How You Can Relocate to Armenia and Acquire Tax Residence There

Since the Armenian authorities introduced the ‘special resident’ status, the number of foreign nationals relocating to the country has been growing. Let us discuss the legal ways to relocate to Armenia, a beautiful country in the South Caucasus. We will talk about adapting to the local ways of life, mentality, and traditions. After the ‘velvet revolution’ of 2018, the Armenian economy has been rapidly growing and the country is turning into an economic and technological center of Eastern Europe. This makes the opportunity to move to Armenia worth considering indeed.

Foreign nationals wishing to relocate to Armenia with their families can use one of several immigration programs that the country offers. We will discuss every such program in detail below. You have to bear in mind the fact that all application documents shall be written in Armenian, legalized, and apostilled. If you would like to acquire legal support in relocating to Armenia, please do not hesitate to apply for our assistance.

When describing the immigration programs available in Armenia, we will also discuss the difficulties that the foreign applicant for Armenian residence may face as well as the benefits that he or she will find in the country.

Armenians are extremely hospitable people  

Acquiring legal and tax residence in Armenia is not difficult at all. The application procedure is simple and transparent. No investments are required with some immigration programs (only negligible state duties are payable). Below please find the list of resident permit types that a foreign national can obtain in Armenia:

• A permanent residence permit valid for five years;
• A one-year residence permit;
• A special short-term residence permit;
• A special long-term residence permit valid for ten years.

All the residence permits mentioned above can be extended an indefinite number of times. However, the application process will take some effort in any case and our experts will be happy to help you prepare the application document package and have the documents legalized and apostilled. We will support you at every stage of the application process.

To facilitate your adaptation to the Armenian culture we would like to share some cultural aspects with you that make Armenians an extremely likable nation. Please bear the following facts in mind:

• Family relations are tremendously important for Armenians and family dinners with three or four generations of relatives sitting at the table is a cherished tradition.
• Armenia is a mountain country and the yearly temperatures in the highlands are a bit different from the temperatures in the valleys. However, all four seasons are distinguishable in the country, August being the hottest month and January the coldest.
• The national currency is the Armenian dram (AMD) but money exchange points are readily available in Yerevan and other cities. You will find that the exchange rates are quite favorable.
• Armenians are famous for their hospitality and generosity. Please mind that you cannot decline an invitation to an Armenian house as the master of the house is going to take it as an insult.
• A dinner table with multiple dishes on it is one more local tradition. Armenians love big tables and they frequently throw parties for their relatives, friends, and neighbors.
• Almost half of the population in Armenia speak English, especially younger generations so you will always be able to find your way around the country even if you do not speak Armenian.
• Chess is the game that many Armenians love. The country is also famous for its carpet weaving industry.

Please apply for our assistance to make your relocation to Armenia smooth and fast. Our lawyers will help you acquire a residence permit in the country, find residential accommodations there to your liking, open an account in an Armenian bank, and solve any other tasks that you may face when moving to Armenia.

Acquiring legal and tax residence in Armenia: the provisions and the requirements to the applicants

If you are applying for a one-year extendable residence permit, you have to submit your home country’s passport to the Armenian immigration authorities. If you are applying for residence with your family, you will have to supply the documents that confirm the relations of kin (they need to be apostilled).  

If you would like to invest in Armenia and acquire a ten-year extendable residence permit, you have to meet one of the following requirements:

• Purchase a piece of real estate in Armenia. The property can be owned by you personally or jointly with another person (other persons). Your company can also act as the property owner.
• Register a business company in Armenia and create jobs.
• Invest in an existing Armenian company.
• Bring confirmation of Armenian ancestry.

Currently, the required investment amounts are not specified in the Armenian legislation. Please seek our lawyers’ advice to find out if you are eligible to apply for a ten-year residence permit in Armenia.

A ten-year residence permit in Armenia: do you have to have an active business company?

The answer is ‘yes, without any doubt’. You cannot simply register a dummy company in Armenia and apply for permanent residence. You will have to supply invoices, bills of lading, contracts, and other documents to show that your company is active. It is possible, however, to register a non-active company and apply for a one-year residence permit. If you would like to apply for a permanent residence permit afterwards, you will have to engage in business operations anyway.

