EMBASSY OF ARMENIA IN ABU DHABI STARTS ACCEPTING CITIZENSHIP APPLICATIONS
Azad Hye
Aug 25 2008
Dubai, UAE
In 2007 the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia was amended and
appropriate legislation was passed allowing dual citizenship, thus
paving the road in front of the Diaspora Armenians for acquiring
Armenian citizenship. Until then, Chapter 1 of the Law of the
Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, which was signed in 1995 by
President Levon Ter Petrossian, stated clearly, "a citizen of the
Republic of Armenia may not be a citizen of another country at the
same time".
Following the adopted changes, thousands of future citizens have
already filed for the Armenian citizenship. Under this legislation,
persons of Armenian descent who live in foreign countries can file for
the Armenian citizenship through the Embassies, while the procedure
takes no more than a year.
The Consular Office of the Embassy of Armenia in Abu Dhabi has taken
all measures to accept citizenship applications. Questions such as
how to apply, what documents are needed, how the applications will be
processed, are all clearly answered by the Embassy staff. Already, in
the past few months Ambassador Vahagn Melikian met with the Armenian
Community members in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait, in three separate
occasions, providing extensive explanations about the procedures
involved in the process of applying for the citizenship. This was a
great encouragement for the community members. It also helped them
to benefit from their summer vacations in order to secure official
documents from their original countries, required for the citizenship
process. It is expected that after the summer vacations considerable
number of Armenians will be applying for the citizenship through the
Abu Dhabi Embassy.
"Dual citizenship is an important mechanism that is further bringing
together the Homeland and the Diaspora. We are ready in the Consulate
to provide every single detail and assistance that will make the
applying for Armenian citizenship a memorable event for all those
who have the will to start a new kind of relationship with Armenia,
based on full citizenship, with all accruing rights and duties",
said Marat Melikian, Consul in Abu Dhabi.
Information about the documents required to apply for the Armenian
citizenship and the application form are available below.
Until recently the Diaspora Armenians were granted Special Residency
Status in the form of Special Armenian Passports. This enabled them
to travel into Armenia without visa. In Armenia they enjoyed the
full protection of the law, as well as the rights and obligations of
Armenian citizens, except for the right to vote and to run for office,
enroll in political organizations or serve in the army.
The new law will create new waves of Armenians heading toward
Armenia. Thus, the law will have far-reaching positive results. A
dual citizen will have all the rights of an Armenian citizen except
running for the presidency or for a seat in the National Assembly. That
does not mean dual citizens will never be able to serve in those
posts. After living in Armenia for 10 years, they may give up their
other citizenship and receive full rights.
As far as the Armenian government is concerned, dual citizens are first
and foremost citizens of Armenia. They have the same duties toward
the country as any Armenian citizen would. That includes serving in
the military, except for those who have served in another army for
12 months and those who have passed the age of 27.
Dual citizens will be completely under the jurisdiction of the Armenian
government. This means that the Armenian authorities will consider
them as Armenian citizens and they will not be able to ask for trial
under foreign penal codes.
On of the issues that needs to be looked into is paying
taxation. International tax agreements between Armenia and other
countries will ensure that the individual does not pay the same tax
twice in two separate countries.
The introduction of dual citizenship in Armenia will certainly
encourage investments in the long run. It is a completely different
thing to be a citizen enjoying full participation in the civil,
political and other aspects of the country, than feeling a kind of
vague moral obligation towards it.
Although this new law came too late (it was first discussed in
1991), however it will be a good opportunity to provide Armenia with
the means of development and further progress. The authorities in
Armenia were hesitant in the past and they opposed to the concept
of dual citizenship fearing that new citizens will have significant
influence on the voting scene in Armenia. With the gradual advent
of the new law, especially after having a five year term secured
to President Serzh Sargsyan, the new citizens of Armenia will not
create any political imbalance in the country and by the time the next
Presidential elections are due, the new voters will be integrated in
the mainstream politics and will not create any accumulative advantage
in favor of any particular political party.
It is far from reality that all of the Armenians will be involved in
the citizenship acquiring process. Those who are most likely to apply
for the citizenship are in fact those who left Armenia in the last
two decades (especially after the 1995 law) and have subsequently
adopted the citizenship of their new environments. The majority of
these people have members of their families back in Armenia and they
continue to maintain plots of land or property there. Their number is
not less than 700,000 and they currently live in three major locations:
Russia, the United States and Europe.
The second group of Diaspora Armenians who will be inclined to ask
for Armenian citizenship are the Armenians of neighboring countries,
such as Georgia (a drive that will be escalated after the recent
clashes between Georgia and Russia), Iran and Middle Eastern Arab
countries. Armenia is considered a better economic and social
environment for these Armenians compared to their present host
countries. Especially the potential of Armenia is considered brighter
than the politically and economically unstable Middle East countries,
although at the present time there are many similarities between these
countries and Armenia. A third and smaller wave of Armenians could be
those currently residing in the United States, Canada and Europe for
a long time, but who have maintained ties with the motherland and
who are engaged in charity work or have already established their
businesses in Armenia.
Thus, the practice of dual citizenship will attract more Diaspora
Armenians back to Armenia and encourage them to invest more there. This
can lead to a rise in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Armenia,
as more Diaspora Armenians will feel secure about their investments
or property acquisitions there. Eventually, Diaspora Armenians will be
more active participants in the social and political life in Armenia.
Questions and Answers:
If someone has a valid Special Residency Status for 10 year term,
can he/she still apply for Citizenship?
Yes, he/she can still apply for the full citizenship. When the full
citizenship is eventually granted, the Special Residency Status will
stop being useful for the same person.
What are the documents required for applying the citizenship?
Diaspora Armenians need to secure the following documents for their
applications:
Note: The documents either should be in Armenian or translated into
Armenian language.
1- Application form (see form in PDF format below). The form could
be collected from the Embassy (see Embassy contact details below)
2- Self described curriculum vitae or biography.
3- Original passport and copy of it (additionally, copy of the Special
Residency Status / Special Armenian Passport should be provided, if
applicable). Those who do not have proper passports need to provide
copy of their travel document or certificate of non-citizenship.
4- Six photos of the following size: 35X45mm
5- Health certificate: issued by a general practitioner or a clinic.
6- Police clearance certificate (penal record) related to the countries
where the person has lived in the past ten years.
7- Employment letter.
8- Birth certificate and its copy.
9- A document that proves the Armenian ancestry of the individual. This
can be a baptism certificate from an Armenian Church or birth
certificate of first-degree relative (parents, grandparents, brothers,
sisters) or any other document that proves the ethnic origin.
Other categories such as those married to citizens of Armenia or
those who possessed in the past Armenian citizenship and failed to
keep it because dual citizenship was not allowed, are required to
provide fewer documents. Check with the Consulate to know the exact
requirements for each case.
When submitting the application, there is a small test to be taken
with 30 questions related to the Armenian constitution. The test is
simple and most answers are logical multiple choices.
In one-year time, the individual whose application is accepted will be
required to travel to Armenia and attend special oath taking ceremony,
together with other lucky applicants from all around the world.
Information about the documents required to apply for the Armenian
citizenship (PDF format, in Armenian language)
Application form (PDF format, in Armenian language). Note: The actual
application form comes in the shape of A3 size folded paper (two A4
size papers in one piece).
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Abu Dhabi H.E. Vahagn Melikian,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Tel: +971 2 4444196
(Consular office: +971 2 4444128) Fax: (971 2) 4444197