The number of EU visas issued to Armenian citizens has increased significantly since 2019, Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan has said.

Sargsyan made the remarks during a discussion on Armenia’s first progress report under the EU Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP), alongside Johannes Luchner, Deputy Director-General at the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission.

Minister Sargsyan is Armenia’s lead negotiator on the VLAP with the EU.

Armenia received its first progress report from the EU on the visa liberalization action plan on May 5 during the first Armenia–EU Summit in Yerevan.

The minister emphasized that not only has the total number of visas issued increased, but also the share of long-term multiple-entry visas. In 2019, 51,000 Schengen visas were issued to Armenian citizens, of which 34.8% were multiple-entry visas. In 2024, the total rose to 86,300, with 43.5% issued as multiple-entry visas. At the same time, the refusal rate remained relatively stable, at 13.2% in 2019 and 12.4% in 2024.

According to Sargsyan, there are still issues related to document completion, appointment availability, and public awareness; however, partner countries are working to improve the capacity of their consular services.

The minister expressed confidence that if the process continues at the current pace, Armenian citizens will in the near future be relieved of complex visa application procedures, as the process is further streamlined.

Addressing the potential timeline for EU visa liberalization, the minister said it is not appropriate to set specific deadlines, as regardless of how well Armenia completes the process, the final decision rests with the European side, which is both logical and standard practice.

At the same time, Sargsyan emphasized that Armenia aims to complete the process properly within 2–3 years of the launch of the dialogue, particularly considering the final stage of introducing the biometric system.

“Let me note that Armenia has recorded higher-than-expected progress in several sensitive areas, including the biometric system, border management, migration, and asylum. EU partners should be confident that the ongoing reforms are based on sustainable and principled approaches,” she said.

The minister also addressed concerns about potential migration risks in the context of EU visa liberalization, stressing that if such concerns were valid, Armenia would not have reached this stage. She noted that 2025 was the first year in which a positive balance between entries and exits of Armenian citizens was recorded, amounting to 8,660 people.

In addition, Armenia continues to effectively implement its obligations under readmission agreements with the EU.

“If in 2016, 7,795 Armenian citizens applied for asylum in EU countries, then in 2024 that number was 5,130, and in 2025 it was 3,535. These figures show that concerns about emigration are not substantiated, and that Armenia has become a more attractive and safer country,” Sargsyan said.

Johannes Luchner, Deputy Director-General at the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, noted that the process is highly demanding and must be implemented with quality. According to him, at the final stage it will be necessary to convince all 27 EU member states and a majority in the European Parliament that the process is complete and credible.

Deputy Director-General Johannes Luchner emphasized that the introduction of a visa-free regime should be not only fast, but also stable and effective.

“There are difficulties in the visa issuance process in EU countries, but member states are working to increase the capacity of consular services and reduce the number of rejections,” he added.