Relations concerning freedom of information are regulated by the RA Law "On Freedom of Information," which defines the competencies of information holders, state and local self-government bodies, state institutions, budget-funded organizations, as well as public organizations and their officials, and sets out the procedures, forms, and conditions for obtaining information.

Freedom of information is the exercise of the right to request information in accordance with the procedures established by law and to receive it from the information holder.

Every person has the right to access the information they seek and/or submit a request to the information holder in accordance with the procedure established by law, and to receive that information.

Foreigners may exercise the rights and freedoms provided under the RA Law "On Freedom of Information" only as permitted by law or international treaties.

Freedom of information may be restricted in cases provided by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and by law.

The information holder, except for the cases specified in Part 3 of Article 8 of the RA Law “On Freedom of Information,” shall refuse to provide information if it:

• contains state, official, banking, or commercial secrets;
• violates the confidentiality of a person’s private and family life, including the confidentiality of correspondence, telephone conversations, postal, telegraphic, and other communications;
• contains data from a preliminary investigation that are not subject to disclosure;
• discloses data subject to access restrictions due to professional secrecy (medical, notarial, attorney–client secrecy);
• violates copyright and/or related rights.

If part of the requested information contains data, the provision of which is subject to refusal, the remaining part of the information shall be provided.

The provision of information may not be refused if it:

• relates to emergency situations threatening the life and health of citizens, as well as natural disasters (including officially forecasted ones) and their consequences
• reflects the general state of the economy of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the actual situation in the fields of environmental protection, healthcare, education, agriculture, trade, and culture
• concerns information the non-provision of which would have a negative impact on the implementation of state programs for the socio-economic, scientific-technical, and spiritual-cultural development of the Republic of Armenia.

A written request shall indicate the applicant’s name, surname, citizenship, and place of residence, as well as the place of work or educational institution.
The written request must be signed (in the case of a legal entity, its name and location shall be indicated).

According to the RA Law "On Freedom of Information", a written request is not answered if:

• it does not contain all the data about the applicant required by law;
• it is established that the data regarding the identity of its author is false;
• it is a second application submitted by the same person within the last six months requesting the same information, except for the case provided for in Part 4 of Article 10 of the RA Law "On Freedom of Information"

The applicant is not obliged to substantiate the request.

The response to the request shall be provided within the following periods:

• If the information specified in the written request has not been published, a copy thereof shall be provided to the applicant within five days of receiving the request.
• If the information specified in the written request has been published, information on the means, place, and time of such publication shall be provided to the applicant within five days of receiving the request.
• If additional work is required to provide the information specified in the written request, such information shall be provided to the applicant within thirty days of receiving the request. In this case, the applicant shall be notified in writing within five days of receiving the request, specifying the reasons for the delay and the final deadline for providing the information.

The response to the written request shall be provided in the form specified by the applicant. If no form is specified, and it is impossible to respond within the period established by law, the response shall be provided in a material medium acceptable to the information holder.

A refusal to provide information may be appealed to an authorized state administrative body or to a court.