Working in Armenia in 2026: work permits, who needs none, and working for yourself

Until 1 November 2026 Armenia still applies its wider list of people who work without a permit, and temporary residence costs 105,000 drams. Then hiring moves onto one online platform with a new work entry visa. Here is who can work straight away, how an employer hires you, and how to work for yourself as an entrepreneur.

In detail

Armenia is open to foreign workers: a visa-free foreigner can stay up to 180 days in a year, look for a job and apply for status from inside the country. What decides your route is whether you already hold a status that lets you work, whether an Armenian employer hires you, or whether you work for yourself.

The rules change on 1 November 2026. Law HO-11-N of 20 January 2026 moves every residence application onto a single online platform of the Migration and Citizenship Service, adds a work entry visa and rewrites the list of people who can sign an employment contract without a separate permit. Applications filed before the platform launches, no later than 1 November, are processed under the current rules, with the wider list of people who need no permit and the current fee of 105,000 drams. File in time: a manager will check your route.

Who can work in Armenia without a work permit

From 1 November 2026 the Law on Foreigners lists 14 groups who sign an employment or services contract without a permit to stay for work. The main ones for people moving to Armenia:

• permanent residents, for the term of their status;
• temporary residents on four grounds: study, research or innovation; family, meaning the spouse, parent or child of an Armenian citizen or status holder; entrepreneurship; and Armenian origin;
• citizens of Eurasian Economic Union countries and others who have the right to work under international treaties, once they hold a public services number;
• accredited journalists, specialists arriving under international treaties, performers on tour, and refugees.

Until 1 November the wider list still applies: founders and heads of companies with majority foreign capital, staff of foreign company branches, invited lecturers and researchers, highly qualified specialists, professional athletes and graduates of Armenian institutions in their first year also work without a permit. From November these groups go through the employer route or another ground, such as entrepreneurship or research. If you are in one of them, file before 1 November and keep the simpler route.

How an Armenian employer hires a foreigner

Since 1 January 2022 an employer files applications for employment-based residence only online. Until 1 November 2026 the vacancy is first posted on the unified electronic platform for at least 15 working days so the employment authority can check whether Armenian citizens can fill it; then the foreigner gets a work permit and a temporary residence card for its term.

From 1 November 2026 the process runs through the new platform:

• the employer submits the application and the contract, and the authority decides within 30 days, taking into account the annual residence quotas set by the government;
• the contract runs for the term of your status, visa or permit, and must cover travel, social security and insurance, housing, registration and return for you and your family;
• after status is granted, the contract is signed within 15 working days;
• if the job ends early, you have 15 working days to sign a new contract with another employer.

An application is approved when the job does not require Armenian citizenship, the documents are correct, and the employer has a clean record with foreign staff. We check all three before the employer files.

The work entry visa

The reform adds a work entry visa. It lets a foreigner come to Armenia for short-term work, apply for employment-based residence from inside the country or collect the residence document. It gives up to 120 days, single or multiple entry, is not extended and is issued once a calendar year. The visa provisions start working once Armenia launches its new electronic entry visa system. Nationals of visa-free countries enter on the usual terms and apply from inside Armenia within their 180 days.

Working for yourself: individual entrepreneur or company

Many newcomers keep their foreign clients and work for themselves. Entrepreneurship is a separate ground for temporary residence, and a resident on this ground works without a work permit. From 1 November 2026 an individual entrepreneur supports residence with 1 million drams (about $2,770) in its accounts or the same turnover within 60 days before applying, and a stake in an Armenian company with 2 million drams (about $5,535) in share capital or shares.

An entrepreneur on turnover tax pays 10% of turnover for services and trade plus 5,000 drams (about $14) a month. The tax regime is chosen within 20 days of registration. After 3 years of temporary status within the last 5 years, an entrepreneur can get permanent residence for 5 years. For a company, see company registration in Armenia.

Remote work for a foreign employer

A remote employee of a foreign company works for a client abroad, so the question is status rather than a work permit. For a stay longer than 180 days a year, remote workers most often register as individual entrepreneurs or use the family or study ground. A non-resident pays no Armenian tax on foreign salary, while a tax resident pays 20%. The full list of grounds is on the page Armenia residence permit.

Family

From 1 November 2026 the family ground covers the spouse, parent and child of an Armenian citizen or of a foreigner with residence or refugee status. A family member with temporary residence on this ground works without a work permit. When you move for a job, the employment contract covers your family's travel, insurance and housing.

Fees and timelines

Dollar amounts use the Central Bank of Armenia rate of 15 October 2026, 361.49 drams to the dollar, and are rounded up. Until the platform launches, temporary residence costs 105,000 drams and the wider list of people who need no permit applies; afterwards it costs 155,950 drams and the list is shorter. File in time: a manager will check your route and calculate the total for your family in the chat.

Taxes on salary

A salary from an Armenian employer is taxed at 20%, and the employer withholds it. A tax resident, a person who spends 183 days or more in Armenia in a calendar year or keeps the centre of vital interests there, pays 20% on worldwide income. Rates and contributions are on the page Armenia taxes.

How to get approved the first time

• a job that does not require Armenian citizenship;
• a complete and accurate application with a translated passport;
• an employer with a clean record of hiring foreigners;
• an application filed while your stay is lawful, ideally well before the 180 days run out;
• for an individual entrepreneur, the account balance or turnover in place before you apply;
• for a family, marriage and birth certificates translated into Armenian.

We will help you start working in Armenia

We choose the route for your job, business and family, prepare the employer's application or register your individual entrepreneur, open a bank account and handle residence through to the card. For the bigger picture, see moving to Armenia and our overview of Armenia.

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