New Armenian Passport 2026: How to Apply via HayPass
HR Drone Analytics Team
Data & Analytics, HR Drone
10 min read
From November 1, 2026, Armenia issues only the new biometric Armenian passport, and you apply for it through online pre-registration and a visit to a HayPass service point. The old passport offices have closed. This guide covers who can apply, why you need an ID card first, how to pre-register step by step, how much the passport costs and how to apply for a child or from abroad.
In short:
- Fee: AMD 28,650 (state duty).
- Prerequisite: citizens aged 16 or over need a valid ID card, or must apply for both together.
- Logging in: when applying for a passport alone, you must log in through the YesEm («Ես եմ») platform, which requires an e-signature.
- Timing: ready on the 14th working day after you give your biometric data.
- Validity: 10 years (from age 16).
What's new in the biometric passport
The Law on Identity Documents (ՀՕ-210-Ն, «Անձը հաստատող փաստաթղթի մասին») entered into force on October 30, 2026, and Government Decision No. 1583-N of October 29, 2026 (ՀՀ կառավարության որոշում) sets the procedure. HayPass CJSC, the private partner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, collects biometric data and prints and hands over the documents, while the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Միգրացիայի և քաղաքացիության ծառայություն, MCS) decides whether to issue or refuse a passport.
- New look: a dark red cover instead of the old blue one, with the coat of arms and lettering in gold.
- Electronic chip: the passport stores your biometric data: your photo, fingerprints and signature.
- Two languages: personal data is printed in Armenian and English.
- No patronymic: the passport shows your first name and surname, and only the country of your place of birth.
- Automated border control: with a biometric passport you will be able to cross the border through automated gates, which are being introduced first at Zvartnots Airport.
Note: if a website says the passport costs AMD 1,000 or that you book through appointment.e-gov.am, it describes the old system, which stopped working on November 1, 2026.
Do you need a new passport?
A passport is optional at any age and is meant for traveling abroad. According to the MCS, if you have no plans to travel abroad, you don't need to get one. From age 16, the ID card is mandatory, but the passport is not.
An old-style passport stays valid until the expiry date printed in it, and you are not required to replace it.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
According to Nelli Davtyan, head of the MCS, social benefits apply only to the ID card, and everyone pays for the passport.
Expedited service. For an extra fee, the passport can be ready faster after the MCS decision: within 24 hours in Yerevan (excluding Sundays and public holidays) and within 48 hours elsewhere (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays). HayPass sets the extra fee, which cannot exceed three times the state duty: for the passport, AMD 85,950 (our calculation). As of November 1, 2026, the expedited price has not been published.
First requirement: an ID card
When applying for a passport, a citizen aged 16 or over must:
- have a valid ID card (old-style cards stay valid until their expiry date),
- pass strong authentication through YesEm, which requires an e-signature.
The exception: if you are applying for your first ID card, you can apply for a passport at the same time (the "combined application"). In that case, the passport is issued only after the ID card is granted.
If you have never had an Armenian passport or ID card, you must visit the MCS before pre-registering so it can confirm your identity. An old-style document, even an expired one, counts as having had one. This requirement lasts until March 31, 2027 at the latest.
How to apply for the Armenian passport: step by step
Have your email address, phone number (notifications arrive by email or SMS), a payment card (payment is cashless only and made before your visit) and your e-signature ready.
Step 1. Open the pre-registration website
Go to haypass.am and click Apply Here («Դիմել»), or open citizen.idmis.haypass.am directly. Click Start Pre-Enrollment («Սկսել նախագրանցումը»), choose Citizens («Քաղաքացիներ»), then the Passport document type («Անձնագիր») or, if you are getting your first ID card, the combined application for an ID card and passport («Համակցված դիմում․ նույնականացման քարտ և անձնագիր»). Click Apply («Դիմել») and choose the service type.
Step 2. Log in through YesEm
Identify yourself through the YesEm national identification platform and add your phone number and email address. Your personal details are filled in automatically. If they don't match the State Population Register, you can't finish the registration and need to contact the MCS.
Step 3. Choose the service point, date and time
Choose the service point where you will give your biometric data, and a date and time from the available slots. If you want the expedited service, select it here.
Step 4. Pay online
The platform calculates the amount (the state duty, plus the expedited fee if you chose it), and you pay online.
