How a Russian citizen can open an LLC in Armenia in 2026
An LLC is the choice for those a sole proprietorship does not suit: teams with several partners, companies with employees, businesses with large contracts and risks. Here is how to register a company and what to do afterwards.
Who needs an LLC rather than a sole proprietorship
An LLC makes sense if at least one of these applies to you:
- you run the business with partners and want to fix everyone’s shares;
- you plan to hire employees;
- you work with large clients who do not sign contracts with sole proprietors;
- the business carries risks, and you do not want to be liable with your personal property;
- you plan to raise investment or sell the business.
If you are a freelancer working alone, a sole proprietorship is often simpler and cheaper. The step-by-step registration of a sole proprietorship is covered in «Sole proprietorship in Armenia for Russian citizens».
Founders and director
Founders. They can be individuals or legal entities from any country, including non-residents of Armenia. A company can be founded by one person. The number of participants is limited by law to 49.
Director. The director can be a founder or an appointed manager; citizenship does not matter. A foreign director will need a public service number, but it is not required to register the company — it can be obtained afterwards. To work in Armenia on a permanent basis, the director needs a legal residence status.
Share capital. In practice, the law sets no minimum for a regular LLC. Licensed activities may have different requirements.
Documents for registration
| Document | Comment |
|---|---|
| Passports of the founders and the director | With a notarised translation into Armenian |
| Charter | You can use the standard one or draft your own |
| Decision or minutes on incorporation | For several founders — a founding agreement |
| Legal address | Consent of the property owner |
| Director’s public service number | Not required for registration, can be obtained later. Issued in person |
| Power of attorney | If a representative files the documents |
If the founder is a Russian company, you will also need an extract from the Russian Unified State Register of Legal Entities and a decision of its governing body, apostilled and translated.
Legal address
The company’s address must be in Armenia. Options: your own property, a rented office, a rented flat with the owner’s consent, or an address provided by a service company. Letters from government agencies arrive at this address, so it matters that someone actually receives the mail.
Registering an LLC step by step
-
1
Choose a name
Check that it is available in the state register. -
2
Prepare the charter and the decision on incorporation
Set out the shares, the rules for participants leaving and the director’s powers. -
3
Translate and certify the passports
A notarised translation into Armenian is required. -
4
File the documents
With the State Register Agency of Legal Entities or via e-register.am. -
5
Get the certificate and tax ID
Usually within 1–2 business days. -
6
Choose a tax regime
And file the application on time. -
7
Open a business bank account
Banks run enhanced checks on companies with Russian beneficial owners. -
8
Get a public service number for the director
This can be done after registration.
We will register the LLC for you
We prepare the charter and the decision on incorporation, handle the translations, file the documents and help you choose a tax regime.
What we need from you: document list
From you
- Passports of the founders and the director
- Company name
- Share capital and shares
- Phone and email
From us
- Charter and decision on incorporation
- Legal address
- Translations and filing
- Certificate and charter in your hands
| What is needed | Comment |
|---|---|
| International passports of the founders and the director | We handle the notarised translation; it is included in the service |
| Public service number, if you already have one | If not, we will explain how to get it; the director must have one, but it can be issued after registration |
| Company name | We check whether it is available in the state register |
| Share capital and participants’ shares | We help you decide if you have not yet |
| Legal address | We usually provide it — no need to look for your own |
| Business activities | We select them so that the right tax regime applies |
| Phone and email | For contact and notices from government agencies |
Send us passport scans — we will put the package together and check the name
The legal address and the charter are on us.
How we work
-
1
Consultation
We discuss the structure: how many participants, who is the director, which activities and which tax regime. -
2
Document list
We send you an exact list for your situation. -
3
Preparing the package
We draft the charter and the decision on incorporation, arrange notarised translations and prepare the application. -
4
Filing with the State Register
We accompany you to the filing or file ourselves if you sign the documents remotely. -
5
Collecting the documents
We pick up the registration certificate and the stamped charter and hand them over to you. -
6
Getting started
We connect an accountant, help open a bank account and, if needed, prepare a residence permit application for the founder.
Registration in person takes 1–2 business days. Remotely, registration takes 2–3 business days, and the State Register issues the documents within 3–5 business days.
