Armenia residence permit through real estate: what the law actually says

The short answer

Buying an apartment in Armenia does not, by itself, give you a residence permit. The Law on Foreigners does not tie temporary, permanent or special residence status to owning real estate. The words "real estate" (անշարժ գույք) do not appear anywhere in the consolidated text of the law in force since 1 September 2026 [1].

That picture changes in part on 1 November 2026, when the amendments in law ՀՕ-11-Ն take effect [2]. They add a new ground for permanent residence: the foreigner "has made an investment in the Republic of Armenia" [2]. The law does not say what counts as an investment or how large it must be. It leaves the conditions to the Government [2].

As of 16.10.2026 we found no Government decision with those conditions on arlis.am. The draft procedure that has been published for public comment contains no investment amount either [3]. It does, however, build the procedure for the "investment" ground on Cadastre data about the applicant's real estate: the platform retrieves data on property registered in the applicant's name, and the applicant indicates the properties on which the application is based [3]. This is a draft and may change.

The rest of the guide sets out which residence grounds the law does contain, what changes on 1 November, how property relates to each ground, and what a buyer can do about it.

Three layers to read

Anyone asking "does property give me residency?" today has to read three layers of law at once.

The first is the current Law on Foreigners of 25 December 2006, No. ՀՕ-47-Ն. Its consolidated text on arlis.am has been in force since 1 September 2026 and includes the amendment ՀՕ-428-Ն of 27.08.2026 [1]. The residence grounds sit in Articles 15, 16 and 18, and real estate is not among them [1].

The second is law ՀՕ-11-Ն, adopted on 20 January 2026 and taking effect on 1 November 2026 [2]. A separate set of provisions on filing through the electronic platform, added by law ՀՕ-212-Ն of 11.05.2026, takes effect on the tenth day after the platform launch is announced, and no later than 1 November 2026 [2]. Law ՀՕ-11-Ն amends Article 15, restates Article 16 in a new wording, repeals Article 18 and adds Articles 29.3–29.7 [2].

The third layer is what does not exist yet: the Government decision that would define the investment ground. The law refers to it directly. The conditions for permanent residence on the basis of an investment are to be set by the Government [2]. A draft general procedure that mentions this ground was open for public discussion from 01.10.2026 to 16.10.2026 and had not been adopted at the time of checking [3].

The three statuses in the law today

The current edition provides for three residence statuses [1].

• Temporary. Granted for up to 1 year and renewable for 1 year at a time. A renewal application must be filed at least 30 days before the status expires [1].
• Permanent. Granted for 5 years and renewable for the same period. A renewal application must be filed at least 30 days before the card expires [1].
• Special. Granted for 10 years and can be granted more than once. The Prime Minister takes the decision [1].

For temporary status the list of grounds is not closed: it can also be granted in "other cases provided by law" [1].

Grounds for temporary residence at present

Article 15 says that temporary status goes to a foreigner who shows circumstances justifying a stay in Armenia of one year or more [1]. The circumstances it names are [1]:

• study;
• a work permit issued under the law (for some categories, a finding that the foreigner falls within the exceptions from the work-permit requirement);
• family: the spouse, parent or child of a foreigner holding temporary status (in the cases the article specifies), and the spouse or close relative of an Armenian citizen or of a foreigner with permanent or special status; the article counts parents, children, brothers, sisters, grandparents and grandchildren as close relatives;
• entrepreneurial activity;
• Armenian ethnic origin;
• voluntary work under a voluntary-work contract.

Ownership of a home is not on that list [1].

Grounds for permanent residence at present

Article 16 gives two groups of grounds [1].

The first: the foreigner proves that in Armenia there is a spouse or close relative who is an Armenian citizen or holds special status; the foreigner is provided with housing and means of subsistence in Armenia; and, before applying, has lived in Armenia in the manner set by law for at least three years [1].

The second: the foreigner is of Armenian ethnic origin, or carries on entrepreneurial activity in Armenia [1].

