Azerbaijan was once quite isolated and practically all visitors were from the former Soviet block. Today, it’s opening up to the world and allowing more and more nationalities to visit.
Due to their strong ties, most of the former Soviet Union nations are visa-exempt to enter Azerbaijan whereas over 90 other nationalities can easily obtain an eVisa online.
This Azerbaijan visa guide contains up-to-date information about:
- The nationalities that are visa-exempt
- The nationalities that are eligible for an eVisa
- The procedure and required documents for a tourist visa from an Azeri embassy
- The entry and exit processes
- Other pertinent information
Table of Contents
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AZERBAIJAN VISA POLICY
Azerbaijan offers visa-free entry to only 13 countries, mostly part of the former USSR and recently also some from the Persian Gulf. Most of them can stay in Azerbaijan for 90 days. See below for a full list.
Passport holders from another 91 countries can apply for an eVisa online (complete list below). The USA, Canada, all countries in the EU, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand are some of those countries. The eVisa costs
- 25 USD (20$ for the visa plus 5$ service fee) for the standard one (delivery within 3 days);
- 60 USD (20$ for the visa plus 40$ service fee) for express one (delivery within 3 hours).
The eVisa is valid for 90 days and allows entry for up to 30 days.
A few countries are also eligible for a visa on arrival (full list below). The visa on arrival costs 30 USD except for Japanese passport holders who can get VOA for free.
Holders of United Arab Emirates residence permit, regardless of nationality, are also eligible for a visa on arrival valid for 30 days.
Last but not least, Azerbaijan usually relaxes the visa requirements when it hosts international events of great interest. For example, for the Formula One race in Baku, all visitors have historically been eligible to receive a visa on arrival as long as they present a valid ticket for the event. Please check with official Azerbaijan authorities before similar major international events.
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AZERBAIJAN VISA TYPES
There are three main ways to enter Azerbaijan as a tourist.
- Visa Exemption: Enter without a visa if you’re from one of the 13 visa-exempt countries
- Visa on Arrival: Receive a visa on arrival if you’re from one of the 11 eligible countries
- eVisa: Obtain an eVisa through the Azerbaijan government eVisa portal
- Tourist Visa: Apply for a regular tourist visa from one of Azerbaijan’s embassies abroad
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AZERBAIJAN VISA REQUIREMENTS
As with any other country, there are certain requirements one must comply with when planning a visit to Azerbaijan as a tourist.
Passport validity required to enter Azerbaijan
The required passport validity depends on the method used to enter Azerbaijan.
Visa Exemption
If entering on a visa exemption, your passport must be valid for at least 3 months more than the intended date of departure.
eVisa, VOA, or embassy-issued tourist visa
If entering with any of the tourist visas, the validity period of the passport must be at least 3 months more than the validity period of the said visa.
The eVisa is valid for 90 days, allowing a single entry into Azerbaijan for up to 30 days. This means that, for example, if your visa is issued on 5 February 2024, and valid until 5 May 2024, then your passport must be valid at least until 5 August 2024.
Return or onward ticket out of Azerbaijan
If you’re visa-exempt or using an eVisa to enter Azerbaijan, no proof of return or onward ticket is required.
When you apply for a standard tourist visa, you will be asked for a flight itinerary, including a return ticket. However, the border officials will rarely ask to see this.
Ban on Armenians
Due to the prolonged and ongoing state of war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, entry is refused to all Armenian passport holders, as well as any foreign national of Armenian descent.
Even having an Armenian last name, regardless of your nationality, makes you ineligible to travel to Azerbaijan.
COVID entry restrictions
As of November 2023, entry into Azerbaijan is only possible by air. The special quarantine provision was extended until 2 January 2024.
These entry restrictions were initially put in place during the COVID pandemic but have been continuously extended every 2-3 months. It is safe to assume that it’s no longer because of a concern for health but more due to geopolitical concerns.
It is uncertain if the provision will cease on 2 January or be extended further.