Step 5. Wait for the application check
HayPass checks your application before your visit. If everything is in order, you get a receipt with the service point's address, the date and time of your visit and your application number, and a QR code for the visit arrives by email. After that, you can still change the service point, date or time, or cancel.
If it finds a mismatch in your details, you have 30 days to fix it; otherwise the application is cancelled and the state duty is refunded. If the passport itself is refused, the duty is not refunded.
Step 6. Visit the service point
On the booked date and time, go to the service point with your ID card and your old passport (if you have one). Staff take your photo, fingerprints and signature, and give you a receipt. If you can't make it, choose a new date and time on the platform.
Step 7. Collect your passport
On the 14th working day you get a notification by email or SMS. You can collect the passport only at the service point where you gave your data. You hand in your old passport, and it is returned to you hole-punched, so you keep the visas and stamps in it. The new passport takes effect when it is handed to you. If you don't collect it within 12 months of the notification, it becomes invalid.
Where to apply
In the first phase, 14 HayPass service points are open:
- Yerevan: the Yerevan Mall and Megamall shopping centers, from November 1, 9:00–22:00. In Yerevan you can also apply and collect your passport on Saturdays and Sundays (at least one office is open on Sundays).
- Regions: Abovyan, Vagharshapat, Artashat, Gyumri, Ijevan, Yeghegnadzor, Vanadzor, Kapan, Ashtarak, Gavar, Hrazdan and Martuni, from November 2, 9:00–18:00.
You'll find every address in our ID card guide. The network is planned to reach 23 service points by the end of the first quarter of 2027.
A child's passport
- A passport can be issued at any age. It is valid for 3 years under age 6 and for 5 years between 6 and 16.
- The child's legal representative, such as a parent, applies, and only through YesEm. The system takes the parent–child link from the state registers.
- If the child has never had an Armenian passport or ID card, you must visit the MCS before pre-registering.
- At the service point, staff take the child's photo and, from age 6, fingerprints. For a first application, the birth certificate can serve as the identity document.
- No separate, lower fee for a child's passport has been published; the platform calculates the amount when you apply.
Applying from abroad
Citizens living abroad apply through the same online platform, choosing an Armenian diplomatic mission that has the required equipment. The list of these missions is published on the MCS website. After you give your biometric data, the notification arrives no earlier than the 14th and no later than the 45th working day, and you collect the passport at the same mission. As of November 1, 2026, the fees for applying abroad under the new system have not been published.
If your passport is lost or stolen
Report the loss or theft through the same online platform or, abroad, also to an Armenian diplomatic mission. The MCS will declare the passport invalid, and you can then apply for a new one. If you later find a passport that was declared invalid, you must hand it in within 3 days.
Why this matters for your job
If your job involves business trips abroad, check your passport's expiry date early: a new one takes 14 working days, and the price of the expedited service is not yet known.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an ID card to get the new passport?
Yes, if you are 16 or over. You need a valid ID card when you apply for a passport, unless you are applying for your first ID card and for a passport at the same time. In that case, the passport is issued only together with the card.
How much does the new biometric passport cost, and how long is it valid?
The state duty is AMD 28,650. The passport is valid for 10 years from age 16, 5 years between 6 and 16, and 3 years under 6. There are no fee exemptions for the passport.
Is my old passport still valid?
Yes. An old-style passport stays valid until the expiry date printed in it, and you are not required to replace it. When you collect the new passport, you hand in the old one and it is returned to you hole-punched.
Can I apply for the new passport from abroad?
Yes, at an Armenian diplomatic mission that has the required equipment. The Migration and Citizenship Service publishes the list of such missions. The notification arrives between the 14th and 45th working day, and you collect the passport at the same mission.
Does the new passport allow visa-free travel to the EU?
Not yet. Biometric documents are one of the requirements of the EU visa liberalization action plan, but the new passport does not by itself open new visa-free destinations. Automated border gates are being introduced first at Zvartnots Airport.
This information is accurate as of November 1, 2026. Sources: the Law on Identity Documents (ՀՕ-210-Ն), Government Decisions No. 1581-N and No. 1583-N of October 29, 2026, haypass.am, and public statements by MCS head Nelli Davtyan and Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan. Fees and procedures may change, so check the pre-registration website before you apply.