Note the wording. The law asks that the foreigner be "provided with housing" [1]. It does not ask for ownership. The list of documents attached to an application is set by the Government (Article 17, part 2) [1]; this guide does not go into it.

Special status

Article 18 sets a special status of 10 years [1]. It is granted to foreigners of Armenian ethnic origin, and it may also be granted to other foreigners who carry on economic or cultural activity in Armenia [1]. Real estate is not named as a ground [1].

From 1 November 2026 Article 18 ceases to be in force [2]. What happens to special statuses already issued is outside this guide.

What changes on 1 November 2026

Law ՀՕ-11-Ն changes several things at once [2].

Applications for temporary and permanent status are filed through a single electronic platform run by the authorised body for migration and citizenship [2]. A decision is taken within 30 days of filing, except on the "exceptional services" ground, and the Government's annual quota figures for the number of statuses are taken into account [2]. If the foreigner's lawful stay runs out while the application is pending, the stay is treated as lawful until the decision [2]. A foreigner may hold only one status proving lawful residence [2]. The foreigner collects the card in person and gives fingerprints and an electronic sample of the signature; for children under 16 the parent or legal representative collects it [2].

Temporary status is still granted for up to 1 year [2]. The grounds become: education, scientific and innovation activity; a work visa or a permit to stay or reside for work; membership of the family (spouse, parent, child) of an Armenian citizen or of a foreigner with residence or refugee status; and entrepreneurial activity. The family circle is narrower: brothers, sisters, grandparents and grandchildren no longer appear in the new list [2]. The points on Armenian ethnic origin and voluntary work are not touched by this law [2].

Permanent status under the new Article 16 runs for 5 years and is available if the foreigner [2]:

1. is a family member (spouse, parent, child) of an Armenian citizen, is provided with housing and means of subsistence, and has held temporary status for at least three of the last five years [2]; or
2. is of Armenian ethnic origin; or
3. carries on entrepreneurial activity and has held temporary status for at least three of the last five years [2]; or
4. has made an investment in Armenia; or
5. has rendered exceptional services to Armenia.

The text of the investment point does not mention a prior three years of temporary status [2].

A notification duty is introduced for absences. A foreigner with temporary or permanent status who is away for 183 days or more must report it through the platform within 10 days after that period ends. The investment and exceptional-services grounds are excluded [2]. Today a simpler rule applies: a permanent-status holder who is away for more than 6 months notifies the authority in writing [1].

Where property fits, according to the acts

Put together, what the laws say about real estate in connection with residence comes down to four points.

One. Ownership is not a stand-alone ground, either in the current edition [1] or in the amendments taking effect on 1 November [2].

Two. The family-based ground for permanent status requires being "provided with housing" [1][2]. That means housing, not necessarily ownership. The platform checks the information in applications through queries, one of which goes to the Cadastre Committee database: whether the foreigner or a family member is provided with housing and whether the foreigner owns real estate [2].

Three. The investment ground appears on 1 November 2026, but the law does not mention real estate in it and names no amount: the type of investment and the conditions are for the Government to set [2].

Four. The entrepreneurial ground exists both now and after 1 November. How it connects with housing is covered below.

The investment ground: what is not there yet

Article 29.6 of the amended law says that foreigners may obtain permanent residence on the basis of an investment in Armenia, under the procedure the Government sets. The application is filed in person after registration on the electronic platform. The Government defines the necessary conditions. The status is declared void if, after receiving it, the foreigner stops meeting those conditions [2].

As of 16.10.2026 we found no Government decision with the conditions under Article 29.6 on arlis.am. Here is what the draft general procedure shows. The Ministry of Internal Affairs published it on e-draft.am for discussion until 16.10.2026 [3]:

• the applicant picks the "investment" ground, and the platform then automatically retrieves from the Cadastre Committee database the data on real estate registered in the applicant's name; the applicant indicates the property or properties on which the application is based [3];
• where needed, the applicant attaches documents showing that the conditions set by the Government are met [3];
• every six months the Cadastre data is checked to see whether the property that served as the basis has been disposed of; if disposal is found, the data is made available to Migration and Citizenship Service staff so they can decide whether to open administrative proceedings [3].

