Never Miss a Residence Permit Deadline in Azerbaijan: Checklist

Most people put the expiry date of their card in a calendar. But in Azerbaijan the legal deadline is earlier: an extension must be filed at least 30 days before the card expires (Migration Code, Article 47.1). Other clocks start with a life event, such as moving to a new flat, and are only a few working days long.

No official app, SMS or email warns you that your permit is about to end. So the job is yours, or your employer's, or a tool's. This guide lists every date worth tracking and shows a simple way to never miss one.

Before you have a permit, your clock is the visa or visa free stay. Switching to a TRC inside the country means applying at least 30 days before that stay ends.

• E visa: stay up to 30 days, single entry. Students who come on an e visa with the purpose Education file the student TRC early, never after day 30.
• Visa free entry: at most 90 days under the law. Citizens of some countries, for example Russia, have 90 days per calendar year.
• Embassy visa: the stay allowed depends on the purpose, for example 90 days for education, work or a private visit.
• A stay can be extended only for a few reasons, such as urgent treatment or a close relative's illness, for up to 60 days. Apply at least 3 working days before the end.
• Not sure which visa you have or need? Try the free visa checker.

1. 1

   60 days before expiry: start collecting papers

   Book the medical certificate, check your passport date, and ask your landlord for the housing papers and consent.

2. 2

   Before day 30: file the application

   At ASAN (not Ganja No. 1), a regional migration department or eservice.migration.gov.az. An accepted application keeps your stay legal while it is processed.

3. 3

   15 or 20 working days: the decision

   Processing time depends on the fee you choose.

4. 4

   Within 30 days of the decision: pay and collect

   If the fee is not paid in time, the permit is cancelled.

5. 5

   Put the new expiry date in your tracker

   Start the cycle again. Full details are in the TRC renewal guide.

• You moved: register at the new address within 5 working days. It is free, online, by email, at a migration office or at ASAN. See address registration.
• You got a new passport: tell the Migration Service within 10 working days and ask for the card update.
• You lost your card: report it within 10 working days. A new card costs AZN 20, and the fine for losing it is AZN 30.
• Your job ended early: without another ground, you must leave within 10 working days.
• Your landlord deregistered you: bring a new housing document within 10 working days, or the permit can be cancelled.
• You travel a lot: more than 90 days abroad in any 180 days can cancel a TRC.

Staying without valid documents or without registration is fined AZN 300 to 400, with or without expulsion (Code of Administrative Offences, Article 575.1). A host who does not register a foreigner pays AZN 300 to 500 (Article 577). An unpaid migration fine is a reason to refuse your next permit, and unpaid fines can lead to a ban on coming back.

If your permit expires without an extension, you must leave the country. Read more in overstay fines.

There is no grace period written in the law for a late TRC extension. File at least 30 days before the card expires.

A calendar works if you do the maths yourself. For each document, write two dates: the expiry date and the action date (for a TRC, expiry minus 30 days). Add reminders at 60 days, 14 days, 7 days and 1 day before the action date. Count working days for moving and lost card deadlines, and skip weekends and public holidays.

A rules app does this for you. Sroky, for example, knows the Azerbaijan rules: you add your TRC, passport, visa or work permit (or scan the card on the phone), and it sets the action date and a reminder ladder. Your data stays encrypted on your phone. Sroky is a private app, not the government, and the Migration Service always has the final word.

Each family member has their own card and their own dates. A spouse's or child's card follows the sponsor's card, so plan to renew together, and file every person at least 30 days before their card ends. Children staying more than 15 days must be registered too. See bring your family to Azerbaijan.