Last updated 17 August 2010

To obtain tourist visa to Azerbaijan you will need an official Letter of Invitation (LOI) from travel agency licensed by Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Visa support letter has to be on a headed paper, duly stamped and signed. Invitation letter has to be submitted to Azeri embassy abroad along with application form, two passport-size (3x4 cm) photos and original passport/travel document (must be valid for at least 6 months after the expiry date of the Azerbaijani visa applied for). It will allow applicant to obtain single or double entry tourist visa that is valid for three months and authorizes to enter and stay in Azerbaijan for up to 30 days

Citizens of Europe, America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand can obtain single entry tourist visa upon arrival at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Ganja International Airport or Nakhichevan International Airport. There are Consulate sections in these airports that issue visas to those nationals. Citizens of other countries need to obtain visa in one of the Azeri diplomatic missions abroad before traveling to Azerbaijan. The procedure is straigtforward, takes around 10 minites to complete per person. If there are not a lot of people on the plane applying for visa upon arrival then you can pass border control very quickly. However if there are many travelers applying for visa you might end up queuing  there for couple of hours since there is only one person processing all the applications. 

Asian nationals (India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, UAE, S. Arabia, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.) have to get in touch with the Azeri embassy first to check regulations. Bear in mind that our travel agency issues LOIs without authorisation from Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For Western world nationals these LOIs are fine. However, some embassies might insist on having separate authorisation from MFA for LOIs for those Asian & African nationals. Please check with the embassy first. 

If you plan to obtain your visa upon arrival in the airport a letter of invitation (LOI) from Azeri travel agency WILL NOT be required. However, if you enter Azerbaijan not through Baku airport but overland or sea port - then you need to secure your visa in advance and for this you would need visa support from travel agency.  

Visa fee in the airport costs:

 - for the UK nationals is $ 101 USD
 - for nationals of EU is € 60 EUR
 - for USA nationals is $ 131 USD
 - for European nationals that are not EU citizens (former Yugoslavia republics) $40 USD

They accept cash only, so have it ready beforehand. There is an ATM machine in Baku airport, but do not rely on that since it might not work or have no cash to dispense. Travel vouchers that entitle holder for a reduced visa fee of just $ 20 USD are not accepted in airport. Obtaining visa in airport is generally is straghtforward process taking around 5-10 minutes. However, it might take much longer if there are few applicants from one plane queuing to obtain visa... 10 minutes for each applicant and just one consulate official to process all applications...

Baku Travel Services is a travel agency licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan and is authorised to provide traveler with visa support documents. Should you need a letter of invitation for Azerbaijan tourist visa contact us for arrangements. We are working every day and aim to process all requests and send LOIs within 24 hours.  

Azerbaijan Visa Support Service

1. Visa support provided as part of one of our tour packages is free of charge
   
2. Visa support is free of charge if you book hotel in Baku through our travel agency (at least 3 nights)
3. If you need just a letter of invitation (LOI) from our travel agency the fee for our service is $50 USD

N.B.If your visa is rejected for some reason we refund that fee in full minus transfer fees if there are any

Please note that additional consular fees are paid at the embassy with your visa application. Baku Travel Services can also provide you with tourist vouchers that will entitle you to a reduced visa fee of just 20 USD, in other words instead of paying full standard visa fee in the embassy (ranging from 40 to 130 USD depending on the length of your stay and the country of your citizenship) you will pay just 20 USD. Tourist vouchers are provided as part of visa support package only. Bear in mind, that tourist vouchers might not work in some embassies (though they have to be accepted by any Azeri consulate), and you will be charged the full standard visa fee instead of $20. Unfortunately, we have no opportunities to influence embassies on this matter. We also make no refund if vouchers does not work for reduced visa fee. Refunds are made only if the visa is rejected. For situation with vouchers in some embassies check the bootom of this page. 

