Azerbaijan Land Borders 2026: Can Foreigners Cross by Road or Train?

Not for most travellers. Azerbaijan closed its land borders to passengers in 2020, when it brought in a special quarantine regime. The regime has been extended many times since then. On 17 September 2026 the Cabinet of Ministers extended it again, this time until 06:00 on 2 January 2027. While the regime runs, ordinary passengers cannot cross the road borders with Georgia, Russia, Iran or Türkiye.

You may see trucks at the crossings, but that does not mean a tourist in a car or a taxi can pass. Most visitors arrive by air at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.

There is one real exception for passengers: the overnight train between Tbilisi and Baku. It runs again since May 2026, but only for some passports. You can read the details in our Tbilisi to Baku train guide.

Status checked on 1 November 2026. The regime is extended in steps of a few months, so the end date can move again. Check before you travel.

The State Migration Service announced that entry and exit by rail on the Baku to Tbilisi route restarted at 00:00 on 25 May 2026. It is open to citizens of Azerbaijan and to citizens of foreign countries who are entitled to visa free entry. Migration officers work at Boyuk Kesik station while the train stops there.

Visa free means your passport is on the official list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Examples are Georgia, Türkiye, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates and China. Some countries have a time limited visa free window, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Japan and South Korea. Check your passport with our free visa checker or on the visa free list.

An e visa is not visa free. If your country needs the ASAN e visa, for example the United Kingdom, the United States, EU countries, India or Pakistan, you cannot board the train into Azerbaijan.

Plan to fly. There are direct flights from Tbilisi and many other cities to Baku. Apply for your e visa only on the official portal evisa.gov.az, at least 3 working days before the flight, or use urgent processing (within 3 hours) if time is short.

Do not buy a train ticket and hope the border will let you in. Travellers who need a visa do not fit the rail exception, and the e visa is still a visa. A Georgia and Azerbaijan trip works best as Georgia overland, then a flight into Baku.

1. 1

   Check your passport

   Find out if your passport is visa free, needs an e visa, or needs an embassy visa. The Azerbaijan visa page for each passport shows the answer.

2. 2

   Book a flight, not a road transfer

   Choose a flight to Baku. A taxi to the Red Bridge or Lagodekhi crossing will not get you in while the regime runs.

3. 3

   Get the e visa on evisa.gov.az

   The standard e visa is issued within 3 working days and lets you stay up to 30 days. Print it and carry it with your passport.

4. 4

   Register if you stay longer than 15 days

   Every foreigner staying more than 15 days must be registered at the place of stay. Hotels usually do it. See address registration.

If your passport lets you use the train, you can also leave by train to Tbilisi. For road exits we could not find an official rule that we can quote for November 2026. Travellers and news reports describe different experiences, and the rules have changed several times during the closure.

If you plan to leave by road, ask the State Migration Service call centre on (012) 919 before you go, and keep a flight as a backup. Before any exit, also check that you have no unpaid migration fine. An unpaid fine can stop you at the border, and you can check restrictions in the electronic services on migration.gov.az.

No. There is no open passenger crossing between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that entering Azerbaijan without passing an official border checkpoint is a violation of the state border. It says criminal and administrative liability apply, including a ban or restriction on entry, for anyone who entered or tried to enter that way.

If you want to visit both countries, travel from Armenia to Georgia first and then fly to Baku. Our guide on visiting Azerbaijan after Armenia explains what a stamp from Armenia means.

Nobody can give a date. The current decision runs until 06:00 on 2 January 2027. The government can extend it again, end it, or open more exceptions like the train. Earlier extensions were announced only a few weeks before the old date ran out.

If you plan a road trip for early 2027, watch for news in late December 2026 and keep your plans flexible. Sroky keeps this page updated when the decision changes.