Armenia still remains an attractive destination for temporary or long-term relocation of Russians. So, from January to November 2022, 1,016,223 citizens of the Russian Federation entered here, and 967,696 people left according to data from the Information System of the Border E-Government. The trend is likely to continue, including due to with the introduction on January 27, 2023 of new rules for the stay of citizens from the EAEU countries in Kazakhstan. Now Russians will be able to stay in Kazakhstan for only 90 days within a 180-day period and will no longer be able to extend the period of legal stay in the country by making a “visaran”, which previously made it possible not to issue a temporary residence permit. In this article, we will talk about what documents are needed to enter Armenia, how to get there and legalize on the spot, what to do next and for what reasons foreigners are deported.
What documents are needed?
Armenia — is one of four countries, along with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where Russian citizens can enter? Even without a foreign passport —, an internal passport of the Russian Federation is enough. True, this does not apply to children under 14 years oldfor whom a foreign passport is required. In addition to your passport, you should take with you your military ID, birth certificate and medical records. We advise you to apply for relatives who are left at home, general power of attorney from a notary to represent interests in commercial and non-commercial organizations, as well as in government bodies.
How to get there?
From Russia, using an internal Russian passport, you can get to Armenia by plane. There are two airports in Armenia: — Zvartnots in Yerevan and Shirak in Gyumri.
How to orient yourself on the spot if you arrived in Yerevan, read in our Panic Guide.
You can fly to Yerevan by direct flight from Moscow and St. Petersburg, Sochi, Mineralnye Vody, Kaliningrad, Makhachkala, Saratov, Ufa, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm and Tyumen (new destinations are periodically added and old ones closed); to Gyumri — from Moscow. So, at the time of publication of the article on February 5, there are direct tickets for Pobeda Airlines for 3,882 rubles.
Unfortunately, it won’t be possible to travel by land from Russia to Armenia using an internal passport: you will first have to cross the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint and enter Georgia, and from there you can get to Armenia. In addition, the land border can be crossed if you travel to Armenia from Iran.
From Kazakhstan, using the internal passport of the Russian Federation to Yerevan, you can fly directly from Aktau airport.
Read more about how to get from Kazakhstan to Armenia in the FAQ.
What's in place?
You can stay in Armenia for 180 days during a calendar year without any restrictions. If you violate the permissible period of stay, then when leaving at the border, you will have to pay a fine to customs officers - 50,000 drams. If you do not pay a fine on the spot, then you will not be able to enter the territory of Armenia during the calendar year. They check the terms of stay, as a rule, according to the marks in the passport. And if the entry was carried out on the internal passport of the Russian Federation, then the border guards will break through the base and, possibly, ask to show a ticket. To get comprehensive information about the rules for the stay of foreigners in Armenia, we advise you to study RA Law on Foreign Persons.
How long can you live in Armenia without a residence permit and citizenship - read the FAQ
To be legalized in the country, you can get a residence permit for a period of 1 year, 5 or 10 years. The basis for a residence permit may be studying in a state institution, official employment with an Armenian employer, having a close relative with citizenship or a residence permit in Armenia, doing business in the territory of the Republic of Armenia and a number of other reasons.
By the way, Russians can obtain Armenian citizenship without renouncing Russian citizenship.
It is worth noting that within the framework of interdepartmental cooperation At the request of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, Armenia extradites those suspected of crimes on the territory of the Russian Federation. Therefore, if you are planning to leave Russia due to the threat of criminal prosecution, Armenia is not the best option.
They can also initiate a case on the deportation of foreigners for providing false information and forging documents when applying for a residence permit. For other grounds for deportation, see RA Law on Foreign Persons.
What's next?
We have already released a lot of useful materials about the first steps in Armenia, which will help you navigate the place and feel comfortable even for the first time in a new country.
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