Citizens Worry About Long Lines at Passport Offices

For quite some time now, citizens have been raising concerns about the never-ending lines at the Passport and Visa Department offices. This time, Facebook user David Sargsyan posted on his page: “Friends, are you aware of what’s happening at the passport offices? Right now, there are 142 people in line. Could this be the end of the world? Update—conclusion. It seems that if a person has a job, they have no means to do anything at the passport office. Or they have to take a day off at their own expense.”

Earlier, a statement was released indicating that the Passport and Visa Department of the Police of the Republic of Armenia and the territorial passport services are operating in an overloaded mode due to the simultaneous presence of several factors. The police reported, “We inform you that the number of applicants for obtaining or exchanging passports sharply increases, primarily during the summer months, due to seasonal characteristics. In particular, there has been a rise in cases of our compatriots applying for passports for vacation abroad, as well as requests from Armenian citizens arriving from foreign countries to obtain or exchange passports.”

“However, 2022 is significantly different from previous years, as there has been an unprecedented increase in applications for Armenian citizenship from our compatriots living abroad. For comparison, the number of applications for Armenian citizenship in the January-June period of 2021 was 3,448, while during the same period in 2022, the number rose to 9,917—almost three times more.”

“There has also been a substantial increase in applications for obtaining or exchanging Armenian passports. A large number of the applicants are Armenian citizens living in foreign countries who, while staying in Armenia during the summer, apply for Armenian passports or to exchange their expired passports.” In addition, this year there has been an increase in the number of foreigners arriving in Armenia for long-term residence and work, who apply to the Passport and Visa Department or territorial passport services for legalizing their residence in Armenia, registering, and obtaining identification numbers for public services.

“There has been a rise in the number of applicants seeking Armenian citizenship and passports through Armenian diplomatic missions in foreign countries, which has led to electronic queue management for citizens at embassies and consulates. Due to the significant increase in applications, the possibility of scheduling appointments at these institutions has already been exhausted for the next 2-3 months. Therefore, individuals prefer to arrive in Armenia to carry out the necessary procedures on-site, both for obtaining citizenship and for obtaining or exchanging passports.”

The above-mentioned factors, as well as several others—such as the registration of children for school, issuance of registration and public service identification documents—have resulted in large queues at the Passport and Visa Department and territorial passport services. The Passport and Visa Department is making every effort within its human and material resources to ensure the proper service of applicants and the timely processing of their applications in accordance with the law. Discussions are also underway regarding the possibility of providing some services electronically.

At the same time, the Passport and Visa Department urges citizens seeking assistance not to complicate the situation further by taking more than one ticket from the queue management devices installed at the passport services, to obtain a queue ticket only for themselves without registering for friends or relatives, and to exhibit proper behavior while in line,” is noted in the clarification from the Passport and Visa Department of the Police of the Republic of Armenia.