- How can you get Armenian citizenship?
- The first foundation is the recognition of Armenian citizenship
- Naturalization is the path to Armenian citizenship
It is interesting that the law "On Citizenship" in the Republic of Armenia was adopted in November 1995, since then it has remained practically unchanged, which underlines the seriousness of the developers' attitude to the preparation of this important document. Therefore, potential applicants should not have any particular difficulties in obtaining Armenian citizenship; they need to carefully read the law and unswervingly comply with its requirements.
In 2007, another law was adopted, called “On Dual Citizenship”. According to many politicians, the issue of the institution of dual citizenship is in a certain sense artificial. But representatives of the authorities, in particular the Minister of Justice, note that without this bill it is difficult to resolve many issues in a country where the Armenian diaspora that exists abroad is many times greater than the number of citizens living directly on the territory of Armenia.
How can you get Armenian citizenship?
According to the law "On Citizenship" in the country at the moment there are several principles for acquiring citizenship. This list includes the principles that have received worldwide recognition: by birthright; by law of origin; by naturalization. Other grounds for acquiring Armenian citizenship differ from what can be found in world practice, first of all, the recognition of citizenship and the group acquisition of citizenship.
The list also includes the restoration of the civil rights of a person who has lost them for any reason, sometimes other reasons are applied in practice that are not prescribed in the law, but act on the basis of international treaties concluded by Armenia with other states.
The first foundation is the recognition of Armenian citizenship
Since the law on citizenship was adopted when Armenia was taking the first steps towards independence, there was a question about attributing former citizens of the Armenian SSR to the citizens of the new state. They had to decide within a year the issue of their further citizenship.
All stateless persons or citizens of other republics of the Soviet Union who lived in Armenia had the opportunity to obtain Armenian citizenship through recognition. For three years, they were asked to determine their citizenship. And in the same list there are Armenians who were on the consular register, that is, who lived outside their historical homeland.
Naturalization is the path to Armenian citizenship
Granting citizenship is today the most optimal way to obtain an Armenian passport. Article 13 of the Constitution spells out the basic conditions for a potential candidate: coming of age, reaching the age of 18; three years of residence in the country; basic knowledge of the Armenian language, sufficient for communication; respect for the Constitution.
The cost of living, the period of residence in the territory of Armenia, can be reduced in the presence of respectful conditions, similar to those found in world practice. It is possible not to comply with the requirement for the period of residence when registering a marriage, at birth on the territory of Armenia, in this case, after the age of majority, before the expiration of three years of residence, you must declare your desire to be admitted to citizenship. The same applies to ethnic Armenians who returned to their historical homeland. If they express a desire to live in Armenia, they can obtain citizenship immediately upon arrival.
It is interesting that the law stipulates the requirement for the level of the language as sufficient for communication. At the same time, admission to the citizenship of Armenia takes place after the potential applicant reads the oath, which is written in Armenian. Thus, the level of the language should be significantly higher, a person should be able not only to speak, but also to read in Armenian. The second interesting point is spelled out in article 15 of the law - by the decree of the Armenian president, it is possible to admit a group of persons to citizenship at once, the main reason is repatriation.
Chapter 3 of the Constitution protects the rights of children, various issues are considered, for example, obtaining citizenship by birth, the citizenship of a child due to a change in the citizenship of the parents. Issues related to the acquisition of civil rights by adopted children are considered separately. And an important remark - when changing the citizenship of minor children before the age of 14, the decision is made by guardians or parents, from 14 to 18 years old - his written consent is required. After coming of age, a young person has the right to independently decide the issue of citizenship.
Instead of the term “loss of citizenship”, the Armenian constitution uses the term “termination of citizenship”. The grounds are voluntary (independent refusal, change) and involuntary, when a person has acquired a passport, presenting false documents, providing false information.
