Procedures for Name Changes and Marriage Registrations to be Simplified

The government has submitted a draft law to parliament aimed at simplifying the procedures for accessing civil registration services, with some services to be available electronically, thus reducing administrative burdens.

The package of draft laws regarding civil status act registration was presented at a National Assembly session by Vahe Danielyan, Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia. He stated, “The drafts establish a new system for the registration of civil status acts. Applications will be accepted by service centers, which may include both a unified office and private authorized operators of territorial bodies of civil registration agencies or consulates of foreign states, while registrations will be conducted by the Ministry of Justice, eliminating direct contact between the applicant and the decision-maker.”

It is planned to allow electronic submissions of applications, and that civil registration services will also be provided through an online platform,” added Danielyan.

He noted that this year the first electronic service in this field was implemented, providing information on family status. Two additional services have since been added. These changes will enable the transfer of civil registration services to an electronic platform.

The Deputy Minister assured that they have reduced administrative burdens in almost all processes. In particular, the requirement for notarized translations of documents issued by foreign states has been removed. Now, it is enough to have the translator's signature on the certified Armenian translation.