1. Citizens (except for those transferred) of the Republic of Armenia under the age of 30, having completed compulsory military service (except for the female citizens, persons having graduated from higher education institutions and having completed compulsory military service during studies and having passed the prescribed examinations, having been record-registered in the reserve) or having been exempted from compulsory military service on the grounds and in the manner prescribed by law and having no obligation to undergo a re-examination prescribed by law, having command of the Armenian language, and having the ability — as consistent with their efficiency, personal, moral characteristics, education, health condition and physical training — to carry out the duties of officers of the National Security Bodies, irrespective of nationality, race, sex, social origin, property or other status, may join the service in the National Security Bodies.

2. Service in the National Security Bodies shall be military service, the peculiarities whereof shall be prescribed by the RA law on Service in National Security Bodies and by other laws and legal acts.

3. In exceptional cases and upon the permission of the head of the Authorised Body, citizens above the age of 30 may join the service in order to take separate positions in the National Security Bodies.

4. In National Security Bodies candidates with higher education can take up the positions of officers and candidates with at least secondary education can take up the positions of warrant officers.

5. The candidate should have the following personal, moral, working qualities:                                                                                                       

- patriotism;
- law-observance;
- commitment to military oath;
- high sense of responsibility;
- modesty;
- goodwill;
- ability of unbiased self-assessment;
- endurance;
- hardworking and volitional qualities;
- integrity;
- tolerance;
- good manners;
- courage;
- honesty;
- resourcefulness;
- ability to navigate quickly in difficult situations;
- mental stability and stress resistance; 
- ability to communicate and work with people;
- discipline;
- self-devotion;    

6. The conformity check of the health condition for the service in the National Security Bodies and medical examination are carried out by the military-medical committee of the NSS of RA. The medical examination includes the check of drug-addiction, alcoholism, sexual viruses and existence of other diseases, as well as psychological testing.

Restrictions applied to the officers of the National Security Bodies of the Republic of Armenia.

1. Officers of the National Security Body shall not be entitled to:

    1) perform any paid work other than scientific, pedagogical, and creative work;

    2) be Deputies of the National Assembly, hold elective or other positions in the state and local self-government bodies;

    3) be engaged in entrepreneurial activity in person;

    4) act as representatives of third persons in relations with such authority where they serve or report directly thereto or are under his or her direct supervision;

    5) receive royalties for publications or speeches arising from the performance of their official duties;

    6) use logistics, financial and information means, other state property, as well as information related to service for purposes other than official purposes;

   7) accept gifts, gratuity or services from other persons for performance of official duties, except for the cases provided for by the legislation of the               Republic of Armenia;

   8) be a member of any political party, non-governmental organisation (except for organisations based on common scientific, cultural, sport, hunting and similar interests), including religious organisations;

    9) use of official position to the benefit of political parties, religious organisations, public associations and propaganda in favour of the activities thereof;

    10) organise or participate in strikes;

2. Officers of the National Security Bodies shall — within one month after joining service in the National Security Bodies — be obliged, in case of having a share (stock, unit) in the authorised (share, unit) capital of commercial organisation, to assign it for trust management, under the procedure prescribed by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia. Officers of the National Security Bodies shall have the right to receive income from the property assigned for trust management.
3. Working jointly with persons having kinship or in-law relations (parent, spouse, child, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, parent of a spouse, child of a spouse, brother or sister of a spouse, grandmother and grandfather of a spouse) where their service is related to direct subordination or direct supervision to one another.

4. Officers of the National Security Bodies shall not — within a period of one year following the dismissal from service — have the right to be employed by an employer or become a member or an employee of an organisation over which they have been exercising direct control during the last year of their service.

5. Officers of the National Security Bodies shall not be given the carbon copy of the orders on their appointment to position, transfer to another position, dismissal, release from service or on imposing a disciplinary penalty thereon, where the order comprises state secret or information not subject to publication. In this case, they shall be given an extract from the order, from which the information comprising state secret or information not subject to publication shall be removed.