To issue you an official Letter of Invitation (LOI) we need the following: 

• Good quality scanned copy of the passport sent us by email 
• Full Name
• Passport number
• Date of issue
• Citizenship
• Sex
• Purpose of stay
• Duration of stay
• Arrival date
• Planned Accommodation (Hotel, Hostel, Friend)
• Your contact details
• Place of applying for visa (in what country, city)

For payment details please press here

Based on the information received we will issue a Letter of Invitation and send to your email within 24 hours. You will need to print off the documents that we will send you and enclose with application form that you will submit to the embassy. 

1. Embassy in London, UK processes around 15 applications a day, so try not to leave your visa arrangements until the last moment. They process vouchers without any problem
2. Embassies in Berlin (Germany) and in Kiev (Ukraine) for some reason do not accept tourist vouchers for reduced visa fee and charges full fee of 60 Euros  
3. Embassy in Vienna (Austria) and in Riga (Latvia) insist on having originals of tourist vouchers to give reduced visa fee. Vouchers need to be posted to applicants from Baku (will take 10-14 days by standard air-mail. Courier service available for extra fee if needed.

Comments from our customer: We have now obtained our visas from the embassy in Vienna. It was a bit of a struggle, e.g. they first wanted to see residence permits, which we as EU citizens resident in Austria since 2002 do not need (I had to produce a print out from the official authorities to convince the embassy staff of this), then they tried to charge the full 60 Euros each. I persisted pointing towards the small print at the bottom of the voucher you sent us - and luckily at that moment a suited superior walked in and OK-ed the lower fee with a nod. So all's well that ends well. I'm only telling you this so that maybe on your website you can amend your comments about the various embassies' behaviour towards visa applications ... the Vienna embassy is certainly a hard nut to crack. 

4. Embassy in Beijing (China) - unexplainably hard case... Highly recommended to apply for visa in some other embassy.
5. Embassy in Tbilisi (Georgia) is one of the most efficient, processes vouchers without any problem
6. Consulate in Aktau (Kazakhstan) - wants originals of LOIs & Vouchers for reduced fee visa. Otherwise they can issue non-tourist visas without them.
7. Embassy in Tehran & consulate in Tabriz (Iran) need no LOI at all. Visas could be obtained same day without any support documents. They don't accept tourist vouchers as well. 
8. Embassy in Stockholm (Sweden) insist on having originals of tourist vouchers to give reduced visa fee.
9. Embassy in Jakarta (Indonesia) processes vouchers without problems.
10. Embassy in Hague (Holland) processes vouchers without problems.
11. Reported problems with vouchers in Washington (USA), insist on having an original document to give reduced visa fee.
12. Reported problems in Rome (Italy). Very lengthy processing procedure (up to 2 weeks), unhelpful staff and constant change of official rules.
13. Embassy in Seol (S. Korea) works well and processes vouchers without problems. 

Document list, terms & dates of visa preparation & consular fees may be changed according to the regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Baku Travel Services does not carry responsibility for the non-implementation or timeliness of visa processing by consular sections of Azeri embassies abroad, nor is Baku Travel Services responsible for visa rejection.

Last updated 10 June 2010.

If you are traveling to Azerbaijan you need to obtain an appropriate visa. Only citizens of Russia and CIS countries (except Turkmenistan) do not need a visa to enter Azerbaijan.

There are several types of visas available:

1. Tourist visa
2. Business/Student visa
3. Visitor visa
4. Transit visa

The most common type is tourist visa available on single or double entry basis only. This type of visa is valid for three months and authorizes to enter and stay in Azerbaijan for up to 30 days. Visa should be obtained in advance in one of Azeri embassies abroad. Citizens of Europe, America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand can obtain single entry tourist visa upon arrival at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Ganja International Airport or Nakhichevan International Airport. There are Consulate sections in these airports that issue visas to those nationals. Citizens of other countries need to obtain visa in one of the Azeri diplomatic missions abroad before traveling to Azerbaijan.

For getting an Azerbaijan visa you will need to get an official letter of invitation (stamped and signed) from licensed Azeri travel agency. This invitation along with the application form, two passport size (3x4 cm) photos and an original of your passport/travel document (must be valid for at least 6 months after the expiry date of the Azerbaijani visa applied for) are sufficient to obtain visa in Azerbaijan Consulate abroad. For visas that are to be obtained in airport upon arrival letter of invitation (LOI) from Azeri travel agency is not required. If you enter Azerbaijan not through Baku airport but overland or sea port - then you need to secure your visa in advance and for this you would need visa support from travel agency.  

