arlis.am is the Legal Information System of Armenia - the official, free database of the country's laws, codes and other regulatory acts, run by the Ministry of Justice. Type the title of an act into the search box on the homepage and open it; the version you land on is the consolidated current text, with every amendment already incorporated. No registration is needed.
- Free and open. No account is required to search or read acts. The Login button is only for registered users' extra features.
- Official. Under Article 25 of the RA law "On Regulatory Legal Acts", official publication and incorporation of acts is carried out by "Pashtonakan Teghekagir" CJSC on this site, per Order No. 180-N of the Minister of Justice (2018).
- Interface in Armenian, Russian and English - but the acts themselves are in Armenian. The site translates the search form and metadata labels, not the legal texts.
- Five collections: all RA acts, ECHR judgments, Cassation Court practice, Yerevan Municipality acts, and Eurasian Economic Union acts.
- Contacts: +374 60 464 601, [email protected]. The system belongs to the Ministry of Justice.
What is arlis.am?
arlis.am (ARLIS - the Armenian Legal Information System) is where the state publishes its regulatory legal acts and keeps them up to date. That last part is what makes it different from a PDF you found elsewhere: when Parliament amends a code, the amendment is incorporated into the text on arlis.am, so the page you read reflects the law as it stands today rather than as it was passed.
The tabs across the top of the search box switch the collection you are searching:
- All - laws, codes, government decrees, presidential decrees, ministerial orders and other RA acts.
- ECHR Judgments - judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
- Cassation Court - the practice of Armenia's Court of Cassation.
- Yerevan Municipality - acts of the capital's municipal authorities.
- Eurasian Economic Union - acts of the EAEU, which apply in Armenia as a member state.
How to find a law
- Open arlis.am and leave the "All" tab selected unless you specifically need court practice or EAEU acts.
- Type the act title into the main search field. Armenian titles are written in capitals - for example the Civil Code is "ՀՀ ՔԱՂԱՔԱՑԻԱԿԱՆ ՕՐԵՆՍԳԻՐՔ".
- Narrow it with the four filters if the title is not enough: Act number, Year, Act type and Enactment body.
- Choose where to search. "Search in title" is the default; switch to "Search in act body" to find a phrase inside the text of acts - much slower but the right tool when you know the wording, not the title.
- Tick "Exclude changing acts" to hide the amending acts and leave only the substantive ones. Without this, a search for a well-known code returns dozens of "On making amendments to..." entries.
- Press "Search", or open "Advanced search" for the full filter set.
The homepage carries a "Quick links" block with the Constitution and the most-used codes - Electoral, Administrative Offences, Civil, Land, Water, Family and Labour - plus a "See all" link to the complete list of codes. For everyday questions this is faster than searching.
How to read the act page
An act page on arlis.am showing the OFFICIAL marker, the Act Info panel and the table of contentsOpening an act takes you to a URL ending in `/latest` - for example `arlis.am/en/acts/29/latest` is the Civil Code. That suffix means you are reading the current consolidated version.
- "ACT INFO" opens the act's metadata: act number, enactment date, actual start date and status ("in force" or otherwise). Always check the status before relying on a text.
- "Table of contents" lists the sections, chapters and articles so you can jump straight to the article you need.
- The scales icon (⚖) next to an article links to the acts that amended it. This is how you trace what changed in a specific article, and when.
- "OFFICIAL" marks the officially published text.
Switching the interface to Russian or English translates the buttons and the metadata labels - not the acts. There is no official English translation of most Armenian legislation on arlis.am. If you are relying on a translation from anywhere else, treat it as a reading aid, not as the law, and check the Armenian text or ask a lawyer before you act on it.
Legal disputes turn on which version of an article was in force on a particular date. The current consolidated text answers "what does the law say now", not "what did it say when the contract was signed". The act's metadata and the links to amending acts are what let you reconstruct the earlier wording.
Where arlis.am fits among Armenia's legal portals
- arlis.am - the text of the law itself.
- datalex.am - the case files of Armenian courts: who sued whom, and how it ended. We have a separate guide to searching court cases there.
- e-draft.am - draft legal acts under public discussion, before they become law.
- azdarar.am - the official bulletin: bankruptcies, auctions and public notices.
- moj.am - the Ministry of Justice, which runs arlis.am.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is arlis.am free?
Yes. Searching and reading the acts is free and requires no account. The Login button exists for registered users, but the legislation itself is open to everyone.
Is arlis.am the official source of Armenian legislation?
Yes. Under Article 25 of the RA law "On Regulatory Legal Acts", official publication and incorporation of regulatory acts is carried out on this site by "Pashtonakan Teghekagir" CJSC, in accordance with Order No. 180-N of the Minister of Justice of 2018.
Are the laws available in English or Russian on arlis.am?
No. The interface switches between Armenian, Russian and English, but the acts themselves are published in Armenian. Translations found elsewhere are unofficial.
How do I know whether a law is still in force?
Open the act and press "ACT INFO". The panel shows the act number, the enactment date, the actual start date and the status. An act that has been repealed is marked accordingly.
How do I see what changed in a specific article?
Click the scales icon (⚖) shown next to the article. It links to the acts that amended that article, so you can read the amending act and see when the change took effect.
What does /latest in the URL mean?
It means you are viewing the consolidated current version of the act, with all amendments incorporated. An act page such as arlis.am/en/acts/29/latest is the Civil Code as it stands today.
How do I search for a phrase inside the text of a law?
Switch the search mode from "Search in title" to "Search in act body". It is noticeably slower, so narrow the results with the Year, Act type and Enactment body filters.
What is the difference between arlis.am and datalex.am?
arlis.am publishes the legislation - the text of laws and other acts. datalex.am is the judicial information system where you search court cases. One tells you what the rule is; the other tells you how a dispute was decided.
Last verified against arlis.am on 2026-08-04. This is general information about using the portal, not legal advice; for a specific matter, check the Armenian text of the act and consult a lawyer.