Azerbaijan Temporary Residence Permit (TRC): Complete Guide

A temporary residence permit, often called a TRC (temporary residence card), is the card that lets a foreigner or stateless person live in Azerbaijan for a longer period. In Azerbaijani it is "müvəqqəti yaşamaq üçün icazə". The State Migration Service (SMS) issues it under the Migration Code, mainly Articles 44 to 50.

A visa or a visa free stay is only for a short visit. The ASAN Visa (the e visa) gives you 30 days, and visa free nationals can stay at most 90 days. If you plan to study, work, run a business or live with family here, you need a TRC before that short stay ends.

While the card is valid, you can leave Azerbaijan and come back without a visa. The card also works as your ID in the country and as proof of your registration.

You need a TRC if you want to stay in Azerbaijan longer than your visa or visa free period. Every permit is given on one legal ground listed in Article 45.1 of the Migration Code. There are 18 grounds in total, grouped below. Read the TRC grounds explained for each one in detail.

• Study: full time students at a university, college, vocational school or school.
• Work: employees with a work permit, jobs that need no work permit, invited specialists and highly skilled migrants, religious work.
• Own business: entrepreneurs, company directors or owners of 51 percent, heads of a foreign company's branch.
• Investment or property: an investment of AZN 500,000, property or bank funds of AZN 100,000, a term deposit or state securities of AZN 100,000.
• Family: family of a foreign resident, close relatives of an Azerbaijani citizen.
• Other: international agreements and two protection grounds requested by the authorities.

A family TRC or a student TRC is not a work permit. To work for an employer you normally need a work permit as well, unless your job is on the exemption list.

Article 49 of the Migration Code sets the length. There is no limit on how many times you can extend, as long as your ground still exists.

1. 1

   Register your address

   If you stay more than 15 days, your place of stay must be registered within 15 days of arrival. A hotel does it for you; in a flat the owner or you can file it. See address registration.

2. 2

   Find your ground

   Decide which Article 45.1 ground fits you and get the document that proves it, for example a university letter, a work permit, a marriage certificate or a bank letter.

3. 3

   Prepare the papers

   The application form, passport, proof of ground, a medical certificate, two photos of 3.5 x 4.5 cm, your visa or entry stamp and a housing document. The full list is in the TRC documents checklist.

4. 4

   File the application on time

   Apply at least 30 days before your stay ends. Go to any ASAN Service centre except Ganja No. 1, a regional migration department, or apply online at eservice.migration.gov.az. Universities usually file for their students, and employers handle the work permit.

5. 5

   Give fingerprints and wait

   Fingerprints are taken from age 15. Processing takes 15 or 20 working days, depending on the fee you choose. An accepted application keeps your stay legal while you wait.

6. 6

   Pay and collect the card

   You pay the state fee and hand in the receipt when you collect the card. Do this within 30 days after the processing period ends, or the permit is cancelled.

The State Duty Law sets the fee, and the fee decides the speed. You pay the higher amount for 15 working days and the lower amount for 20 working days.

Shorter permits cost less, for example when a family member's card must end with the sponsor's card. A replacement card costs AZN 20. Fees can change, so check the ASAN Service page before you pay.

• Do not spend more than 90 days abroad in any 180 days. The permit can be cancelled (Article 50.1.8). Highly skilled migrants are exempt.
• Report a lost card or a change in your passport data to the Migration Service within 10 working days. Losing the card can be fined AZN 30.
• Keep your passport valid at least 3 months after the end of the permit you ask for.
• Keep your ground: if you finish your studies, lose the job or the sponsor's permit ends, your TRC can end too.
• Apply for the extension at least 30 days before the card ends. Read how TRC renewal works.

Staying after your permit ends, or living without registration, is fined AZN 300 to 400 and can lead to expulsion. An unpaid migration fine is also a reason to refuse your next permit.

Yes, on some grounds. After 2 continuous years on a TRC issued on grounds 45.1.1 to 45.1.7 (family, investment, property, specialist, business and company head grounds), you can apply for permanent residence. Apply at least 3 months before your TRC ends.

Years as a student, as an employee with a work permit, as a religious worker or under an international agreement do not count. The State Migration Service decides every case.

A TRC comes with several dates: the 30 day filing rule, the 30 day fee window, your passport expiry and, for many people, a work permit or a sponsor's card. Missing one can cost a fine or the permit itself.

Sroky keeps these dates on your phone, encrypted, and reminds you 60 days before the card ends and again before the last day to apply. You can scan the card to fill in the dates. Sroky is a private app, not the government: the State Migration Service always decides.