Armenian lawyer calls for free biometric documents for displaced persons

Lawyer Anush Shahramanyan has urged the Armenian government to provide new biometric passports and ID cards free of charge to individuals displaced from Artsakh.

As the official process for issuing biometric documents begins in Armenia on November 1, new ID cards are set to cost 5,950 AMD and passports 28,650 AMD. Shahramanyan argues that these costs represent a significant financial burden for families of two to ten members, potentially hindering their ability to obtain Armenian citizenship, which is a prerequisite for accessing housing assistance programs.

She noted that displaced persons already face extensive administrative hurdles, including long queues at state agencies and lengthy notary or judicial processes for document recovery. While certain notary costs are covered by programs from the Federation of Lawyers of Armenia and the UNHCR, the lawyer maintains that the government should extend fee waivers to these new biometric documents to support the integration and documentation process for the displaced population.