NSS Proposes to Tighten Citizenship Acquisition Procedures for Diaspora Armenians

The National Security Service (NSS) has proposed that a mandatory requirement for individuals of Armenian descent who do not have Armenian citizenship to have resided legally in Armenia for at least 60 days over the last two years in order to obtain citizenship.

According to the Constitution, individuals of Armenian descent have the right to acquire Armenian citizenship upon residing in Armenia, but the Law on Citizenship does not specify when a person is considered to have settled in Armenia. Specifically, any individual of Armenian descent who is over 18 years old, capable, and residing either in a foreign country or legally in Armenia has the right to apply for Armenian citizenship if they have continuously resided in Armenia for the last three years as stipulated by law. It is defined that individuals of Armenian descent without citizenship, whose guardian is an Armenian citizen, can obtain citizenship without adhering to the aforementioned requirements.

The NSS states that the law has provided greater opportunities for individuals of Armenian descent to obtain citizenship than what is enshrined in the Constitution. The current legislation aims to promote repatriation, but studies conducted in recent years by the NSS have revealed that many individuals seeking Armenian citizenship based on their Armenian descent, particularly citizens from Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, have never been to Armenia or visit infrequently, typically every 4-5 years. In some cases, they only come to apply for citizenship and generally do not engage in activities beneficial to Armenia. Additionally, there have been instances where individuals have used their Armenian citizenship, once acquired, merely to gain the opportunity to travel to other countries.

The NSS has concluded that the encouraging norms established for individuals of Armenian descent do not fully ensure the realization of the objectives set in the law. “It is clear that in the case of foreign countries, especially in certain instances of acute political tension and areas of military operations, it often becomes unrealistic for the NSS, with limited resources and within short timeframes, to conduct a thorough and comprehensive verification of the biographical data of individuals seeking Armenian citizenship, including the credibility of their Armenian descent,” the justification states.