Surprisingly, all visitors to Azerbaijan are allowed to exit through a land border.
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AZERBAIJAN VISA EXEMPTION
There are 13 visa-exempt countries. Unless otherwise specified, the visa exemption allows stays of up to 90 days within Azerbaijan.
- Belarus
- Georgia
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Moldova
- Qatar (30 days)
- Russia
- Serbia
- Tajikistan
- Türkiye
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
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AZERBAIJAN eVISA
The Azerbaijan eVisa is one of the simplest I’ve ever completed. It’s easy, fast, and relatively cheap compared to other similar eVisas.
Eligibility
There are 91 countries whose nationals are eligible for an eVisa for Azerbaijan. These are:
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Ecuador
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turkmenistan
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Vatican City
- Vietnam
Procedure
Apply for the Azerbaijan eVisa ONLY through their official ASAN Visa website. Be careful because similar websites pretend to the official but are in fact owned by tour companies and charge more for a service that is easily done independently.
The only document you need to apply is a good-quality picture of your passport.
Once on the eVisa portal, the steps for applying are as follows:
- Pick your nationality and type of passport. If you’re not eligible for the eVisa, the platform will tell you. Otherwise, proceed to step 2.
- Select the starting date of validity for the eVisa. If you’re not sure, it’s better to pick an earlier date. You cannot before this date, but you can enter up to 90 days after it. The portal will show you the eVisa validity and the price.
- Fill in your personal information. Make use of the file explaining frequently made mistakes and the one showing acceptable document pictures.
- Check your email and click “Approve”.
- Pay for the eVisa using any 3D Secure bank card; There is a 1$ bank fee when paying with a foreign card making the total 26$ for a standard eVisa or 61$ for an express one.
- Receive the eVisa as a PDF in your email within 3 days.
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AZERBAIJAN VISA ON ARRIVAL (VOA)
Travelers from 11 countries can get a visa on arrival when arriving by air. There are also certain special conditions and exceptions for special cases that we look at below.
Eligibility by Nationality
The following countries are eligible to receive a visa on arrival valid for 30 days:
- Bahrain
- China
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Malaysia
- Oman
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
The VOA costs 30$ except for travelers from Japan for whom it’s free.
Eligibility by Residence
Holders of a resident visa for the United Arab Emirates with at least 6 months validity are eligible to receive a 30-day visa on arrival at any international airport in Azerbaijan.
Special cases
There are certain conditions that can make one qualify for a visa on arrival.
- If you have a resident card from Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, or Kuwait AND are accompanied by a citizen of the same country that issued it.
- If you’re a citizen of the US traveling on a direct flight from New York to Baku on an Azerbaijan Airways flight. Unfortunately, these flights were discontinued when the pandemic began and haven’t restarted yet.
- If you’re from a country that doesn’t have an Azerbaijan embassy AND take a direct flight to Azerbaijan from that country.
Check out the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry website for more information.
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AZERBAIJAN TOURIST VISA FROM THE EMBASSY
If you’re not from one of the countries eligible for an eVisa and don’t qualify for either of the other options, then you have to obtain a regular tourist visa from an Azerbaijan embassy.
For the tourist visa, Azeri embassies require the following documents:
- Application form (filled online and printed out);
- Passport and copy of its main page;
- Two color photos (3 x 4 cm);
- Flight itinerary;
- Proof of accommodation;
- A receipt on payment of the state fee for visa;
You may submit the visa application in person but make sure to book an appointment online first.
You may also send the application by post to the Embassy. In most countries, you will have to attach a postal order payable to the Embassy so they send the visa back via mail.
The state fee for a single-entry visa is 35 EUR for all countries part of the EU or Schengen and 20 USD for all other countries.
The multiple-entry visa is 35 EUR for all countries part of the EU or Schengen and 350 USD for all other countries.
Check out the current visa fee here.
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ENTRY AND EXIT PROCEDURE AT THE AIRPORT
Flying into Azerbaijan
Upon landing at an airport in Azerbaijan, the next step depends on your visa status.
