Armenia keeps visa-free access open for 111 nationalities through July 2027

Eligible travelers must hold a valid residence permit from the US, EU, Schengen area, or select Gulf states, with at least six months' validity at the time of entry

Armenia has extended its conditional visa exemption for another 12 months, covering nationals of 111 countries from July 1, 2026, through July 1, 2027. Under the arrangement, passport holders from the listed nations can skip the visa requirement as long as they carry a residence permit from one of nine approved jurisdictions, according to the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The arrangement first launched on January 1, 2026, and was originally set to expire on July 1. This renewal keeps the same basic structure in place while making a small adjustment to the number of eligible nationalities.

Who qualifies

The exemption is not an open-door policy. To take advantage of it, a traveler must meet two conditions simultaneously: they must hold a passport from one of the 111 listed nations, and they must carry a valid residence permit issued by the US, any EU member state, any Schengen area country, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or Oman.

That permit needs to be good for a minimum of six more months on the day the traveler crosses the Armenian border. Anyone who meets both criteria can stay in the country for up to 180 days within a rolling one-year window.

Two countries dropped from the list

The original version of the policy covered 113 nationalities. The updated list published for the July 2026 to July 2027 period has been trimmed to 111, with Sudan and Yemen no longer included. No official explanation was given for the removal.

What counts as a valid residence permit at the border

Armenian border officials will check that the residence permit is presented in a verifiable format. That can be either a physical card or a sticker inside the passport. The document needs to display the traveler's key identifying information in Latin characters: the name of the document itself, the holder's first and last name, nationality, date of birth, and the period of validity written according to the Gregorian calendar.

Before heading to the airport, travelers should confirm that their permit is clearly legible, has the required validity, and is in an accepted format to avoid any issues at the Armenian border.

What if you don't qualify

People who do not tick both boxes will need to go through Armenia's regular entry process. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers an online tool for checking what applies based on nationality and travel document type. Depending on their profile, travelers may need to submit a standard visa application or use Armenia's official eVisa system.

Full list of eligible countries

The 111 countries covered by Armenia's temporary visa exemption from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027, are listed below by region.

Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Asia and the Middle East: Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kiribati, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam.

Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia.

The Americas and the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela.