Paying for Treatment in Armenia: Cards, Cash and Transfers

What currency to use for your treatment budget

Armenia’s currency is the Armenian dram. This is established by the Law on the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia. Request an estimate in drams to make it easier to compare service costs, the advance payment, and the remaining balance.

If the coordinator sends an amount in Russian rubles, dollars, or euros, ask for the amount in drams and an explanation of how it will be converted. Check whether the price is fixed when you sign the contract or will be recalculated before payment. Keep the written response with the estimate.

The editorial team collects price lists. For your personal budget, request a breakdown with separate line items for consultations, examinations, procedures, anesthesia, materials, hospital stays, and follow-up visits. Ask the clinic to explain which items depend on diagnostic results and the treatment plan chosen by the doctor.

Calculate accommodation, transportation, meals, medications, and expenses for anyone accompanying you separately. You can review the medical preparations for your trip using the step-by-step guide to arranging treatment.

How to pay for treatment if you bring cash

Under Armenia’s Law on Non-Cash Transactions, medical organizations must accept payment for all medical services through cashless methods. By July 1, 2024, this requirement had been extended to all towns and villages in the country. It also applies to foreign patients; there is no separate provision allowing cash payment for a minor medical service.

The law also classifies a payment initiated with cash as cashless if the money is transferred to the recipient’s bank account. If you arrive with cash, arrange in advance with the clinic and the bank to deposit the money into the medical organization’s account.

Check which branch can process the transaction, which documents you need to present, how to fill in the payment purpose, and when the clinic will see the funds. Request confirmation from the bank and keep it.

Do not hand money to an employee without documentation. First, get clear instructions for paying into the account of the organization named in the contract. Keep cash for everyday expenses separate from your treatment funds.

Cards in Armenia: Russian-issued and other foreign cards

Information about Russian bank cards was checked for this page on November 14, 2026. A Banki.ru article dated October 16, 2026 states that Visa and Mastercard cards issued by Russian banks are not accepted abroad. Do not rely on these cards to pay for treatment or withdraw cash in Armenia.

The VTB Armenia page on services for foreign cards, updated September 2, 2026, confirms that cash withdrawals are available with Mir cards issued by Russian banks. Before traveling, check the current fees, limits, and service terms for your specific card.

Confirm separately with the clinic whether it accepts Mir cards for treatment payments. Ask which bank services its payment terminal and have the clinic check whether a payment using a card from your bank can be processed.

If you have a card issued by a bank in another country, check the following with your bank and the clinic in advance:

• whether payments in Armenia are available;
• whether the card works with the terminal and payment links;
• the limits per transaction and per day;
• how to authenticate a payment abroad;
• which fees and currency conversion terms apply.

Prepare a backup payment method agreed on with the clinic. Do not leave checking your card until the day of the procedure.

Bank transfers to the clinic: details and processing times

Request an invoice from the clinic for the transfer. Ask it to include the recipient’s full name, account number, bank, currency, required bank codes, and payment purpose. Check that the recipient matches the organization in the contract. If the names differ, get an explanation before sending money.

Before making an international transfer, give the bank details to your bank and check whether a transfer to the specified Armenian bank is available, which documents are required, and how much the clinic will receive after fees. Also ask the clinic to check whether it can receive a payment from your country and bank.

Get an estimated processing time from the banks involved in your specific transfer. For example, Acba bank states that international foreign-currency transfers usually take 1–3 banking days and warns that additional checks may extend this period. These are the terms of one bank, so do not automatically assume they apply to your payment.

Prepare the following for the transfer:

• an identity document;
• the clinic’s contract and invoice;
• the patient’s details if a relative is paying;
• any documents the bank requests about the payment purpose and source of funds.

Confirm the bank details through another communication channel, such as a call to a previously verified clinic phone number. After sending the money, keep the bank’s confirmation and ask the clinic to confirm receipt in writing. Agree on when the funds must arrive to keep your scheduled dates.

Contract and cost estimate: what to get before an advance payment

Before transferring money, ask for a draft contract in a language you understand. Check the organization’s name, the patient’s details, the list of services, the cost, payment terms, and the terms for changes to the treatment plan.

Ask for a detailed estimate to be attached. For each stage, clarify what the amount includes and which additional expenses must be agreed on separately.

What to check	What to ask the clinic
Examinations	Which tests and examinations are included in the estimate, and which are charged separately?
Procedures and materials	What exactly is included, and under what circumstances can the amount change?
Stay	Are the room, meals, and assistance included?
Follow-up care	Which post-treatment examinations are included in the payment?
Additional services	How will you agree with me on whether they are needed and how much they cost?

Ask the clinic to state how long the estimate is valid and how it may be revised after an in-person examination. If a new service is added, first get an explanation from the doctor and an updated estimate.

When preparing for dental treatment, request a separate breakdown by treatment stage and trip if the plan involves several visits. Agree on the amount and payment timing for each stage.

Advance payments, cancellations, and refunds

Before making an advance payment, find out what it covers: a consultation, reserving a date, preparing materials, or a specific treatment stage. Ask for the purpose of the payment to be stated in the contract and invoice.

Discuss in advance what will happen if:

• you postpone or cancel your trip;
• the doctor changes the plan after an examination;
• a decision is made not to perform the selected procedure;
• treatment ends before all agreed services have been provided;
• the clinic reschedules the date.

For each situation, ask for written details of how the amount will be calculated, any possible deductions, and the documents that will support them. Clarify where and in which currency the remaining balance will be refunded, who will pay the bank fees, and the agreed refund timeframe.

If a relative or another person is paying, agree in advance on how to document the payment and return any refund to the sender. Keep the correspondence containing the answers.

For treatment in stages, request a payment schedule tied to the agreed services. Before each subsequent payment, check the services already provided, the updated estimate, and the remaining advance payment balance. Do not treat a verbal promise of a refund as an agreed term: ask for it in writing.

Receipts and the final payment before departure

After each payment, request a receipt or another payment document appropriate to the payment method. For card payments, keep the terminal receipt; for transfers, keep the bank document. Separately, get confirmation from the clinic of which patient and invoice the payment was applied to.

Check the recipient’s name, date, amount, currency, and list of paid services in the documents. If the description is too general, ask for a breakdown. Errors in the name or amount are better corrected before departure.

Before settling the final balance, request a summary showing the cost of services provided, all payments received, the advance payment applied, and the amount still due or to be refunded. Compare it with the estimate and agreed changes.

If a payment is delayed, first check its status with the bank and the clinic. Agree on the next steps before sending the money again.

Keep the contract, estimates, invoices, receipts, bank confirmations, and correspondence in one folder, and make digital copies. Before returning home, get the contact details of the staff member responsible for payments and refunds. Record any outstanding questions, amounts, and agreed response deadlines in writing.