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Wednesday, October 22, 2025
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Papoyan: Armenia asked Russia to extend the period of stay for foreigners in its territory

21.10.2025, 13:14
The Armenian government has formally approached the Russian government with a suggestion to raise the legal limit on the duration of stay for foreigners in the Russian Federation from 90 days (per calendar year) to 180 days, announced Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan during a parliamentary session on Tuesday.
Papoyan: Armenia asked  Russia to extend the period of stay for foreigners in its territory

YEREVAN, October 21. /ARКА/. The Armenian government has formally approached the Russian government with a suggestion to raise the legal limit on the duration of stay for foreigners in the Russian Federation from 90 days (per calendar year) to 180 days, as announced Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan during a parliamentary session on Tuesday.

Papoyan stated that it can already be indicated that the Russian side has reacted favorably. "Our colleagues in Russia are aligned with our concerns and, to my knowledge, have initiated an internal process to deliberate on a legislative initiative aimed at addressing this specific matter," the minister remarked.

Papoyan further mentioned that this topic will be on the agenda at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Commission Council scheduled for October 24. 

The limitation on the duration of stay in Russia for foreigners (from visa-free nations, including Armenia) has led to significant dissatisfaction among Armenian truck drivers. Since the start of the month, they have conducted multiple protests in Yerevan, and just the day before, they obstructed the exits at all three Armenian-Georgian checkpoints for several hours.

Effective January 1, 2025, citizens of visa-free nations, including Armenia, who enter Russia for non-work purposes, are allowed to stay in the Russian Federation for a maximum of 90 days per calendar year (previously, 90 days within every 180 days). This limitation is applicable to truck drivers and passenger carriers, as well as pilots, flight attendants, aircraft maintenance staff, train operators, and others.

Foreigners who breached this regulation had until September 10 to rectify their residency status in the Russian Federation and evade administrative penalties. Sanctions include a 3-year entry prohibition (for overstays of 90-180 days), a 5-year prohibition (for overstays of 180-270 days), and a 10-year prohibition (for overstays exceeding 270 days).

In the past month, heightened enforcement has been enacted by the Russian government, resulting in numerous Armenian citizen drivers being recorded on a special registry of violators.-0-