Residence in Armenia for students and Armenian company employees

A student attending an Armenian university will be issued a one-year residence permit that has to be renewed every year 30 days before the expiry date. If you are employed by an Armenian-based company, you will have to supply a job contract signed by your employer to qualify for a one-year extendable residence permit. Please mind that if you work in Armenia without holding a residence permit, you can be extradited and even fined. If you are fired, your residence permit will be terminated. Please also mind that you have to apply for a work permit too but this is easily obtainable if you have a job contract.

The student’s residence permit will be terminated if the student is expelled or has graduated.

Speaking about the timeframes of Armenian residence acquisition, they are quite short. The application processing period is set at 30 days in Armenia. After the period expires, you will be issued the residence permit or you will receive notification of application denial. Sometimes you will get an answer from the immigration authorities after 25 days and in other cases, you may have to wait for up to 40 days but not more.

Acquiring legal and tax residence in Armenia: where should you start?

First of all, you have to apply for an entry visa unless your country is on the list of countries that have signed visa-free travel agreements with Armenia.

After that, you have to learn about all the requirements that every immigration scheme has to understand what option you should choose. Please mind that if you hold a diplomatic passport, you are already eligible to apply for a special long-term (ten-year) residence permit in Armenia.

Advantages of relocating to Armenia

The number of foreign nationals acquiring legal and tax residence in Armenia is increasing year after year. This is not surprising as the country offers a number of various benefits. These include but are not limited to the following ones:

• There are international schools in Armenia where your children can study even if they don’t speak Armenian.
• The same is true for higher education institutions (colleges and universities).
• Foreign currencies can be easily exchanged for drams (if the amount that you are exchanging exceeds a set sum, you will have to bring your passport).
• Armenians are extremely hospitable to all guests including foreigners. They will gladly help you adapt to the local ways.
• Yerevan is among the safest capital cities in the world. Armenia ranks better for crime rates than Georgia and Turkey, for example.
• If you would like to acquire a long-term residence permit in Armenia by engaging into business in the country, you will find it simple to register a company there. The whole process is going to take only a couple of days. Besides, you will be amazed by the tax incentives available to foreign entrepreneurs in Armenia.
• If you are a highly qualified specialist, you can count on finding a well-paid job in Armenia.
• The national cuisine is fantastic. The climate in the country is favorable for the agricultural industry and only natural organic food is consumed in Armenia.

When you relocate to Armenia, you will spend a few years discovering wonderful landscapes. A bit later, you will start to appreciate the Armenian culture rich in history and traditions. Living in Armenia is a truly unique experience.

Does Armenia have disadvantages?

The country seems to have overcome the Soviet past and it is rapidly developing in the economic, technological, and political spheres. Anyway, there are some holdovers from the past that need to be tackled. In particular, the current administration is Armenia is working hard to solve the following tasks:

• Patriarchate is gradually leaving Armenia but women are still supposed to take care of the children and the house even if they have jobs.
• In comparison to some European states, the unemployment rate is rather high in Armenia. At the same time, there is employee scarcity in the IT sector.
• The infrastructure including electric supply networks and central heating systems is developing at a slow rate.
• The transportation system in Armenia also needs improving. The number of transportation companies is small in the country, which drives up the transportation service costs.

However, if you find residential accommodations in a new district of a large Armenian city and if you do not depend on the public transport, the infrastructure problems will be of no concern to you. It should also be expected that the pending issues are going to be solved soon as the country is rapidly developing indeed.   

Would you like to acquire legal and tax residence in Armenia? If so, follow these steps

You will have to visit Armenia to apply for residence there. If you come from a country that has a visa-free travel agreement with Armenia, you will have to supply the following documents to enter the country:

• Your domestic passport;
• Your international passport;
• If you have signed a job contract with an Armenian employer, supply the contract;
• If you are entering Armenia with children below the age of 14, supply their birth certificates;
• If you are carrying cash in a foreign currency, fill out the customs entry form.

When in Armenia, you can start the process of applying for legal and tax residence in the country. Our experts will gladly help you prepare the necessary documents and our Arminian partners will accompany you to the immigration service. If you would like to learn more about the opportunity to relocate to Armenia, please write to info@offshore-pro.info without hesitation.