No registration - no benefits: Armenian Ministry of Social Labor  revising procedures for paying childbirth benefits

ArmInfo.  The Armenian government plans  to waive the one-time and monthly childbirth benefits for children who do not have a residence permit in the Republic of Armenia.

As Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia  Arsen Torosyan stated at a Cabinet meeting on November 20, the  one-time and monthly benefits are currently paid to Armenian citizens  at the birth of children, even if they were born outside the Republic  of Armenia. However, they do not subsequently apply for Armenian  citizenship. "In 2024 alone, a one-time benefit was paid to 1,450  Armenian citizens whose children were born in another country, hold  birth certificates from another country, but are not registered with  the civil registry office," Torosyan noted. According to him, Armenia  spends approximately 600 million drams annually on this alone. 

In response, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed outrage, noting  that this was essentially "sending money out of the country and  financing emigration."

In this regard, the Minister stated that work is underway to ensure  that the one-time benefit is paid only to those citizens whose  children receive Armenian citizenship within a year of birth. A  similar logic will apply to the monthly benefit of 50,000 drams.  Specifically, if a child is registered in the Republic of Armenia,  even if they are 2 or 3 years old, the benefit will be paid from the  moment of registration until they reach the age of 6.