Whether Money Was Demanded from a Citizen at the Passport and Visa Office: Clarification

The head of the Passport and Visa Department, Mnatsakan Bichakhchyan, has provided clarification on his Facebook page regarding rumors circulating online that money was demanded from a citizen at the Passport and Visa Office.

Below is the full clarification:

“In connection with the video circulating on the internet, I personally contacted the citizen, Armen Eduardi Hovakimyan (born 06.09.1981), via video call. He informed me that after personally watching his interview, he felt that he had miscommunicated and gave the impression that he was asked for money by the Passport and Visa Office.

Armen Eduardi Hovakimyan applied to the Passport and Visa Office for Armenian citizenship. There were discrepancies in the personal data in the birth certificate and passport (regarding his father’s name: Eduard - Edik). He was advised to align the documents with each other, after which his application would be accepted. After that, one of his acquaintances suggested that it might be possible to resolve the issue with money.

Armen Hovakimyan assured that no employees of the Passport and Visa Office or any state institution had requested money from him.

Note: Since I am fully aware of the issue and we have excellent cooperation with the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Office, I have invited the citizen to meet with me along with all his documents (birth certificate, diploma, Russian passport). We will discuss the correction of the birth certificate with the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Office, after which it will be possible to accept his application for obtaining Armenian citizenship.”