Article 1. The subject of the Law

1.  This Law defines the bases of issuing identification card (hereinafter, identification card) to citizen of the Republic of Armenia, its exchange, invalidation, withdrawal and the principles of the regulation of other legal relations related thereto.

Article 2. The main concepts used in this Law

1. The following main concepts are used in this Law:

1) identification card –document certifying the identity of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia (hereinafter, citizen) and the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, which is issued for use in the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

2) electronic data storage –part of the technical structure of identification card, which incorporates citizen’s data provided for under this Law, individual cryptographic key ensuring the data security and the certificate for the electronic digital signature.

Article 3. Issue of identification card and the term of validation of identification card

1. Citizen shall receive identification card on a voluntary basis from the date of becoming 16.

2. Citizen shall file an application on issue of identification card to the Police Authority.

3. Capable citizen shall submit the application on issue of identification card in person.

4. The citizen recognized as incapable shall be issued identification card on the basis of the application filed by the guardian. Citizen recognized as limited capable shall be issued identification card on the basis of own application. Citizen recognized as limited capable shall be issued identification card within a shorter time period referred to in Point 9 of Article 4 of this Law by consent of trustee, for a fee charged.

5. The disabled of the first degree shall be eligible for issue of identification card on the basis of application filed by representatives. In this case, the disability certificate or the notarized copy of the certificate shall be attached to the application.

6. Identification card shall be issued for the term of validity of 10 years.

Article 4.  Content, form, procedure of issue (exchange) and terms of identification card and the bases of rejection (exchange) of its issue

1. Identification card is the property of the Republic of Armenia. In the Republic of Armenia, lost and found identification cards shall be subject to handing over to the Police of the Republic of Armenia, and in a foreign country – to the Diplomatic Mission or the Consular Post of the Republic of Armenia.

2. The following individual data of citizen shall be prescribed in identification card, in Armenian and English languages:

1) surname, name, as well as the patronymic only in the Armenian version;

2) Place, day, month and year of birth;

3) Sex;

4) Citizenship;

5) Nationality – at option of citizen or his/her representative in cases provided for under this Law;

6) Place of residence (only the county shall be stated).

3. In the electronic data storage, address of the permanent place of residence (domicile) available in the State Register of Population can be indicated, only in Armenian language. Identification card shall also specify the series of public services,  citizen’s photo, citizen’s signature, as well as the blood group and rhesus (at option of citizen or his/her representative in cases provided for under this Law). Identification card shall incorporate the code of the police subdivision that has issued it, as well as the date of issue and the term of validity of identification card, and the number of identification card.

4. Identification card shall include technical part – electronic data storage, where the data provided for under Points 2-3 of this Article, the card specific individual cryptographic key ensuring data protection and certificate for the electronic digital signature shall be prescribed.

5. If the absence of citizen’s signature on identification card is accountable for by the physiological features of the citizen, an appropriate note on it shall be made in the identification card.

6. To receive an identification card, citizen shall submit:

1) Application;

2) Passport or birth certificate;

3) Other identification documents as provided for under Decree of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, provided the submission of the documents stated under Point 2 of this Part is infeasible;

4) Military service registration certificate or military service record card or a certificate verifying the fact of military registration (conscripts);

5) Appropriate medical document – where prescribing, in identification card, the data on blood group and rhesus for the first time, at option of citizen or his/her representative in cases provided for under this Law;

6) State duty payment receipt.

7. To replace the identification card, citizen shall submit:

1) application;

2) the identification card subject to replacement;

3) Appropriate medical document – where prescribing the data on blood group and rhesus in identification card for the first time, at option of citizen or his/her representative in cases provided for under this Law;

4) State duty payment receipt;

8. To receive (replace) identification card, citizen shall be photographed in the Police Authority.  To ensure the identification of person in the database for individual information, when receiving identification card, citizen shall give fingerprints of index fingers of left and right hands. Where giving the index finger prints of right and left hands is physiologically impossible, the fingerprints of any finger of right and left hands shall be taken.

9. Identification card shall be issued (replaced) on the 15th day following the day of submission of application or in a shorter period of time at option of citizen for a charged fee. The amount of charged fee and the time period of issuing (replacing) identification card shall be defined by Decree of the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

10. Person given up the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia shall hand over the identification card in the Republic of Armenia to the Police of the Republic of Armenia, and in foreign countries – to the Diplomatic Mission or Consular Post. At option of person, the old identification card shall be returned after being punched.

11. If the list of the submitted documents enclosed in the application is not complete or, if citizen is not registered in the State Register of Population, the application shall be accepted, and the applicant shall be proposed to complete the list within 5-day period and (or) be registered in the State Register of Population.

12. Issue (replacement) of identification card shall be rejected, if

1) the applicant fails to submit, within 5-day period, the documents required by this Law;

2) the applicant has not been registered in the State Register of Population within 5-day period.

