The Head of the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Interior Ministry of Armenia, Nelly Davtyan, has announced that the EU visa liberalisation action plan is expected to be finalised by June of this year.
Such a comment from Davtyan was made following the arrival of the second EU expert mission in ArmeniaSchengen.News reports.
Since the authorities are still working on the action plan, it is still unclear what exactly it will include. However, Davtyan noted that based on the experience of other countries who have reached a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU, predictions about the requirements can be made.
The action plan will be developed by June, which will no longer be a negotiable document. As much as we picture what the document is going to say based on the experience of other countries, we will be able to make concrete predictions about the requirements under the defined targets when we will have the document.
As for a possible timeframe on when the visa-free travel agreement could enter into force, Davtyan said that she cannot make any comments on the matter, Armenpress explains.
Biometric Passport Essential for Armenia’s EU Visa Liberalisation Bid
One of the requirements that Armenia needs to fulfil in order to be able to advance in the visa liberalisation talks with the bloc is the issuance of biometric passports and identification cards.
According to Davtyan, biometric systems are a direct requirement from the EU partners that will enable Armenians to enjoy freedom of movement. The same noted that the work around this matter is in process.
The most difficult infrastructure, which was a novelty for Armenia, was the introduction of the biometric passport, with the work around it in process.
Armenia is set to start issuing biometric passports and identification cards in the second half of 2026. The country issued biometric passports from 2021 until 2017.
Armenia stopped issuing such documents around eight years ago due to the expiration of the contract with a Polish company responsible for carrying out such services.
The visa liberalisation agreement with the EU is a very important step for Armenia as it will allow all Armenian passport holders to travel to the bloc for short stays without the need to apply for a visa.
The Armenian parliament has already passed the bill on starting the accession process. The bill was supported by 64 Armenian lawmakers in its second reading.