Just Landed in Armenia? Your First 7 Days

Armenia has cheap, fast and reliable mobile data, along with widespread cafe and apartment Wi-Fi that makes it a comfortable base for remote workers. A prepaid SIM is trivial to buy with just a passport, and 4G covers Yerevan and most towns well, with fibre broadband common in city flats. Coverage thins in mountainous and remote border regions.

Typical cost: Around 3,000-6,000 AMD/month for a prepaid plan bundling tens of gigabytes of data with calls and messaging; home fibre from Ucom or Rostelecom runs roughly 6,000-12,000 AMD/month.

The Armenian dram (AMD) is the only legal tender, and while cards are accepted in Yerevan shops, cafes and restaurants, markets, taxis, small bakeries and rural areas often want cash. Standalone currency exchange points give better rates than banks, add no commission and are on almost every central corner, particularly along Mashtots Avenue and around Republic Square.

Opening an account: Ameriabank, Ardshinbank, Evocabank and Converse Bank are the most foreigner-friendly. Non-residents can usually open an account with a passport, and sometimes proof of address, though onboarding has tightened and can take a visit or two. Ameriabank and Evocabank have the smoothest English-language apps and support; Idram and EasyPay wallets handle everyday bills and top-ups.

Cash: Semi-cash. Cards work widely in central Yerevan, but always carry dram for GG taxis, the Vernissage and GUM markets, small kiosks and bakeries, and essentially anything outside the capital. Keep a mix of small and large notes, as change for big notes can be scarce.

Tipping: Better restaurants add a 10% service charge shown on the bill; otherwise rounding up or leaving about 10% is appreciated but not obligatory. Taxis ordered through apps are not tipped, and there is no strong tipping culture in cafes or bars.

There is no address-registration requirement for short-stay foreigners in Armenia. Simply arriving on a visa-free or e-visa entry does not oblige you to register with any local police or migration office, unlike in some neighbouring states. Address registration only enters the picture if you apply for a temporary or permanent residence permit, at which point your address is recorded as part of that application. If you do intend to stay beyond the 180-day visa-free window, begin the residence-permit process early, as it is handled through the Migration and Citizenship Service and can take several weeks.

Where: Address registration only happens through the Migration and Citizenship Service (Migration Service) when you apply for a residence permit, not as a separate step for visitors.

Yerevan is walkable, with a cheap single-line metro, an expanding fleet of modern buses and trolleybuses, and a handful of surviving marshrutka minibus routes now under municipal control. A unified ticketing system introduced in 2024-2025 lets you tap a bank card, phone or transport card. Ride-hailing is dominant among newcomers because it is cheap and removes fare haggling. Between cities, marshrutkas and shared taxis run from Kilikia and other bus stations.

From the airport: Zvartnots (EVN) is about 12 km from central Yerevan. A GG or Yandex Go ride costs roughly 2,500-4,500 AMD and takes 15-25 minutes; a single metro, bus or trolleybus ride in the city costs around 100-150 AMD, and a 180-minute integrated ticket covering transfers is about 300 AMD.

Yerevan has a competitive rental market that was pushed up sharply after 2022 by an influx of relocators, though prices have eased somewhat from the peak. Most listings surface through Facebook groups, List.am and local agents, and furnished flats are the norm with short, flexible leases common. Viewing in person and signing a written contract before paying anything is essential.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom flat in central Yerevan runs roughly 300,000-600,000 AMD/month, with renovated or new-build central flats reaching 700,000 AMD or more; outer districts are noticeably cheaper, and Gyumri or Vanadzor cost a fraction of the capital.

Deposit norm: Usually one month's rent as deposit plus the first month upfront; agent fees, when charged, are typically half a month to a full month's rent, and utilities are normally paid on top of the quoted rent.

Armenia has a mix of public and private clinics. Quality private care in Yerevan is good and inexpensive by Western standards, but the public system is under-resourced and often expects out-of-pocket payment. English-speaking doctors are found mainly at private clinics in the capital, so newcomers overwhelmingly use private care.

How to access it: For non-emergencies, book directly at a private clinic such as Wigmore Clinic, Erebouni Medical Center or Nairi Medical Center, often by phone, WhatsApp or their app. For emergencies dial the unified 112 or 103 for an ambulance directly. Carry a card or cash, as payment is usually expected upfront and reimbursed later through insurance if you have it.

Insurance: There is no automatic public cover for foreigners, so keep an international policy or buy local private health insurance, which is affordable and widely offered by Armenian banks and insurers. Some residence-permit and long-stay routes make private insurance effectively necessary, and it is cheap enough to be worth holding regardless.

• Hospitality is central and sincere: if invited to a home, expect to be fed generously and to bring a small gift such as sweets, chocolates, pastries or flowers for the host.
• Greet with a handshake; close friends and relatives greet with a cheek kiss. Older people are addressed with respect, often by name plus a courtesy form.
• Learn a few Armenian words such as barev (hello) and shnorhakalutyun (thank you); the effort is warmly received even though Russian is widely understood.
• Dress a little smarter than casual in Yerevan, where appearance matters and locals tend to dress up to go out, even for coffee.
• Accept food and drink when offered, or decline gently and more than once; a flat first refusal can read as rude, and hosts genuinely want to feed you.
• Toasting is an art at any gathering, often led by a tamada (toastmaster); follow the room, wait for toasts before drinking, and be ready to say a few warm words.
• Family, elders and children are treated with visible respect; offer your seat, let elders speak first, and expect strangers to dote on any children with you.

• Avoid the eastern and southern regions bordering Azerbaijan and any unmarked border zones, which can be militarily sensitive and are periodically unsafe.
• The 1915 Armenian Genocide is deeply felt; discuss it only with sensitivity and never dismiss or question it, as it is central to national identity.
• Politics around Azerbaijan, Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is raw and emotive; listen more than you opine, especially in your first months.
• Do not photograph military sites, checkpoints, personnel or border installations.
• Casual comments comparing Armenia unfavourably to neighbours, or praising Azerbaijan or Turkey, will land badly; tread carefully with regional history.