Commission presents action plan on visa liberalisation with Armenia

Today, the European Commission presented the visa liberalisation action plan to Armenian authorities, in Yerevan.

In a context of a strong positive momentum in the bilateral relations and deepening of the EU-Armenia partnership, the launch of the action plan marks a significant step towards achieving full visa liberalisation between the EU and Armenia. It outlines the technical and policy requirements that Armenia needs to fulfil before a visa-free regime for its citizens can be introduced.

Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, said: “The action plan represents more than just freedom of travel. Armenia’s reforms contribute to strengthening the European Union’s security — beyond our borders. Clear and regulated mobility makes legal travel easier and helps prevent illegal migration.”

The plan will drive reforms in key areas such as travel document security, border and migration management, public order, external relations and fundamental rights issues in Armenia. The European Commission will regularly assess Armenia’s progress to verify the consistent and effective implementation of the benchmarks established in the action plan, including through regular reports.

The EU-Armenia visa liberalisation dialogue was launched in September 2024. Today’s document sets out the reforms and benchmarks guiding Armenia’s progress towards meeting the conditions for visa-free travel. Once Armenia will have fulfilled all benchmarks listed in the action plan, the visa liberalisation dialogue will be considered successfully completed.  This will make it easier and less costly for Armenian citizens to travel to Europe for short-term stays (less than 90 days in any 180-day period). Armenian citizens already enjoy the benefits of a visa facilitation agreement with the EU since 1 January 2014.