Azerbaijan tourist visa: visa-free entry and embassy visas

The State Migration Service publishes a list of countries with reciprocal visa-free travel for ordinary passports: Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Russia (90 days within a calendar year), Tajikistan, Ukraine and Türkiye for 90 days, and Qatar for 30 days. Without a visa you may stay no longer than 90 days unless an agreement says otherwise.

If your country is not on that list, check the ASAN Visa country list next; most Western, Asian and Gulf nationals get the e-visa online. Only travellers who are on neither list, or who need a longer or multiple-entry visa, apply at an embassy.

Azerbaijani consular sections ask for a fully completed and signed application form (incomplete forms are returned), the original passport with at least one blank page and valid at least 3 months beyond the planned departure, two recent colour photos, and a document proving the purpose of the trip.

For tourism this is usually a hotel booking or a tour confirmation; for a private visit, an invitation from an Azerbaijani citizen or a foreign resident together with a copy of their identity card. Several missions no longer accept passports sent by courier, so plan to hand in the file yourself.

An ordinary single-entry visa is valid for up to 90 days and allows one entry and exit in that window. A multiple-entry visa can be valid for up to 2 years. The stay shown on the visa must be used within its validity; an unused visa lapses.

Ordinary entry visas are issued for business, study, work, tourism, culture and sport, humanitarian, private and medical purposes, so pick the purpose that matches your trip.

Staying longer than 15 days (30 days for Kazakh citizens) means registering your address with the State Migration Service within 15 days of arrival. It is free and can be done online, by e-mail to the SMS registration desk, at a regional migration office or at an ASAN Service centre; a hotel or landlord may file it for you. If you move, register the new address within 5 working days.

A visitor's stay can be extended by the SMS for up to 60 days only for listed reasons: urgent medical treatment, serious illness or death of a close relative living in Azerbaijan, unfinished official work confirmed by the inviting organisation, an emergency stop during transit, or an extension granted to a close family member. Apply at least 3 working days before your permitted stay ends.

The state fee for an adult is AZN 30 for up to 30 days or AZN 60 for up to 60 days with a decision in 3 working days, and AZN 50 or AZN 100 for a decision within 1 working day. No extension is granted if your passport expires within a month.