Armenian government raises state fees for certificates and passports

YEREVAN, June 1. /ARKA/. Sixteen year-old citizens of Armenia, who apply for passports for the first time, will have to pay a fee of AMD 1000, according to a set of legislative changes approved today by the government.

The legislative amendments also increase the rate of state fee set for issuing certificates to citizens who come back to Armenia.

The current law stipulates that applicants pay 30 thousand drams in case they do not present an identity document and 10 thousand drams if they present an unusable or overdue document.

According to the government, the current amounts of fees do not cover the costs of the government for issuing new passports. Therefore, the proposed new rates exceed the existing ones by several times. The changes call for a payment of AMD 20 thousand for the document certifying the return of a citizen to Armenia and AMD 45 thousand for the renewal of passports.

Besides, the government proposes to cancel the financial incentive established for the citizens who apply for passports for the first time. According to the current law, Armenian citizens who receive passports for the first time after reaching the age of 16 are exempted from paying a state fee of AMD 1000. According to proposed changes, they will have to pay AMD 1000.

The government says if the changes are approved by the parliament the annual amount of state duties levied only on passport-related operations will increase by about 75 million drams ($1 - 386.62 drams). --0--