6. Officers of the National Security Bodies shall be allowed access to state secrets under the procedure prescribed by the Law of the Republic of Armenia "On state secret".

7. Officers of the National Security Bodies may study in educational institutions by correspondence for professions in the nature of their profession or for those that contribute to deepening the professional knowledge related to the activities performed thereby, only upon the permission of the head of the State Authorised Body. Citizens being accepted for service in the National Security Bodies and studying in an educational institution full time shall be obliged, upon being appointed to a position, to ensure compliance with the requirement provided for by this part, by submitting to the State Authorised Body the documents related to moving to education by correspondence.

The Organization of Professional Training of the Candidates for the Service in the National Security Bodies

1. In order to ensure the recruitment of the National Security Service of the Russian Federation, education of the residents of the RA is organized in military-educational institutions of the Russian Federation -Academy of Federal Security Service, Kaliningrad and Kurgan Border Guard Institutes as well as in Academy of Federal Security Guard Service (city of Oryol).

2. After graduating from the Academy of Federal Security Service of the RF and Kurgan Border Guard Institute, the graduates get lawyer qualifications and graduating from Kaliningrad Border Guard Institute and Academy of Federal Security Guard Service (city of Oryol), the graduates get engineer qualification after which they are awarded the military rank of lieutenant and start their service as officers in the different units of the NSS of RA and Boarder Guard Troops.
The duration of the education is 5 years. During that period the listeners and cadets are provided with a dormitory located on the territory of the universities, free food and scholarship.

In the event of expulsion or interruption of training in the corresponding military-educational institution of the Russian Federation without a valid reason or dismissal after serving in the National Security Bodies of the Republic of Armenia for less than 5 years, a serviceman who completed his studies at a military-educational institution of the Russian Federation, in accordance with Article 45 of the RA Law of 2003 on Service in National Security Bodies, other laws and legal acts, undertakes to compensate the costs associated with his training in the military-educational institution.

3. Only below mentioned citizens of the RA who are fluent in Armenian and Russian and due to their health condition, physical training and personal qualities correspond to the requirements of the serviceman of the NSS of RA may take part in the admission:
- Students of high school graduating classes;
- Citizens up to 23 years old who have secondary education with compulsory military service;
- Citizens with high school degree who are under 18.

4. Conformity check of the health condition and medical examination of the candidates are carried out by the military-medical committee of the NSS of RA and it also includes drug-addiction, alcoholism, sexual viruses and the existence of their diseases as well as psychological testing.
The candidates also pass polygraph (lie detector) examination according to the established order.

5. The admission is conducted on a competitive basis – on the basis of the exams organized in the NSS of RA of the appropriate degree of complexity in the following subjects:

For applicants of the Academy of the Federal Security Service and Kurgan Institute of the Border Service of the Russian Federation:

- Armenian language (dictation)

- Russian language (dictation)

- Foreign language (oral)

- General knowledge test (written)

- Physical training testing according to the following indicators:

For applicants of Kaliningrad Border Guard Institute of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation:

- Armenian language (dictation)

- Russian language (dictation)

- Mathematics (written)

- General knowledge test (written)

- Physical training testing according to the following indicators:

For applicants of the Federal Security Guard Service of the Russian Federation (city of Oryol)

- Armenian language (dictation)

- Russian language (dictation)

- Mathematics (written)

- Physics (written)

- Physical training testing according to the following indicators:

Summarizing of the entrance exams results is conducted at the mandates commission meeting of the NSS of RA, the corresponding decision is taken.

6.The applications for participation in entrance exams to the mentioned military-educational institutions of the Russian Federation for the next academic year are accepted from the 15th of January till the 15th of March each year. For detailed information you may apply to the RA NSS reception room at the address: Nalbandyan104, Yerevan or by phone number 010 58 90 89, 015 57 91 77. With the questions related to the service in the Border Guard Troops: 015 57 97 74.