Azerbaijan: More countries to gain visa-free access as e-Visa and visa-on-arrival systems evolve

Azerbaijan is preparing a new phase in the liberalization of its visa policy.

On August 20, 2026, President Ilham Aliyev approved the State Program for Tourism Development in Azerbaijan for 2026-2030. The document includes several measures aimed at making it easier for foreign visitors to enter the country, starting with an expansion of the visa-free regime.

The ASAN Visa e-Visa system is also set to evolve. While the electronic visa currently issued online is valid for a single entry, the authorities plan to develop the issuance of multiple-entry e-Visas. Additional nationalities are also expected to become eligible for both the e-Visa and visa on arrival.

In the longer term, the country also plans to create a new electronic visa subtype for digital nomads.

Azerbaijan aims to extend visa-free travel to 34 target tourism markets

The first measure included in the program calls for increasing the number of countries whose citizens can enter Azerbaijan visa-free with an ordinary passport.

Between 2026 and 2030, the authorities are expected to carry out the necessary domestic procedures to introduce new visa exemptions, either unilaterally or on a reciprocal basis.

The program sets an interim target of 28 tourism markets covered by visa-free arrangements, rising to 34 countries by the end of the 2026-2030 period.

The list of future countries has not yet been released. As a result, it is not yet possible to determine whether citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Switzerland, or other nationalities that currently require a visa will eventually benefit from the exemption.

The target should also not be interpreted as meaning that “34 new countries” will be added. Rather, the program calls for 34 target tourism markets to be covered by visa-free arrangements by the end of the reform period, without specifying which existing exemptions are included in that total.

Which countries are currently visa-free for Azerbaijan?

Currently, holders of ordinary passports from 17 countries can travel to Azerbaijan without a visa: Albania, Belarus, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Moldova, Morocco, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.

The permitted stay is generally 90 days. It is limited to 30 days for Qatari citizens. Chinese nationals may stay for up to 30 days per entry, with a maximum cumulative stay of 90 days within a 180-day period.

Several temporary visa exemptions are also currently in place.

From February 15, 2026, through February 15, 2027, citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia may make up to three visa-free trips, with each stay limited to 30 days.

Citizens of Japan and South Korea benefit from the same arrangement from July 1, 2026, through July 1, 2027, while citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Singapore are covered from August 1, 2026, through August 1, 2027.

Holders of ordinary passports issued by the authorities of Hong Kong and Macao may also make up to three visa-free entries, each for a maximum stay of 30 days, between February 2, 2026, and February 2, 2027.

US, Canadian, British, French, Belgian and Swiss travelers are eligible for the ASAN e-Visa

The official ASAN Visa portal currently allows citizens of 87 countries to apply for an e-Visa to Azerbaijan.

French, Belgian, Swiss, Canadian and US citizens are among those eligible, along with travelers from many other European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and several countries in Asia and Latin America.

The 87 countries currently listed as eligible for ASAN Visa are:

• Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City, and Vietnam.

Some of these nationalities remain listed as eligible for ASAN Visa even though they currently benefit from temporary visa exemptions, including citizens of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Japan, South Korea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Singapore. For these travelers, a visa may still become necessary once they have used the maximum number of visa-free entries allowed.

The ASAN e-Visa is currently valid for a single entry

In its current form, the ASAN electronic visa is a single-entry visa.

It is valid for 90 days from its start date and allows a maximum stay of 30 days in Azerbaijan. Once a traveler leaves the country, the e-Visa that was used cannot be used for a second entry.

Standard applications are processed within three business days, while urgent applications can be processed within three hours, including on non-business days.

For standard applications, the official portal lists a $20 visa fee, plus a $9 service fee.

A multiple-entry e-Visa is expected to become effectively available

This is one of the most notable changes included in the new tourism program.

For 2026-2027, Azerbaijan plans to “improve the process for issuing multiple-entry electronic visas” for tourism purposes. The plan calls for a review of the procedures governing the ASAN Visa system, followed by upgrades to the technical infrastructure needed to issue them. The authorities’ stated performance indicator is an increase in the number of multiple-entry e-Visas issued to tourists.

There is an important distinction to make. Azerbaijan’s Migration Code already provides a legal basis for a multiple-entry e-Visa, with a permitted stay of up to 90 days. It also provides for the processing of both single-entry and multiple-entry electronic visa applications.

In practice, however, the conditions currently published on the ASAN Visa portal describe the e-Visa available to travelers as a single-entry visa allowing a maximum stay of 30 days.

The 2026-2030 program therefore appears primarily intended to enable the effective rollout and broader use of multiple-entry e-Visas through the ASAN Visa system, rather than to create the visa category itself in law.

Its future validity period, number of permitted entries, fee, and eligible nationalities have yet to be specified.

More countries will become eligible for the e-Visa

At the same time, Baku plans to increase the number of nationalities eligible for an electronic visa.

For 2026-2027, the program calls for the establishment of a new list of countries eligible for the e-Visa. The authorities will then be required to take the necessary steps to allow citizens of the newly added countries to use the system.

No additional countries have been named so far. The current list of 87 eligible countries therefore remains in effect until new measures are announced.

Visa on arrival is also set to expand

The reform also covers visas on arrival, which are issued at Azerbaijan’s international airports.

The program aims to ensure the continuation of this mechanism and, in particular, to consider making it available on a permanent basis, rather than under arrangements that in some cases are currently subject to specific conditions or time limits.

At present, single-entry visas allowing stays of up to 30 days can notably be issued on arrival to citizens of Bahrain, China, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and South Korea. Several of these nationalities temporarily do not need to use the visa-on-arrival system because they currently benefit from visa-free entry.

Certain categories of residents of Gulf countries may also obtain a visa on arrival. The new program specifically calls for these rules to be reviewed, particularly to make the system more accessible to third-country nationals holding permanent residence permits in Gulf states.

US citizens also benefit from a specific arrangement: those traveling on a direct New York-Baku flight may obtain a 30-day visa upon arrival at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

Electronic visa for digital nomads planned for 2027-2028

The final component of the reform is the creation of a new visa subtype for remote workers, described in the Azerbaijani program as a “digital traveler” visa, or Digital Nomad Visa.

Its implementation is scheduled for 2027-2028.

The authorities must first study international practices and then prepare an amendment to the Migration Code. Once the new legal framework has been adopted, the program calls for the new visa to begin being issued electronically.

This policy direction had already been announced in March 2026 as part of the government’s Digital Development Acceleration Action Plan for 2026-2028, which referred to the introduction of “Digital Nomad” and “Digital Talent” visas. The new tourism program now provides a timetable and more clearly incorporates the “digital traveler” visa into the country’s immigration policy.

Eligibility requirements, validity period, permitted length of stay, any minimum income requirement, and the fee for the future visa have yet to be determined.