If you’re visa-exempt proceed directly to the immigration counters. Get your passport stamped and move on to arrivals or baggage reclaim.
If you have an eVisa, proceed to the immigration counters. You may be asked some questions about how long you intend to stay in Azerbaijan and where you plan to go but you will quickly get through with a stamp in your passport.
If you need to obtain a visa on arrival, look for the E-ASAN Self-Desk Kiosk in the area just before Passport Control.
Follow the automated procedures and get the VOA. Then head to the immigration counters and get the entry stamp.
Flying out of Azerbaijan
When leaving Azerbaijan you will go through passport control at the airport. The officer will check that you haven’t overstayed your visa and may ask for your registration paper if you stayed in Azerbaijan longer than 15 days (more information below in the registration section).
Entering Azerbaijan if you’ve been to Armenia
Due to the constant war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, you may be subject to additional questioning and examination at the border.
Having been to Armenia is NOT however grounds to be denied entry into Azerbaijan.
Most travelers who’ve been to both countries face minimal questioning in regard to that. When I arrived at Baku International Airport, the official saw the Armenian entry stamp and called her supervisor.
They asked me where I’ve been in Armenia and for how long. After taking a photo of the Armenian stamp, they let me through. It took less than 2 minutes.
This is unlikely to change soon even after the events of September 2023.
This is NOT the case if you’ve been to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh).
Entering Azerbaijan if you’ve been to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)
You CANNOT travel to Azerbaijan if you’ve been to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Any evidence of such, including passport stamps, paper visas, even luggage tags, or other documents will result in denial of entry or even arrest and prosecution for illegal entry into Azerbaijan.
Some adventurous travelers have done it but in any case, it’s not worth the risk.
Azerbaijan considers Nagorno-Karabakh an intrinsic part of its sovereign territory. Up until recently, it was de-facto controlled by the Republic of Artsakh, backed by Armenia. The information presented here is valid even after the ceasefire and annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.
It remains to be seen what changes there will be to this rule.
Tourist registration if staying longer than 15 days in Azerbaijan
All travelers who stay in Azerbaijan for longer than 15 days must register with the migration police.
This rule is strictly enforced at the border upon exit and you may be subject to hefty fines (up to 300 AZN / 176$) if you haven’t registered but stayed longer than 15 days.
Registration can be done:
- By your hotel;
- In person at a migration police office;
- By mail to the migration police;
- Online (easiest)
You only need to complete one registration. Even if you change accommodation, no further action is necessary after the first registration.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Can I get a visa for Azerbaijan online?
Most nationalities are eligible for an eVisa. You can apply for it online on the official ASAN portal.
Do Americans need a visa for Azerbaijan?
Yes, American citizens need a visa to visit Azerbaijan. They are eligible to obtain an Azerbaijan visa online.
Do EU citizens need a visa for Azerbaijan?
Yes, EU citizens need a visa to visit Azerbaijan. You can get the visa online.
Do Indian citizens need a visa for Azerbaijan?
Yes, Indians are required to have a visa to visit Azerbaijan. You can get the eVisa online.
Can I travel to Azerbaijan if I’ve been to Armenia?
Yes, you can. You may be subject to additional questioning (where you’ve been, how long, why, etc). There are no additional requirements but you must comply with the current ones.
Can I travel to Azerbaijan if I’ve been to Nagorno-Karabakh?
Theoretically possible but it’s definitely not advised. Any evidence of prior travel there may get you in deep trouble.
Do I need a visa to travel to Nagorno-Karabakh?
The ordinary tourist visa is NOT enough to travel to Nagorno-Karabakh. You must obtain a special permit in order to travel there from the Azerbaijan side.
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CONCLUSION
This guide is your ultimate resource for all things about Azerbaijan visa, including visa-exempt countries, eVisa-eligible countries and procedures, and tourist visa requirements and documents needed.
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