13. When filing an application on replacing identification card, citizen must submit the identification card to be replaced. The card shall be immediately returned to the citizen after comparing the data prescribed therein with the data on the person available in the Police Authority, except for cases referred to in Points 1, 5 and 6 of Part 1 of Article 6 of this Law. The new identification card shall be issued after taking away the old identification card. At option of citizen, the old identification card shall be returned after being punched.

14. When issuing the identification card, the certificate of birth,  the passport provided for under the Law of the Republic of Armenia on citizen’s passport of the Republic of Armenia issued prior to turning 16, the documents provided for under Part 5 of Article 3 of this Law; Points 3 and 4 of Part 6 of this Article shall be returned to citizen; when rejecting the issue – the documents referred to in Part 5 of Article 3 of this Law, Points 2-5 of Part 6 of this Article and when rejecting replacement – the documents referred to in Part 5 of Article 3 and Point 3 of Article 7 of this Article of this Law shall be returned to citizen.

15. The form of identification card shall be defined by Decree of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, and the forms of applications referred to in Parts 6 and 7 of this Article – by normative order of the Head of Police of the Republic of Armenia.

Article 5. The bases of replacement of identification card

1. Identification card shall be replaced, when the following bases are available:

1) Citizen has changed the data relating to him/her that is available in the state register of population, which, by virtue of this Law, shall be subject to prescription in the identification card (except for  the address of the place of permanent residence (domicile);

2) The term of validity has been expired;

3) Inaccurate data are available in identification card;

4) Citizen has expressed such wish.

Article 6. Bases for recognizing identification card invalid; issue of temporary certificates

1. Identification card shall be recognized as invalid, when the following bases are available:

1) its term of validity has expired;

2) person has stopped being the citizen of the Republic of Armenia;

3) identification card has been lost;

4) identification card has been replaced by the procedure defined under this Law;

5) identification card has been falsified;

6) identification card has been acquired by violation of the legislation of the Republic of Armenia;

7) citizen has not taken identification card within one year period after filing application on its issue;

8) person is deceased.

2. Person, who has lost the identification card, shall notify of it to the Police Authority or to the Diplomatic Mission or Consular Post of the Republic of Armenia. In this case, as well as when submitting the identification card with the term of validity expired for replacement, citizen being in the territory of the Republic of Armenia shall be issued, at his/he option, a temporary certificate until the issue of new identification card. Temporary certificate can be issued to citizen sentenced to imprisonment also through the administration of criminal-executive institution and to the convict authorized to have short-term departure, by general principles. The form and the procedure of issue of temporary certificate shall be defined by Decree of the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

3. If, as per the grounds defined by the Law, the administration of criminal-executive institution has taken from citizen, being sentenced to imprisonment, the temporary certificate or identification card, it shall be obliged to provide the temporary certificate or identification card to the convict in connection with a request on concluding civil-legal transaction.

4. In cases referred to in Points 4 and 8 of Part 1 of this Article, identification card shall be considered invalid, and in cased referred to in Points 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 it shall be recognized as invalid by the decision of the Police Authority.

5. Identification card of deceased citizen shall be handed over to the body conducting state registration of death.

Article 7. Withdrawal of identification card

1. When exercising the powers reserved to them, the state and local state-government bodies of the Republic of Armenia must withdraw the identification card, if the bases referred to in Points 1-2 and 5-6 of Part 1 of Article 6 of this Law are available or, if citizen is using an identification card belonging to another citizen. After withdrawal of the identification card, citizen shall be immediately issued a reference certifying the fact of the withdrawal of the identification card. The form of the reference shall be approved by the order by the Head of Police of the Republic of Armenia.

2. In cases referred to in Part 1 of this Article, identification card of citizen being in a foreign country shall be withdrawn by the Diplomatic Mission or Consular Post of the Republic of Armenia.

3. The withdrawn identification card shall be transferred to the Police Authority in the shortest possible period.

4. Withdrawal of identification card (except for cased stated under this Article) or accepting it as a pledge shall be prohibited.

Article 8. Conclusive part and transitional provisions

1. This Law shall enter into force from June 1, 2012.

2. Following entry into force of this Law, citizens shall have the right to receive or replace the passports provided for under Decree No. 821 of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, dated December 25, 1998, unless they have applied, by the procedure defined under this Law, to receive identification cards or have received identification cards.

3. Before entry into force and after the entry into force of this Law, the passports issued (replaced) in compliance with Decree No. 821 of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, dated December 25, 1998, shall be considered valid in the territory of the Republic of Armenia and outside the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

4.  Prior to the date of expiry of the passport, at option of citizen, the passport can be replaced by identification card by the procedure defined under this Law. Identification card shall be issued after withdrawal of the passport referred to in Part 3 of this Article. At option of citizen, the passport provided for under Part 3 of this article shall be returned after being punched.

5. Identification card or the data prescribed therein may be used as a valid document and data in such legal relations, which regulating legal acts provide for the use of passport or passport data or social security card.

6. The legal acts provided for under parts 9 and 15 of Article 4, part 2 of Article 6 and part 1 of Article 7 shall be adopted within three-month period following the adoption of this Law.