Before you start

Passport (registration is mandatory)
Unlocked or eSIM-capable handset

Step-by-step

1
Pick an operator and register with your passport
Team Telecom Armenia, Viva Armenia and Ucom all have shops across Kentron and in the malls. Registration against your passport is mandatory and done on the spot. A SIM costs from around AMD 2,000 and you will get a +374 number, which you will need for bank OTPs. eSIMs are available from the main operators if you would rather not visit a shop.
In personWho: All15 minutesFrom about AMD 2,000
2
Add a data bundle
Monthly plans with large or unlimited data run roughly AMD 5,000-9,000. Coverage across Yerevan is good and 4G is universal; check current 5G coverage with the operator rather than assuming, as rollout has been uneven. Manage top-ups through the operator app or an Idram wallet.
Mobile appWho: AllImmediateAMD 5,000-9,000/mo
3
Sort home fibre — or confirm the flat already has it
Ucom and Team are the main fixed providers and fibre in Yerevan is fast and cheap. Many furnished rentals already include it, so ask the landlord before ordering your own line. Where you do order, installation is usually a matter of days. Older buildings in the historic centre occasionally have poor risers, so ask about the connection in the flat, not in the building.
OnlineWho: Long-stay residentsDays for installationOften included in rent; otherwise modest monthly
4
Learn which cafés actually work as offices
Yerevan's remote-work culture happens in cafés rather than coworking spaces, and the difference between a café that tolerates laptops and one built for them is enormous — power sockets, table height, Wi-Fi that survives a video call. The specialty coffee places around Saryan, Pushkin and Amiryan streets are the working ones. Ask locals rather than trusting a map pin; the good list turns over quickly.
In personWho: Remote workersFirst weekAMD 800-1,500 per coffee

Documents you’ll need

Passport (mandatory for SIM registration)
Local address for fixed-line contracts
Unlocked or eSIM-capable phone

Things most newcomers don’t know

Yerevan's office stock is its cafés, and that is a structural fact about the city rather than a lifestyle observation.

The post-2022 wave arrived faster than commercial space could absorb, and coworking capacity in Kentron remains thin relative to the number of people working remotely. The result is that meetings, interviews and whole working days happen in cafés — which means the quality of a café's Wi-Fi and sockets is a genuine input to where you choose to live.

You need a +374 number for bank OTPs before you can finish opening an account — so the SIM comes before the bank.

Armenian banking apps authenticate by SMS to a local number, and some banks will not complete activation without one. Newcomers who go to the bank first lose a day. The correct order in Yerevan is PSN, then SIM, then bank.

Home fibre is cheap and fast enough that it is worth having even if you mostly work in cafés.

Yerevan's fixed broadband is genuinely good and often already installed in furnished flats at no extra charge. Given how variable café Wi-Fi is during peak hours, having a reliable connection at home is the difference between rescheduling a client call and not.

Passport registration for SIMs is mandatory and enforced — there is no anonymous prepaid market here.

As across the region, the SIM is tied to your identity document. That matters because it means your number is a durable identifier used by banks and state services, and losing the SIM is more disruptive than losing a card. Keep the registration paperwork.

Common mistakes to avoid

Going to the bank before getting a +374 number and being unable to complete activation
Ordering home fibre when the furnished rental already includes it
Assuming uniform 5G — 4G is universal, 5G rollout is uneven; confirm with the operator
Choosing a flat without checking the actual in-flat connection in older historic-centre buildings
Planning a working week around café Wi-Fi without a home connection as a fallback

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.