Azerbaijan is preparing to make it easier for Japanese travelers to enter the country.
In a joint press release issued on June 10, 2026, following a meeting in Tokyo between Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, the two countries announced a new travel facilitation measure.
Japan “welcomed the decision of the Azerbaijani side to unilaterally grant visa free entry to Japanese citizens for a period of one year,” a measure presented as a way to promote tourism and further expand economic, humanitarian, and cultural ties between the two countries.
The statement does not yet specify when the exemption will take effect or how long Japanese citizens will be allowed to stay in Azerbaijan on each entry.
This is a unilateral measure granted by Baku to Japanese citizens, not a reciprocal visa waiver agreement covering nationals of both countries. The two ministers nevertheless said they would continue working to facilitate travel by their citizens, as the two countries seek to strengthen bilateral relations.
Japanese citizens can already obtain a visa on arrival in Azerbaijan
At present, Japanese citizens can apply for an electronic visa before traveling through the official ASAN Visa portal, or obtain an electronic visa on arrival at Azerbaijan’s international airports using ASAN Visa kiosks located before passport control.
The visa currently allows a stay of up to 30 days. The future exemption is therefore expected to remove a formality that is already relatively simple, but still required for Japanese travelers.
The announcement comes as the two foreign ministers seek to deepen bilateral relations more than 30 years after Japan and Azerbaijan established diplomatic ties in 1992.
Beyond travel, the discussions also covered economic cooperation, investment, decarbonization, regional connectivity, energy, and energy security.
For Azerbaijan, the temporary visa exemption also sends a signal of openness toward a high-potential Japanese market, as Baku looks to strengthen its tourism appeal and expand its international exchanges.