This is a draft. It may change, and it had not been adopted as of 16.10.2026 [3]. All it shows is that real estate registered to the applicant is treated as one possible form of investment. Which properties would qualify, at what value and for how long they must be held, the draft does not say [3].

The business ground and renting out a flat

The Law on Foreigners names "entrepreneurial activity" as a ground for both temporary and permanent status [1][2]. From 1 November it contains Article 29.4 with numerical conditions. Entrepreneurship can serve as a ground if the foreigner [2]:

• is a participant or shareholder of a commercial organisation and has put at least two million drams into its charter capital, or has acquired shares or securities worth two million drams [2]; or
• is a sole proprietor with at least one million drams, in drams equivalent, on accounts in various currencies, or whose entrepreneurial turnover in the 60 days before filing came to one million drams or the equivalent in foreign currency [2].

The Law on Foreigners does not say whether renting out an apartment you own fits the "entrepreneurial activity" ground, and it does not list the documents that would prove it [1][2]. So it cannot be said that renting out a purchased home gives a residence permit. The authorised body decides each case.

Who decides and how fast

The application goes to the authorised state body for migration and citizenship [1]. The draft procedure calls this body the Migration and Citizenship Service [3]. The decision to grant or refuse is taken within 30 days of filing; the exceptions are the work-permit and voluntary-work grounds [1]. From 1 November the period stays at 30 days, except on the exceptional-services ground, and filing goes only through the electronic platform [2].

If the platform finds errors or missing information while the case is pending, it notifies the applicant. If the applicant has not corrected anything within five days of the notice, the platform suspends the proceedings automatically; if the applicant does not resume them within a month in the prescribed way, the proceedings are closed [2].

When a status can be withdrawn

From 1 November the authorised body declares a status void in particular where the grounds for granting it have ceased to exist, where the foreigner has applied for that, or where the foreigner has acquired Armenian citizenship [2]. A status is declared invalid if false information about the person was given when applying, or if there is data that the person's stay in Armenia has a purpose other than the one declared [2]. For anyone buying property with residence in mind the second rule matters: state the purpose and ground you actually have.

State duty

The duty is calculated from the base duty, which is set at 1000 drams [4].

The edition of the State Duty Law on arlis.am has been in force since 1 September 2026 [4]. Law ՀՕ-215-Ն takes effect on the tenth day after the platform launch is announced, and no later than 1 November 2026 [5]. The dram figures assume a base duty of 1000 drams [4]; if the base changes, the sums change.

A practical sequence for a buyer

1. Do not plan on a residence permit as a result of the purchase. The law gives no such ground [1][2].
2. Work out which ground fits you: work, family, Armenian origin or entrepreneurship [1][2]. The investment ground becomes usable only once the Government adopts its conditions [2].
3. If the investment ground matters to you, wait for the decision under Article 29.6 and read it on arlis.am. Keep an eye on the draft procedure on e-draft.am too [2][3].
4. If you plan to let the flat, get a written view from a lawyer or from the Migration and Citizenship Service before the purchase on whether your arrangement would fit the "entrepreneurial activity" ground. The law gives no direct answer [1][2].
5. Watch the deadlines: a renewal application is due 30 days before the status expires [1].

How Akcern AI can help

The Akcern AI legal service accompanies real-estate transactions in Armenia, from title checks to Cadastre registration [6]. The service includes due diligence (title cleanliness and seller-rights check), contract work in three languages, representation before state bodies (Cadastre, notary, tax authority) and a repatriation track covering residence permit, citizenship and repatriation programmes [6]. For non-residents and repatriates, the service is for cases where the purchase is combined with a residence permit or citizenship [6].

It is better to deal with the question of status separately from the question of which apartment to buy, and to rely on what the acts actually say.