Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan · Asia · updated 09.09.2026
Azerbaijan is a Caspian country on the border of Europe and Asia with its business centre in Baku. Residence is built around the temporary residence permit (Migration Code, art. 45.1): close kinship with a citizen of the country, investment from AZN 500,000, real estate, a bank deposit or securities from AZN 100,000, employment with a work permit, study, or entrepreneurship. The permit is valid for up to a year and is renewable; after 2 years of continuous residence, the right to a permanent residence permit arises — a status valid for 5 years with an unlimited number of renewals. Naturalisation requires a further 5 years of permanent residence and knowledge of the state language; dual citizenship is not recognised by law, and voluntary acquisition of another citizenship is an independent ground for loss of Azerbaijani citizenship through the courts. Outside Baku, the economy rests on industry (Sumgayit), agriculture, and tourism (Ganja, Sheki, Lankaran); the country lies in a zone of high seismic activity.
Some descriptions for this country are still Russian only: 95% translated. Numbers, prices and timelines are complete.
Entry
Entry rules depend on citizenship. Choose a passport to see the requirement for that one.
Work and visas
Visa types: Temporary residence permit (müvəqqəti yaşamaq üçün icazə) — Migration Code, art. 45.1: close kinship with a citizen of Azerbaijan, investment in the economy from AZN 500,000, real estate/a term bank deposit/securities from AZN 100,000, being a highly qualified specialist, holding a work permit, university study, entrepreneurship, kinship with a temporarily or permanently residing foreigner, and other grounds under arts. 45.1.1–45.1.11 · Work permit (iş icazəsi) — issued to the employer for a specific foreign worker where there are no candidates for the vacancy among the local workforce; not required for holders of a permanent-type residence permit, entrepreneurs, spouses of Azerbaijani citizens (if the citizen is registered at a place of residence in the country), residents of technology parks and ICT specialists, and a number of other categories (migration.gov.az, the “İş icazəsi” page) · Permanent residence permit (daimi yaşamaq üçün icazə) — Migration Code, art. 52.1; as a rule after at least 2 years of continuous temporary residence on the grounds of arts. 45.1.1–45.1.7, issued for 5 years with an unlimited number of renewals · ASAN Viza — an electronic visa for short-term entry (tourism, business trips); does not confer the right to work · Visa-free entry — for citizens of countries with which Azerbaijan has relevant international agreements in force (including some CIS countries); the visa-free stay is generally no more than 90 days unless the treaty provides otherwise (Migration Code, provisions on “müvəqqəti olma”)
Long-term visas and residence permits
Temporary residence permit — close kinship with a citizen of Azerbaijan (Migration Code, art. 45.1.1)
FamilyTemporary residence permit — investment of at least AZN 500,000 in the economy (art. 45.1.2)
InvestmentTemporary residence permit — real estate worth at least AZN 100,000 (art. 45.1.3)
InvestmentTemporary residence permit — fixed-term bank deposit of at least AZN 100,000 (art. 45.1.3-1)
InvestmentTemporary residence permit — government or state-owned-company securities worth at least AZN 100,000 (art. 45.1.3-2)
InvestmentTemporary residence permit — highly qualified specialist (art. 45.1.4)
TalentTemporary residence permit — specialist under art. 64.0.8-1 or highly skilled migrant (art. 45.1.4-1)
TalentTemporary residence permit — family member of a foreigner residing in Azerbaijan (art. 45.1.5)
FamilyTemporary residence permit — head or deputy head of a foreign company branch (art. 45.1.6)
WorkTemporary residence permit — head of an Azerbaijani legal entity with foreign founders (art. 45.1.6-1)
WorkTemporary residence permit — entrepreneurial activity in Azerbaijan (art. 45.1.7)
WorkTemporary residence permit — categories exempt from the work permit under art. 64 (art. 45.1.7-1)
OtherTemporary residence permit — holder of a work permit (art. 45.1.8)
WorkTemporary residence permit — full-time study (art. 45.1.9)
StudyTemporary residence permit — professional religious activity in a registered religious institution (art. 45.1.10)
OtherTemporary residence permit — victim of human trafficking (art. 45.1.10-1)
OtherTemporary residence permit — person assisting criminal prosecution (art. 45.1.10-2)
OtherTemporary residence permit — grounds provided by international treaties (art. 45.1.11)
OtherPermanent residence permit — close kinship with a citizen of Azerbaijan (art. 52.1.1)
FamilyPermanent residence permit — investment of at least AZN 500,000 in the economy (art. 52.1.2)
