Biometric ID card templates for foreigners and stateless persons in Armenia approved - Ministry of Internal Affairs
YEREVAN, January 21. /ARКА/. The Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced the approval of new biometric ID card designs for foreigners, stateless individuals, and holders of permanent residence permits in Armenia.
The new ID cards are produced by IN Groupe, whose office in Ostrava, Czech Republic, was recently visited by Nelly Davtyan, the Head of the Migration and Citizenship Service at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia. During her visit, she conducted working meetings with production managers, designers involved in the biometric system implementation project, and printing experts.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasized that the documentation approval process has reached a crucial phase, and the new regulations pertain to individuals for whom standardized and practically usable documents previously did not exist – specifically, stateless persons and those with refugee status living in Armenia.
These individuals will receive an ID card that enables them to confirm their identity within the country without needing a passport or a travel document meant solely for border crossing.
Additionally, a distinct document will be provided for foreign nationals serving in diplomatic missions within the Republic of Armenia. This document will be crafted from polycarbonate and will fully adhere to international security standards.
During Davtyan's visit to the IN Groupe office, discussions also took place regarding the various stages of issuing biometric passports for Armenian citizens—from the approval of the cover to the pages that contain personal data and visas, as well as the rollout of a comprehensive self-service system.
Regarding the implementation of the biometric system, in August 2024, the government made the decision to issue ID cards and biometric passports in a new format for Armenian citizens.
The French consortium "IDEMIA Identity Security France and A.C.I. Technology S.à.r.l.", which won the tender, is creating the necessary infrastructure.
In April 2025, an agreement was signed in Armenia with HAYPASS, a company created by this consortium, which will directly implement the biometric passport and ID card system in Armenia. The design of the biometric ID cards, including background graphics, security features, and data fields, was approved. According to the schedule, their issuance will begin in the second half of 2026.
The implementation of the biometric system, specifically the provision of new biometric passports and ID cards, is the first step in Armenia's planned reforms to implement the Visa Liberalization Action Plan with the EU.-0-