Should you need a letter of invitation for Azerbaijan tourist visa contact us for arrangements. More detailed information on our visa support services you can find by following the link here. Baku Travel Services is a licensed travel agency and we process all requests and send LOIs within 24 hours.

Visa fee in the airport costs:

 - for the UK nationals is $ 101 USD
 - for nationals of EU is € 60 EUR
 - for USA nationals is $ 131 USD

They accept cash only, so have it ready beforehand. There is an ATM machine in airport, but do not rely on that since it might not work or have no cash to dispense. Travel vouchers that entitle holder for a reduced visa fee of just $ 20 USD are not accepted in airport.

For business & student visas the procedure is slightly different. Letter of invitation from a receiving party (potential employer, business partner or university) should be authorized by Consular Department of the MFA that will fax approval letter directly to the embassy where you plan to obtain your visa. Applicant should get a copy of approval letter (don't confuse it with LOI) from receiving party that they get from Consular Department of the MFA. Approval letter should bear a reference number that you will need to quote in your visa application. Consular Department of the MFA processes LOIs within 3-4 working days.

For visitor visas an invitation is needed from the citizen of Azerbaijan. Invitation has either to be authorized by Consular Department of the MFA (see above business visas) or the applicant can submit a copy of LOI directly to the embassy (without authorization in MFA). The support letter (Devetname) must contain full name of the invited person, his/her date of birth, passport number, duration of stay in Azerbaijan. That LOI needs also to indicate the address and contact details of inviting party. A copy of Azerbaijan citizen's identity document (Shexsiyyet vesiqesi) has to be enclosed as well. However, embassies might still insist on having Letter of Invitation authorized by Consular Department of the MFA, so our advice is to check with the embassy first.

A single or multiple transit visa is granted to travelers going to other countries but passing through the territory of Azerbaijan. If the transit visa has no notes or stamps about non-stop passage, the bearer has the right to stay in the Republic of Azerbaijan for not longer than five days. Proof of onward travel might be required(plain/train tickets). Onward visa as proof of onward travel might also be used. 5 day transit visas are $20/40 for single/double entry, are valid for one month from the date of issue. You only need an application form, passport photo and photocopy of your passport.

Extension of visa

Foreign nationals have to leave Azerbaijan within 48 hours from the expiry date of the visa or extend the visa before it expires at the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Address: 4 Shikhali Gurbanov Street, Baku AZ 1009, Republic of Azerbaijan, tel: + 994 12 4929692).

If foreign nationals fail to extend their visas before expiry date, they will be liable to a fine from US $ 20 to 30. It is not possible to renew a visa after it has expired. Those foreign citizens who stay over 30 days since entering Azerbaijan and fail to register are subject to arrest by authorities with investigation to follow. There are facts when foreigners extend their visas but forget to get registration certificate. In this case the person is fined and gets a warning to obtain certificate. These certificates differ from those that Azerbaijan citizens have by color, those ones for foreigners are of pink color and bear information about a foreign citizen. If you leave the country before termination of 30 days you are free of registration.

You may not stay without registration, as this is illegal!

Long-term stay and registration

Foreign nationals intending to stay in Azerbaijan for a period exceeding 30 days have to register with the nearest police station within three days upon arrival. The registration fee is US $10 and the following documents should be submitted:

- Valid passport of a foreign national
- Valid visa
- Proof of address or a tenancy agreement, or a letter from the landlord

After the registration foreign nationals are issued with a registration note or card allowing them to stay in the country. Foreign nationals residing in the capital city are issued with a registration note rather than registration card, given by Baku Head Police Department.

Foreign nationals that stay in other districts of Azerbaijan (i.e. other than Baku) obtain their registration from Passport Registration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan in person prior to their departure from the capital city. They will also be charged an additional fine of US $ 50 for each month they overstay.

Registration in Azerbaijan is essential and unavoidable. To enjoy your stay, follow the rules and make sure you are registered.