Digital Transformation of Armenia’s Citizenship and Residency Services

Client: Commissioned by the World Bank in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia and the Information Systems Agency of Armenia (ISAA).

Delivery:  2025, in collaboration with international experts from EY Estonia, EY Lithuania, and EY Armenia.

Challenge

Armenia’s citizenship and residency services were in urgent need of modernization. Existing processes were fragmented across systems, relied heavily on paper-based workflows, and required multiple in-person visits from users. Both citizens and public servants faced unclear instructions, duplicate paperwork, and long waiting times. The lack of a consistent user experience made simple procedures unnecessarily complex. To address this, the Armenian government launched this project as part of its national “12 Life Events” digital reform, aiming to create services that are digital by default, easy to use, and truly citizen-centric.

Solution

As part of a broader analysis of life-event-related services, our team focused on user research and designing future services based on the gained insights. We mapped service journeys using the Sludge Audit methodology, uncovering where users faced the most friction, including unnecessary complexity, time-consuming processes, and confusing user experiences. 

Based on these insights, we developed a new digital service vision and designed an MVP prototype utilizing the Henaket design system, Armenia’s first public sector digital design system. This system ensures accessibility (WCAG-compliant) and promotes visual consistency and usability across government services.

As a result, we removed the bureaucratic overlay and designed simpler, more intuitive experiences to better align with user expectations and modern service standards. 

Results

The project delivered a practical and user-driven digital solution concept that:

• Streamlines services into a logical and coherent digital experience
• Integrates fragmented service processes
• Minimises reliance on paper documents and reduces the need for in-person visits
• Reduces administrative burden for both citizens and civil servants
• Supports accessibility and inclusive design for users with special needs
• Provides Armenia with a scalable, design-led, and user-centric foundation for public service innovation 
• Provides a consistent, accessible user interface across devices, built with the Henaket design system
• Advance Armenia’s digital governance agenda with a practical and implementation-ready MVP prototype.