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Armenia will introduce a new biometric passport and identification card system on November 1, Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan announced.
“Starting November 1, we will be able to issue the new-format documents to citizens,” she said at a Cabinet meeting, where the relevant decision was adopted.
The new system will involve a private partner and provide documents compliant with European Union standards, Sargsyan said.
“For the first time, a pre-registration system will be introduced, allowing citizens to complete the entire process on a digital platform before visiting the office, from home or any other convenient location. Before allowing entry to the office, the state, represented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, will conduct a full check of the citizen through the State Population Register. Only after receiving the state’s approval will the person be able to visit the private partner’s office and receive the service,” Sargsyan said.
She added that applicants would receive an email containing a QR code for their office visit as part of the pre-registration process.
The minister also said that payment would be made in full before visiting the office.
“Under the cashless payment system, we will make payments through the platform and then visit the office, where we will only need to provide fingerprints and have our photographs taken at the private partner’s office. That will complete the transaction,” Sargsyan said.
She also highlighted the importance of self-service kiosks, which would allow applicants to complete both processes independently, without interacting with staff, by taking their own photographs and providing their fingerprints.
In response, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that 14 offices would operate across Armenia starting in November, including two in Yerevan. The offices in the capital will be located in shopping malls.
“Those holding biometric passports in Armenia will be able to cross the border without any contact with a border guard. We are already working to enable people with biometric passports to place their passports on a reader at Zvartnots Airport or at border checkpoints and pass through. In other countries, depending also on our bilateral agreements, for example, we could reach an agreement with France or the EU to exchange data. This means that when traveling abroad as well, citizens would cross border checkpoints using biometric passports,” Pashinyan said, adding that this would be of pivotal importance in the visa liberalization process with the EU.
According to Pashinyan, this will open a new chapter in Armenia’s digitalization.
Sargsyan also said that people whose passports or identification cards are still valid may continue using them until their expiration dates. Those who wish to obtain biometric documents before then will have to surrender all their existing documents.
The Cabinet has adopted a decision establishing the procedures for issuing Armenian citizens’ passports and identification cards, refusing their issuance, and providing expedited issuance for an additional fee, including the applicable deadlines and fees. The decision also provides for the involvement of a private partner in the issuance process. According to a government statement, the decision aims to ensure implementation of Part 18 of Article 10 of the Law on Identification Documents by establishing the procedures for issuing and refusing to issue identification documents and clarifying the relevant legal framework and mechanisms.
Sargsyan noted that October 29 and 30 were the final two days of operation of the old system.