account that is not the buyer's
• the contract is in one currency and the payment in another
• hidden defects: a local account describes a house sold without running water and with structural problems found later, and a gas connection that needed a neighbour's consent
• repairs cost more than expected: the same account suggests a reserve of 15 to 20 percent of the price
• an advance to a contractor with no written scope

What to tell a remote buyer

Give them the list of stages, the documents they will need to apostille and translate, the way to pay and the rule that nothing is final until the Cadastre registers it. Keep a copy of everything and write down who confirmed what.

Working with D.H. Realting

D.H. Realting is a trilingual (Russian, English, Polish) overseas-property platform. We introduce buyers, including expats and cross-border buyers, and support the process. Agencies that handle the deal locally and want to be introduced to such buyers can contact us through our partners page.

This briefing is informational only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Facts were checked on 12 October 2026 from the sources named in the text; rules change, so confirm with a local lawyer before relying on any point.