InvestmentPermanent residence permit — real estate worth at least AZN 200,000 (art. 52.1.3)
InvestmentPermanent residence permit — fixed-term bank deposit of at least AZN 200,000 (art. 52.1.4)
InvestmentPermanent residence permit — government or state-owned-company securities worth at least AZN 200,000 (art. 52.1.5)
InvestmentPermanent residence permit — highly qualified specialist (art. 52.1.6)
TalentPermanent residence permit — specialist or highly skilled migrant under art. 64.0.8-1 (art. 52.1.7)
TalentPermanent residence permit — family member of a permanent resident foreigner (art. 52.1.8)
FamilyPermanent residence permit — head or deputy head of a foreign company branch (art. 52.1.9)
WorkPermanent residence permit — head of an Azerbaijani legal entity with foreign founders (art. 52.1.10)
WorkPermanent residence permit — entrepreneurial activity in Azerbaijan (art. 52.1.11)
WorkWork permit (iş icazəsi)
WorkWork permit for the territories liberated from occupation
WorkMultiple-entry visa, valid for up to 2 years
OtherRefugee status
OtherProgramme terms change, and the final decision rests with the consulate or the country migration service. The data is collected from official sources on the date shown and is not legal advice.
Residence and citizenship
- Permanent residence after
- 2 years
- Citizenship after
- 5 years
- Language
- Azerbaijani (the state language) — for admission to citizenship; the law does not specify a CEFR level, and knowledge is confirmed by a document
- Dual citizenship
- not allowed
Absence limits: Continuity of temporary residence for the transition to a permanent residence permit is preserved if absence from the country does not exceed 90 days within any 180-day period (Migration Code). For the 5-year qualifying period for citizenship — no more than 3 months of absence within a year (art. 14 of the Law “On Citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan”).
Naturalisation is possible after 5 years of continuous, lawful permanent residence in Azerbaijan (counted from the date the permanent residence permit was obtained), given a legal source of income, an undertaking to comply with the Constitution and laws, and a document confirming knowledge of the state language — art. 14 of the Law “On Citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan” No. 527-IQ (e-qanun.az, framework/3187). Dual citizenship is not recognised by law: an Azerbaijani citizen's holding of citizenship of another state is not recognised (art. 10), and voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship is an independent ground for loss of Azerbaijani citizenship by court decision (art. 18.1). The authorities must be notified of the acquisition of foreign citizenship within a month; criminal liability for failure to notify, previously provided for in the same art. 10, was abolished by Law No. 70-VIQD of 1 May 2020.
Documents
- Document certification
- apostille
The country is party to the 1961 Hague Convention: a degree or certificate is authenticated with a single apostille in the country that issued it.
Family
Partner
- Timeline
- 15–20 working days to issue/renew a temporary residence permit on the ground of marriage to an Azerbaijani citizen (Migration Code, art. 45.1.5): 20 working days at the standard state fee, 15 at the increased fee (Law “On State Duty”, art. 14.8.1, e-qanun.az framework/2860).
- Right to work
- yes
The spouse of an Azerbaijani citizen is exempt from the requirement to obtain a separate work permit, provided that the Azerbaijani citizen is registered at a place of residence in the country (migration.gov.az, the “İş icazəsi” page, the list of exemptions).
Parents
Partner's parents
Pets
- Limit
- no limit
Officially confirmed: a veterinary passport is in force for dogs, cats, and other pets (the form was approved by AQTA order of 19 February 2024, state fee AZN 20), along with the “Rules for keeping dogs, cats, and other pets in populated areas of the Republic of Azerbaijan” (Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 38, e-qanun.az framework/21421) — both documents regulate keeping animals within the country and their export FROM Azerbaijan (a veterinary certificate + a passport from the regional AQTA office). The rules for the IMPORT of pets into Azerbaijan (quarantine periods, the requirement for rabies-antibody titre testing, the list of banned breeds) are officially organised on afsa.gov.az as the search database “Ölkələr üzrə idxal-ixrac tələbləri” (afsa.gov.az/az/idxal-ve-ixrac/olkeler-uzre-idxal-ixrac-telebleri), which renders via JavaScript and returns no content when accessed without a browser; the /browse tool was unavailable for this task (shared across the session). The quarantine requirements, titre testing, and the list of banned breeds could not be confirmed from official sources.
