Lost Passport in Azerbaijan as a Foreigner: Police, Embassy, Exit

Stay calm and check the obvious places first: the hotel safe, the taxi app's lost items, the last café. Many passports are found the same day. If it is gone, act in this order, because each step needs the paper from the step before.

1. 1

   1. Go to the police

   Report the loss or theft at the nearest police station. Ask for a written report or reference letter that states your name, passport number and the date. Embassies ask for this before they issue a new document.

2. 2

   2. Call your embassy

   Find your embassy or consulate in Baku on our embassies page or the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic list. Ask what they need for a new passport or an emergency travel document, and how long it takes.

3. 3

   3. Call the State Migration Service

   Phone 919 (from abroad +994 12 565 61 17) or write on WhatsApp to +994 55 919 50 57. Tell them your visa or permit was in the lost passport and ask what to do for your stay and exit.

4. 4

   4. Tell your airline

   If you have a flight soon, ask the airline what document it will accept and change the date if needed.

Only your own country can replace your passport. Most embassies offer two options: a full new passport, which can take weeks, or a short term emergency travel document that lets you fly home. Which one you get depends on your country, your plans and the time you have.

If you live in Azerbaijan, a full passport is usually better, because you will need it for your residence permit. The passport must be valid more than 3 months after the end of any permit you apply for.

Citizens of the visa free agreement countries (for example Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye) may also travel on a return certificate issued after a passport is lost, according to the Foreign Ministry visa free list.

Your ASAN e visa was issued for one passport number, and the conditions say you travel on the passport you used in the application. The entry stamp was in the old passport too. A new passport therefore does not carry your visa or your entry record automatically.

We could not find an official page that explains the exact procedure for foreigners. In practice, the State Migration Service and the border service check your entry in their system. Call 919 with your police report and new document details, and ask in writing if possible what you need before you go to the airport. Do this early: if your 30 days are close to the end, a lost passport is not a reason to overstay. A lost passport is not one of the listed grounds for a stay extension, so ask the State Migration Service what is possible in your case, and ask at least 3 days before your stay ends. See staying longer than 30 days.

If you were visa free, your right to stay comes from your nationality, not from a visa, but your entry date still matters. Keep your boarding pass or ticket as proof of the date you arrived.

• If only the passport was lost, your TRC card is still valid. Contact the State Migration Service to update your passport details once you have the new one.
• If the TRC card was lost too, report it within 10 working days. The new card costs AZN 20, and losing it is fined AZN 30.
• Keep your address registration and housing papers; you may need them again.
• When you renew the permit, the new passport must be valid more than 3 months after the end of the new permit.
• Read TRC renewal for the timing.

At the airport, show the new passport or the emergency document, the police report and anything the State Migration Service gave you. Arrive early, because the officer may need to check your entry in the system.

Unpaid administrative fines are one of the reasons a person can be stopped from leaving Azerbaijan. If you overstayed while waiting for a document, pay the fine first and keep the receipt. See overstay fines.

Land borders are closed to passengers until 2 January 2027, so you leave by air.

• Keep a photo of your passport photo page, visa and entry stamp on your phone and in your email.
• Carry a copy and leave the passport in the hotel safe on normal days, unless you need it for a bank, SIM card or office visit.
• Write down your embassy's phone number before you travel.
• Save your document dates in Sroky. The app reminds you before your visa, permit, registration and passport deadlines, and Sroky can file a new e visa if you need one after you leave. Sroky is a private app, not the government.