Azerbaijan for Chinese Citizens 2026: 30 Days Visa Free Explained

Not for short visits. Azerbaijan and China signed an agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports in Beijing on 23 April 2025. It entered into force on 16 July 2025. Under it, Chinese citizens with a valid ordinary passport can enter, leave and transit through Azerbaijan without a visa.

The short answer for each purpose is on our Azerbaijan visa page for Chinese passports. This guide explains the limits that the visa free rule has, how to count your days, and what to do if your trip does not fit.

There are two limits, and you must respect both. One stay cannot be longer than 30 days. And over any rolling period of 180 days, your days in Azerbaijan cannot add up to more than 90.

The 180 days are counted back from each day you are in the country, not from 1 January. So three trips of 30 days close together use your full 90 days, and you then wait until the oldest days fall out of the window.

To be safe, count both the day you arrive and the day you leave as days of stay. Keep your boarding passes and count carefully.

The State Migration Service says Chinese citizens who want to stay more than 30 days, live in Azerbaijan, work, study, do media work or other special activities must enter after getting a visa under Azerbaijani law. In those cases, visa free entry is the wrong way in.

The SMS notice does not list short business meetings among the excluded activities, but it also mentions "other special activities" without examples. If your trip is more than meetings, for example installing equipment or working on a project site, ask the Azerbaijani embassy in Beijing which visa you need.

• Paid work, including on contracts with Chinese companies in Azerbaijan: work visa on an employer invitation, then a work permit.
• University study: education visa on the university's invitation, then a student residence permit.
• Journalists and media crews: a visa in advance.
• Living with family or staying longer than 30 days: a visa and then a temporary residence permit.

The China agreement covers passports of the People's Republic of China. Ordinary passports issued by the governments of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions have their own rule: Azerbaijan lets them in visa free on a one sided basis from 2 February 2026 to 2 February 2027, up to 3 times and up to 30 days per entry.

Because this window ends on a fixed date, check it again before any trip in 2027. See the full visa free countries list.

China is also on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list of nationalities who can get a 30 day single entry visa at Azerbaijani international airports. For a normal visit you do not need it, because the visa free rule already gives you 30 days. China is not on the online e visa list.

For anything the visa free rule does not cover, the way in is an embassy visa. See embassy visas for documents and the invitation letter guide if a company or university invites you.

1. 1

   At the airport

   Walk past the visa desks to passport control and show your ordinary passport. Have your hotel and return ticket ready in case you are asked.

2. 2

   Register if you stay more than 15 days

   Chinese citizens staying more than 15 days must be registered at their place of stay. Hotels usually do this. See address registration.

3. 3

   Leave by day 30

   Overstaying can cost 300 to 400 AZN and an unpaid fine blocks your next entry. Sroky can count your days and remind you before day 15 and day 30.

4. 4

   Questions

   The State Migration Service call centre is (012) 919, and its email is pr@migration.gov.az.