YEREVAN. – At its session today, the government decided to approve amendments to the law on customs regulations, and which relate to Armenians returning to Armenia for permanent residence.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that it is about bringing these persons' personal property to Armenia without customs payments. "Now we are creating better conditions so they can bring more property with them to Armenia," he said.

State Revenue Committee chairman Davit Ananyan, for his part, noted that the main respective obstacle was that such a person must not have been in Armenia for 180 days or more each year during the last 5 years for the exemption from customs duty so that his personal use goods could be exempted from this duty.

"Now we are changing the norm so that if he was not in Armenia for 915 days within 5 years (1,825 days)," he added. “It is important that we do not put forth the norm of citizenship; it is important that the person comes for permanent residence. If after coming to Armenia the person does not obtain Armenian citizenship, or is denied, he does not make use of those breaks, and must pay customs duty.”

Ananyan said that such a person should first come to Armenia without property, inform the customs authorities that he is going within 60 days to get any status from the visa department. "When he got the status, he came, he then goes [back], brings his property to Armenia," he added. “This break may be granted to those who come to Armenia for permanent residence, if recognized as such by the relevant authorities; the second—those who have a refugee status and the status of forcibly displaced."