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Summer 1998 (6.2) Getting a Visa for Azerbaijan If you plan to travel to Azerbaijan, don't wait until the last minute to get your visa though the process is quite simple and you can apply by yourself. You don't need an agency to do it for you. Annual visas can be granted for single, double or multiple entry. Contact the Azerbaijan Embassy in the country of your residence and request a visa application. In the United States, the form is bilingual (Azeri Latin and English) and simply requests routine information about your gender, date and place of birth, purpose of trip, etc. Complete the form and mail it along with your passport and two passport-sized photos. You'll also need some sort of document confirming your visit which can be provided by a letter of invitation from your company, the confirmation booking from a hotel, a letter from a friend with whom you'll staying or even an itinerary from your travel agent. Don't forget to include a self-addressed stamped envelope or a next-day airbill so that the embassy can mail your passport and visa back to you. There is no charge for tourist visas unless they are requested on a rush basis. There are charges for business visas. Visa approval usually takes 10 business days for an ordinary visa, or 5 business days for a business visa. If you need the visa sooner, a $40 fee will be charged, and the visa can be ready within 3 working days. Business visas are valid for one year; ordinary visas are valid for 3 months. Both may be easily extended by stopping by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baku. If you don't have a visa when you arrive in Azerbaijan, it is still possible to enter the country. The airport's passport control will take your passport and give you a receipt for it. You are permitted to check in to your hotel, then on the next day, you may pick up your passport and visa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building adjacent to the Twin Gates of the Old City (Ichari Shahar). Citizens of other CIS countries
do not need a visa to enter Azerbaijan. If you have a visa for
another CIS country, you will be allowed to stay in Azerbaijan
for 24 hours without having a visa. Contact the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the following addresses: China: 1-32 San Li Tun, Diplomatic Office Building, Beijing 100600. Tel: (86-10) 65-32-4614; Fax: (86-10) 65-32-4615. Europe:(Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Luxemburg, and Switzerland). Strozzigasse 10, Vienna A-1080, Austria. Tel: (43-1) 403-13-23; Fax: (43-1) 403-1323. Iran: 10 Malik Street, Tehran. Tel (98-21) 750-27-24; Fax: (98-21) 750-24-04. Turkey: Cemal Nadir Sokak, 20 Celikler Apt Çankaya, Ankara. Tel: (90-312) 441-26-20 or 441-25-21/22; Fax: (90-312) 441-26-00. United Kingdom: 4 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL. Tel: (44-171) 938-3412; Fax: (44-171) 937-1783. United States: 927 Fifteenth Street NW, Suite 700, Washington,
D.C. 20038-7839. Tel: (202) 842-0001; Fax: (202) 842-0004. From Azerbaijan International (6.2) Summer 1998. |