Timing and cost
| Service | Timing | Price for relocants |
|---|---|---|
| LLC registration with the founder present | 1–2 business days | 100,000 ֏ |
| Remote LLC registration | 2–3 business days | 200,000 ֏ |
| Notarised translations | 1–2 days | from 12,000 ֏ |
| Legal address | — | Provided, discussed separately |
| Custom charter drafting | 1–3 days | On request |
| Accounting services | Monthly | from 20,000 ֏ |
What can go wrong
- Queues at the State Register. Sometimes filing is moved to the next day.
- Errors in the application. They have to be corrected and the application filed again, so we check the data before filing.
- The name is taken. We check in advance and keep a backup option ready.
- Documents of a foreign corporate founder. The apostille and translation take time — allow a week or two.
Need a company but not in Armenia?
We will register the LLC remotely: you sign the documents where you are, we file them and collect the certificate.
Taxes and paying out dividends
An LLC has the same tax regimes as a sole proprietorship: microbusiness (up to AMD 24 million a year), turnover tax (up to AMD 115 million) and the general regime. Under the general regime, the company pays 18% profit tax and 20% VAT.
The main difference from a sole proprietorship is that the company’s money does not belong to the founder directly. It can be taken out as salary (20% income tax plus the social contribution) or as dividends (5% tax).
- Profit tax under the general regime
- 18%
- VAT under the general regime
- 20%
- Income tax on salary
- 20%
- Tax on dividends
- 5%
An LLC can also serve as grounds for the founder’s residence permit.
CFC rules: what Russian tax residents need to know
If you remain a Russian tax resident, an Armenian LLC may be treated as a controlled foreign company. This means you:
- must notify the Russian Federal Tax Service of your participation in a foreign company and of the CFC;
- file an annual notice together with the company’s financial statements;
- may be taxed in Russia on undistributed profit above the threshold.
An LLC and residence permits for a team
When a whole team rather than one person moves to Armenia, an LLC solves several problems at once:
- Founders can apply for a residence permit on business grounds.
- Employees get a residence permit on employment grounds — the company signs the contract and confirms the employment.
- Family members apply on the basis of the main applicant’s status.
In practice, the migration service looks at whether the company really operates: turnover, salaries, reporting. A shell company with a dozen “employees” raises questions.
What to do after registration
An LLC has more obligations than a sole proprietorship: bookkeeping, financial statements, HR documents, formal decisions of the participants. Even without staff, the director is officially an employee of the company.
Turnkey LLC accounting
We keep the books, file reports, and process salaries and dividends. Your personal accountant speaks Russian.
What to check in the charter
The standard charter suits most single-founder companies. If there are several founders, it is better to agree on and fix the key terms in advance to avoid disputes and extra costs later.
- Shares and how they change. Who contributes what, and what happens when the capital is increased.
- A participant leaving. How the share is valued and when it is paid out.
- The director’s powers. Which transactions the director may enter into without the participants’ consent, and which only with it.
- Profit distribution. How often and how dividends are paid.
- Dispute resolution. Which law and which court apply.
How to hire an employee
Hiring an employee in an Armenian LLC means an employment contract, an order and registration with the tax authority. What to know:
| Step | Comment |
|---|---|
| Employment contract | In Armenian; it can be bilingual |
| Employee’s public service number | Mandatory, including for foreigners |
| Registration with the tax authority | Before the employee starts work |
| Payroll taxes | 20% income tax, social contribution, stamp duty — monthly by the 20th |
| Foreign employee | Needs a legal residence status; simpler for EAEU citizens |
Even if the only person working in the company is the founder-director, payroll reporting usually still applies. This is one of the reasons LLC accounting costs more than for a sole proprietorship.
Company costs: what to budget for
- registration: translations, notary, state fee if applicable;
- legal address, if you use a service company’s address;
- accounting services — monthly;
- bank fees for account maintenance and transfers;
- payroll taxes, if you have employees;
- taxes under the chosen regime.
How to close or suspend a company
Liquidating an LLC is harder and longer than closing a sole proprietorship: you need to settle with creditors, close the accounts, file final reports and go through the procedure at the state register. It takes months.
If the business is temporarily inactive, the company is usually not liquidated: it stays registered and keeps filing nil reports. This is cheaper than liquidating and registering again later.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. There need not be any Armenian citizens among the founders.
The law does not require it, but banks and the tax authority ask more questions of companies with no real presence in the country.
Usually 1–2 business days after filing. About a week including document preparation.
Yes, but it will be a new company: client contracts and the bank account will have to be redone.
There is no tax on zero turnover, but reports still have to be filed.
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