Police Explanation on Indicating Birthplace as 'Azerbaijan' in Armenian Citizens' Passports

On March 2, a post by user ‘Arsen Shur Karapetyan’ circulated on the internet regarding the indication of 'Azerbaijan' as the birthplace in the passports of Armenian citizens. The Police of the Republic of Armenia has clarified that passports for Armenian citizens are issued when the stipulated legal grounds are present.

The relationships concerning the acquisition of Armenian citizenship and the issuance of Armenian passports are regulated by the laws on 'Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia' and 'Passports of the Republic of Armenia' along with relevant sub-legislative acts. The law on 'Passports of the Republic of Armenia' clearly defines the details that the passport must contain, including the birthplace.

In every case, the birthplace indicated in an Armenian citizen's passport is the country noted in the documents presented by the individual (such as a birth certificate or identity document issued by a foreign state). Therefore, if an individual acquires an Armenian passport by presenting a document that lists their birthplace as 'Azerbaijan SSR', then their Armenian passport will reflect 'Azerbaijan'.

Regarding the question of why 'Azerbaijan' is used instead of 'Azerbaijan SSR', it should be clarified that an Armenian passport is a travel document and must comply with international standards. The names of countries and their three-digit codes are established according to the criteria set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

According to these standards, there is no writing form for former Soviet republics, and these countries are designated without the 'SSR' notation. For this reason, the birthplace in the Armenian passport has always been indicated in accordance with these standards; for example, Armenia, Georgia, Estonia, Azerbaijan, etc.