Safety
Visiting the territories of the Karabakh economic region (liberated in 2020) requires a separate permit issued through the myGov.az state portal; for foreigners engaged in work activity in these territories, the Migration Code separately allows a work permit extension for up to 2 years instead of the standard 1 year. Sources: mincom.gov.az (news item on issuing permits via myGov), migration.gov.az (the “İş icazəsi” page, the section on extension in the liberated territories).
Climate
Quality of life
- Life expectancy
- 74.6 years
Cities
Baku
tech hubThe capital and largest city of the country, on the Caspian coast — Azerbaijan's business, oil-and-gas, and IT centre.
A seismically hazardous zone; air pollution from oil refining and traffic in the centre; some coastal areas are subject to Caspian storm surges.
Ganja
The country's second-largest city, the historic centre of the Ganja-Dashkasan economic region.
A seismically hazardous zone (the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus).
Sumgayit
An industrial satellite city of Baku on the Caspian coast, one of the country's largest cities.
A seismically hazardous zone; historical soil and air pollution from Soviet-era chemical and metallurgical industry.
Sheki
A city on the Great Silk Road at the foot of the Greater Caucasus; the historic centre and the Palace of the Sheki Khans are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
A seismically hazardous zone; mountain roads are difficult in the cold season.
Lankaran
The main city of the subtropical Talysh region in the south of the country, near the border with Iran; a resort zone on the Caspian coast.
A seismically hazardous zone; risk of flooding during the rainy season.
Grocery basket
- Bread, 500 g
- $ 0,47
- Milk, 1 l
- $ 1,47
- Eggs, 12
- $ 1,67
- Chicken breast, 1 kg
- $ 4,94
- Cheese, 1 kg
- $ 4,60
- Rice, 1 kg
- $ 2,26
- Potatoes, 1 kg
- $ 0,77
- Apples, 1 kg
- $ 1,22
- Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 l
- $ 1,12
- Total
- $ 18,5
The same set for every country, so the comparison is fair.
Cost of living across the country
- Rent, 1 bedroom
- $ 428 a month
- Rent, 3 bedrooms
- $ 914 a month
- Utility bills
- $ 57,0 a month
- Home internet
- $ 16,0 a month
- Monthly transport pass
- $ 21,3 a month
- Single transport ticket
- $ 0,33
- Petrol, litre
- $ 0,67
- Cold medicine
- $ 5,71 for a week
Country averages. City prices, where collected, are shown above and are more precise.
Indicators
- Life expectancy
- 74,6 years2024
- Homicides
- 2 per 100k2024
- Road deaths
- 17,2 per 100k2021
- Unemployment
- 5,5 %2025
- Unemployment, ages 15–24
- 13,1 %2025
- Health spending per person
- $ 300 a year
- Air pollution, PM2.5
- 23,7 µg/m³2023
- Access to clean water
- 97,7 %2024
- Internet, fixed line
- 92,2 Mbit/s2026
- Internet, mobile
- 98,6 Mbit/s2026
Governance
- Political stability
- below average · -0,1
- Control of corruption
- below average · -0,8
- Rule of law
- below average · -0,5
- Government effectiveness
- above average · 0,2
World Bank estimates on a −2.5 to +2.5 scale, higher is better.
Natural hazards
- Earthquakes
- 7,8 out of 10
- River floods
- 6,6 out of 10
- Coastal floods
- 0 out of 10
- Tropical cyclones
- 0 out of 10
- Droughts
- 5,3 out of 10
- Tsunamis
- 0 out of 10
Each value carries the year it refers to. “Data lags behind” means this country's figure was collected noticeably earlier than the rest. Natural hazards use one 0–10 scale and are meant to be compared against each other.
Pros and cons
Compare with other countries in the region
Afghanistan · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Cambodia · Hong Kong · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · Oman · Pakistan · People's Republic of China · Philippines · Singapore · South Korea · Sri Lanka · State of Palestine · Taiwan · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen
Other countries in the region: Asia
Afghanistan · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Cambodia · Hong Kong · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · North Korea · Oman · Pakistan · People's Republic of China · Philippines · Singapore · South Korea · Sri Lanka · State of Palestine · Syria · Taiwan · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen