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Note!
Regulations and requirements may be subject to change at short notice!
passports & visas
Passport required except for holders of return
certificates and refugee travel documents. Passports or passport
replacing documents must be valid at least for the period of the
validity of the visa.
Visa required, except for: Nationals of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan,
Bulgaria, Cuba, Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia Federal Republic; |
Last updated: 10 April 2006
a r m e n i a
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Holders of the following documents, issued by Armenia: special residency
passports, temporary and exclusively residency cards, return certificates
(re-entry permit);
Nationals of China and Iran, holding diplomatic or service passports for a stay
of maximum three months; Those continuing within three days to CIS country,
provided all documents required for the destination.
Transit visa is required if Armenia is a stopping point to
travel on to other countries. This type of visa can be obtained only in case of
having basic visa. Transit visa is valid for three days.
Visa may be issued by consulates or embassies of Armenia.
Visa also is available upon arrival at the airport to any passengers for a stay
not exceeding 21 days. Visa's cost is $ 30 or equivalent in Drams.
No letter of invitation is required from Armenia to obtain a
single-entry tourist visa for a stay up to 21 days. For stays of longer than 21
days or any other type of visa, an official invitation is required.
For stays longer than three months, a residency permit must
be obtained through the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan.
Attention! The Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers an
opportunity to obtain visa on-line:
Electronical
Visa
Visa applications: http://www.armeniaforeignministry.com
getting in
The main way to Armenia, due to the geopolitical situation of the region is by
air. Airport "Zvartnots" is 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of Yerevan. You can come from the
Airport to Yerevan by bus (journey time-30 minutes, cost of
the ticket is $0.3 -$0.4) or minibus (working hours: 08.00 - 20.00) and taxi (cost to the city center
is about $ 15-20). It is recommended to negotiate the price before the journey.
Mini-busses are going to Armenia from Georgia several times a day every day. Ticket cost 6 500 Armenian
Drams (AMD), which is around $12,00 depends on rate of USD. Trip: 5-6 hours with the lunch-stop.
vaccinations
No vaccinations are
required to enter Armenia for any country. No risk of inflectional diseases in
tourist areas.
duty free
The following goods may be imported into Armenia by persons of
18 years of age or older without incurring customs duty: 400 cigarettes;
1 bottle of alcoholic beverage; 5 kg of perfume (or perfume to the value of US$500) for personal use;
other goods up to the amount of US$500, for personal use only.
Prohibited imports: Weapons and ammunition, narcotics, pornography, fruit
and vegetables.
Prohibited exports: Works of art and antiques (unless permission has been
granted by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport: Tel: +(374 1) 52 9349 (reception room),
52 3922 (general dept).
An export tax is payable on each item.
Currency restrictions: Export of foreign currency of more than $10000 or other currency equivalent
to more than $10000, is allowable upon the presence of a currency declaration about
import of currency, or a certificate given by banks and exchange points. There are no other
restrictions, including restrictions on import of foreign currency. There are no
limits on goods (such as perfume, cigarettes, or alcohol) brought into Armenia
from another country, provided that they are for personal use.
exit duty
Exit duty for departing air passengers (AMD 10000 closely to USD 20) is levied
on all passengers embarking in Armenia for destinations abroad at the airport of
departure.
Exceptions: Eligible dependants under 12 years; transit passengers; representatives of the
International Organizations registered in Ministry of Foreign Affairs of RA;
holders of diplomatic passports; employees of foreign Embassies and Consulates
and members of their families; Officials and Participants of Delegations
arriving in Armenia at the invitation of the President of Armenia, Chairman of
the National Assembly, Chairman of Constitutional Court, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
time
GMT + 3 (GMT + 4 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
money
Armenian national currency is Dram (AMD)= 100 luma.
Printed in denominations of AMD 20,000, 5000, 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 25 and 10.
Note! Visitors using the national currency are advised to carry
small change as some shops and, particularly markets, may be unable to
accept large denominations.
Currency exchange: Currency can be changed in the currency exchange points available everywhere
in the city. Exchange Offices are open until midnight or even round the clock and operate at
weekends and on public holidays. US Dollars and Euro are the most widely recognized foreign currency.
The other currency can be easily changed at banks.
There is no limitation on the amount of money exchanged. No exchange commission is charged.
Rate (per $US): 451,57 (10 Apr 2006)
Credit & debit cards: These are accepted in hotels, numerous restaurant and shops. Numerous cash dispensers available in
Yerevan.
Travellers cheques: These are accepted in a few shops and hotels.
Travellers are advised to take
travellers cheques in US Dollars
telephony
The country code for Armenia is 374. The area code for Yerevan is 1 but 9 for mobile phones.
Local calls: can be made from the street by card operated telephones.
International calls: can be made by dialing 00+country code or by an operator assisted call through dialing
107. Either call can be made from the Post building on the Republic Square as
well as from many private international phone service providers available in
Yerevan.
Mobile telephone: GSM 900 network is in use. Coverage is limited to Yerevan and the
west of the country.
transport
Armenia uses the right - side movement principle. Transport connection between cities
is by buses and mini-vans. Principle transportation in Yerevan - bus, trolley bus, subway, taxi
and mini-vans (marshrutka). To use marshrutka you should know an exact number of it,
which depends on the destination. However, if you know where you need to go you can stop any and ask.
English is widely spoken in Armenia. Subway works from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Public transportation in
Armenia is very cheap. Tickets for bus, trolley bus and subway cost $0,10 cents not depending upon
the length of the journey. Taxi cost about 100 drams ($0,20) for 1 kilometer in
case of ordering it by phone. Such
taxi-by-phone services are very spread and
advertised everywhere. The staff of
restaurants and hotels can order a taxi for a client. Taxi is
more expensive if to stop it at road. In this case meters are practically
not used by taxi drivers thus it is very advisable to negotiate the price before
the journey. Hertz Car Rental has an office located in Yerevan. It is also possible to hire
vehicles with drivers.
dining
A great number of restaurants, snack-bars and cafes, offering traditional, European
and Eastern cousin are available in Armenia
>more
Service is usually included in the prices though it is
customary to tip 5%-10%. A number of restaurants offers Home Deliver Service.
Note! Armenian brandies are excellent! Armenian are proud to inform that Winston
Churchill always insisted on Armenian in preference to French brandy, after
first tasting it at the Yalta conference!
shopping &
souvenirs
Shops and markets run every day, all year
round. Usually the shops are open till 19:00-20:00. However there are number of
shops open 24 hours, supermarkets and medicinal in particular. Besides shops there are
numerous small shops which run 24 hours selling food, drinks, igarettes, etc...
The Vernisaj flea market in Yerevan attracts sellers of all kinds
of goods and paintings. Shopping days and hours: Friday-Sunday: 09:00-18:00.
Open longer in the summer.
It is advisable to buy brandy and wine in specialized shops to avoid false ones of poor quality.
These have their booklets at each hotel of Yerevan.
working hours & days
State organizations are closed on Saturdays and Sundays and mainly work from 09:00 - 17:30 (18:00).
Banks are open weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00.
public holidays
December 31,January: New Year
January 6: Nativity (Holy Christmas)
March 8: Women’s day
April 7: Motherhood and Beauty Day
April 24: Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide in 1915
May 9: Victory and Peace Day
May 28: Day of the First Republic
July 5: Constitution Day
September 21: Independence Day
December 7: Day of Remembrance of Victims of the 1988 earthquake
power
supply
The electrical current in Armenia is 220 V,
50 Hz alternating current; wall outlets take continental-type plugs, with
two round prongs. To use US-purchased electric-powered equipment, bring a
converter and an adapter.
weights & measures
Metric:
Metric conversions
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