Moving to Spain from Armenia

Armenians need a visa to travel to Spain, and visas are handled in a slightly counterintuitive way: you submit your file in Yerevan, but the competent consulate is in Moscow. Many people come through family reunification or a job offer, others through studies or arraigo. Here is how each route works and which documents to prepare.

Key facts

• Visa: Armenian citizens need a visa even for short stays. The EU and Armenia are in a visa liberalisation dialogue, but for now a visa is still required.
• Citizenship: 10 years of legal, continuous residence, the CCSE and DELE A2 exams and a declaration renouncing Armenian nationality at the oath.
• Driving: there is no exchange agreement. Once resident you can drive on your Armenian licence for six months; after that you need a Spanish licence, with theory and practical tests.
• Documents: Armenia applies the apostille; documents in Armenian or Russian need a sworn translation into Spanish.

How people usually move

• Family reunification. If your spouse or parent lives legally in Spain, they can sponsor you after their first year of residence, once renewal has been granted or applied for. Family reunification
• Arraigo. For people who have already spent 2 years in Spain and have no criminal record: social, socio-labour or socio-training arraigo (family arraigo, for example for the parent of a Spanish child, has no such minimum). Arraigo
• Employment. With a job offer from a Spanish company, which applies for the permit; you then apply for the visa. IT profiles can also consider the highly qualified professional or digital nomad visa. Employment
• Studies. Bachelor’s, master’s or vocational training with a study authorisation, which allows work up to 30 hours a week. This time does not count towards citizenship. Study stay
• Family of a Spanish or EU citizen. Marriage or registered partnership with a Spanish or EU citizen. Family member of a Spanish or EU citizen

Documents and apostille

• Criminal record certificate from the Consular Department of Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You apply online or in person, also through a representative with power of attorney. Request the original paper version; it usually needs to be recent.
• Apostille: issued by Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Justice, depending on the document.
• Birth and marriage certificates from the Armenian civil registry, apostilled. For family reunification they are the main proof of the family link.
• Sworn translation into Spanish of all documents, including the apostille.
• Academic degrees with an apostille, if you plan to study, have them recognised or apply for a skilled visa.

What to keep in mind

• The district of the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow includes Armenia. Yerevan has an honorary consulate and a BLS International centre that accepts short-stay and national visa applications (studies, family reunification, work, qualified professionals, non-lucrative residence and family of Spanish citizens).
• If you live legally in another country, such as Russia, you normally apply at the Spanish consulate there.
• Arrange apostilles and translations before booking: an incomplete file often leads to a request for more documents or a refusal.
• Once in Spain: register on the padrón and apply for your TIE within the first month.

Frequently asked questions

Related services