I’ve never done this before, so sorry of it’s a bit noobish lol.
Is there a way to import and export an armature and its mesh in 2.61?
define question more. Do you mean from one blendfile to another (in which case you just append) or do you mean from one format to another (ie from Blender to 3ds or something else)?
I mean from blender file to blender file. I would like to export a character and the armature (hopefully, it’ll still be rigged) from a previously finished file and import her to a newly started file.
Also, you provably should know that I’m using Blender 2.61
Easiest way:
put armature in object mode.
Select armature and mesh
Press CTL-G to group the objects.
– optional: Press F6 to name the group, otherwise it will just be called “Group”
Save file
Open new file.
Click File–>>append
navigate to the file you just saved with armature and mesh
navigate in the blend file to the groups folder
click on the group you just made
the armature and mesh are now appended, rigged and everything
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It works perfectly! Thanks, you just saved me a lot of time and frustration. 
What about exporting the “mesh with armature and weight painting” to “let’s say onto MAYA”, I have read about FBX, but never tested it !
Can I just export my model full rigged straight into MAYA?
mostly , yes, FBX export works fine as of 2.65a , materials, armature, weights, Im not sure if shapekeys are yet… and make sure to have applied rotation and scale on the mesh and armature, I wouldnt try to use IK and constraints it didnt work when I tried, but thats not a problem as maya comes with full body IK which can be swapped onto characters, so you could have a fully IK’ed rig in minutes. I would export large scenes in parts though , and import them seperately