Armenia’s new red biometric passport costs 28,650 drams. Citizens must register in advance to obtain it, and the passport application process now includes several new steps.
If your blue passport has expired, you must first register online at haypass.am to obtain a new document. Only then can you visit the relevant office to provide your fingerprints, sign and have your photograph taken.
As of November 1, 14 offices are operating in Armenia. In Yerevan, the new passport can be issued at offices located in the Yerevan Mall and Megamall shopping centers. After submitting their personal data, citizens receive a receipt with a QR code, which they scan at a special device. The device recognizes their profile, and their information appears on the screen before the passport is sent for printing. This process takes just 3 minutes.
The new passport can be collected from the same office 14 days after applying. An identity card is also required to apply for it. The identity card costs 5,950 drams and is valid for 5 years.
The government reminds citizens that the introduction of new biometric passports is also linked to Armenia’s relations with the European Union. However, Armenia still has more than 70 tasks to complete on its path toward the EU, and every step and detail matters in this process.
The new passport also features several design changes: the image of Mount Ararat and the holder’s patronymic will no longer appear in it. Instead, the visual design incorporates images of a dove of peace that create the impression of movement when the passport pages are flipped quickly.
The introduction of the new passport is not merely a change in the document’s appearance or the way it is obtained. The use of biometric data is also a technical requirement that matters for international travel and document recognition. For this reason, the efficiency of the process depends not only on new equipment but also on providing citizens with services that are understandable and accessible.
In the context of closer ties with the European Union, modernizing the passport system is one part of the process, not its completion. The reminder that more than 70 steps remain shows that introducing a new document does not mean that travel conditions to the EU have already changed for Armenian citizens. Therefore, the ability to obtain a new passport and the right to travel to Europe without additional restrictions on the basis of that passport should be regarded as two separate matters.
