Artsakhi passports (Armenian: Արցախի անձնագիր) are issued to Artsakhi citizens to travel outside the partially recognized Republic of Artsakh. They are also used as proof of identity within the country. Passports of the Republic of Artsakh are issued based on amendments to the Constitution of Artsakh of 2006.
Physical appearance
An ordinary Artsakhi passport is dark red, with the Republic of Artsakh's coat of arms emblazoned in gold in the center of the front cover. It is almost identical to the Armenian passport. The words (Armenian: Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Հանրապետություն) "Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh" and (Armenian: Անձնագիր) "Passport" in the Armenian and English languages also appear on the front cover. The passport is valid for 10 years from the time of issue, the contents of the passport are in the Armenian and English languages.
Travel and recognition
Due to the status of the state, the passport is not legally recognized by the international community and it is used only within the borders of Artsakh and three other post-Soviet disputed states; Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transnistria as all members of the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations have agreed to abolish visa requirements for their citizens. In addition, citizens of Artsakh may travel visa-free to neighboring Armenia.
Artsakh permits dual citizenship, and as a result, a number of Syrian Armenian refugees were granted Artsakh passports when they immigrated in 2012.[1]
Artsakh
