No Longer Required: Validity Stamp in Passport When Traveling Abroad

According to a decision by the Armenian government, starting January 1, 2024, it will no longer be mandatory for Armenian citizens' old model passports to have a validity stamp for travel to foreign countries. The widely recognized round stamp of validity in passports will not be required when traveling to another state. The passport is considered valid abroad.

In an interview with Armenpress, Arthur Petrosyan, head of the visa department at the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs's consular division, stated that as a result of this change, citizens will no longer be obliged to apply for additional passport services or visit Armenian embassies abroad to obtain the validity stamp. This will significantly ease the burden on citizens.

“Moreover, issuing such a stamp has long been an outdated practice in international relations. The Armenian government decided to eliminate this component and accepted the passport as valid simply by marking its general term. As you know, there is no such requirement for biometric passports, which meant that in the case of an old style passport, additional validation was needed, while in the case of a biometric passport, it was absent. With this change, passports become equal in that respect,” said Petrosyan during the interview.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed all diplomatic representations of foreign countries operating in Armenia about this change. Additionally, Armenian embassies operating in other countries have notified all external offices of the accredited states about these changes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also shared this information on relevant platforms of the International Air Transport Association, utilized by airports, carriers, and border services worldwide.

“Since we have been adequately informing since last October, we hope that there will be no issues while traveling. In any case, to protect our citizens from such problems, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has created a special section on its website, where these changes are detailed in three languages. If issues do arise, our citizens can refer to the official website of the ministry as a primary proof,” said the ministry's representative.

To reach as many citizens as possible, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an SMS notification to subscribers with the help of three mobile operators operating in Armenia. The message contains information about the change, as well as a link to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs's website, where the change is described in detail in three languages. The aim is to provide citizens with quick access to this information.