Armenia to achieve visa-free travel with EU in two years at latest -  RA premier 

ArmInfo. The visa liberalization process between Armenia and the European Union (EU) will be completed  in two years at the latest. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this during the election campaign in the Shirak region.

According to him, Armenian citizens have long complained about  problems obtaining visas for travel to EU countries. "And the  question often arises as to why such problems exist, given the  constant talk of good relations with the EU. The reason is that from  2018 to 2025, the number of Armenians traveling to EU countries  increased by 500%. This means that the embassies of European  countries cannot keep up with such an influx," the Armenian prime  minister stated. "But, in two years at the latest, we will achieve  visa liberalization with the EU. This means that Armenian citizens  will be able to travel to EU countries from Shirak Airport, for  example. At that time, all you need to do to go to Larnaca, for  example, is remember to bring your passport," Pashinyan concluded.

As a reminder, the visa liberalization dialogue between Armenia and  the EU officially launched in September 2024, entering its active  phase. In May 2026, Yerevan received a positive progress report from  the EU confirming the fulfillment of the key requirements of the  Action Plan (VLAP), which aims to grant Armenian citizens 90-day  visa-free entry to the Schengen Area. Armenia is counting on a final  solution that will eliminate the need for visas for short-term trips  to the EU.

It should be added that on May 20, 2026, Johannes Luchner, Deputy  Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs at the European  Commission, noted that upon completion of the visa liberalization  negotiations between Armenia and the EU, Yerevan and Brussels will  need to convince the 27 EU Member States, as well as a majority of  the European Parliament, that the Republic is ready for this step.  Luchner noted that this is a large-scale process that requires  fulfilling numerous requirements within the Action Plan, and  therefore urged understanding of the consequences of accelerating  this process. As Luchner explained, if the visa-free regime is  implemented hastily and then fails to function effectively, this will  jeopardize its continued existence.