November 1998

by Tarlan Jarulla-zadeh

If you plan to travel to Azerbaijan, don't wait until the last minute to get your visa. The process of obtaining a visa can take up to 10 days, and there is paperwork that should be prepared in advance. The required documents are:
1) A completed bilingual Azeri and English visa application form, including basic information about the applicant, purpose of the trip, place of birth, and date of change of citizenship, if applicable.
2) An original passport or reentry permit.
3) Two color or black and white passport-size photos with name of applicant printed on the back.
4) For a single-entry tourist visa, a letter of invitation or a hotel reservation confirmation. (The letter of invitation can be supplied by friends in Azerbaijan and must include their address and telephone number.)
5) For a multiple-entry business visa, confirmation of invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received by the Embassy.
Other points to remember:

• Business visas are issued in 3-5 working days.
  
• Tourist visas are issued in 3-10 working days.
  
• Visas can range in price from zero to US$250.
  

Visa service providers, who can significantly simplify and speed up this process, charge from US$20 to US$40, depending on the type of visa and type of processing requested.

It is possible to enter Azerbaijan without a visa. Authorities at the airport will take the visitor's passport and issue a receipt for it. On the following day, the visitor will need to pick up his passport and visa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although the authorities in Azerbaijan introduced this system to facilitate visa processing, it is still much more convenient to apply for a visa in the traveler's country of residence.

A list of recommended visa service providers is available upon request from the Azerbaijan Consulate in Washington, D.C., tel: (202) 842-0001.

Tarlan Jarulla-zadeh is director of MFM-NY Ltd., a New York-based firm which provides travel services to travelers to Azerbaijan.

This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS)