Russians in Azerbaijan 2026: Entry, 90 Days a Year and Registration

No. Russia and Azerbaijan have a visa free agreement. The Foreign Ministry list gives Russian citizens 90 days for each calendar year. This is different from the usual 90 days in 180 rule that you may know from Europe, and it is the most common mistake Russian visitors make.

You fly in, show your passport at passport control and get an entry stamp. There is no e visa to buy and no form to fill before the trip. Use your international passport (zagranpasport) and keep it valid for the whole trip with a margin. Do not plan to travel on the internal Russian passport; check with your airline if you are unsure.

A child written into a parent's passport with a photo and full name can travel with that parent under the same agreement. A child with an own passport travels on it.

Add up every day you spend in Azerbaijan between 1 January and 31 December. The day of arrival and the day of departure both count. When the total reaches 90, you must be gone until the next 1 January, unless you have a residence permit.

Leaving for Georgia or Türkiye for a weekend does not give you new days. It only pauses the count.

Staying after your 90th day is an overstay: a fine of AZN 300 to 400, possibly with expulsion and a ban on returning. See overstay fines.

Azerbaijan's land borders are closed to passengers until 2 January 2027 under a Cabinet of Ministers decision of 17 September 2026. That means no bus or car through Dagestan at Yarag Kazmalyar for ordinary travellers. Most Russians fly to Baku from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan and other cities.

Since May 2026 a passenger train runs between Tbilisi and Baku. It is described as open to Azerbaijani citizens and to foreigners who are visa free, which includes Russians. Rules on the train have changed more than once, so check with Azerbaijan Railways before you buy a ticket, and keep the dates of every crossing for your day count.

Closure dates are extended by new decisions, so check the Cabinet of Ministers site before a trip in January 2027.

If you stay in Azerbaijan more than 15 days, your place of stay must be registered with the State Migration Service within 15 days of arrival. A hotel does this for you. In a rented flat the owner normally files it, and you may file it yourself. It is free, can be done online, by email, at a migration office or at ASAN Service, and is confirmed within 1 working day.

When you move, register again within 5 working days, unless the new flat belongs to the same owner. Living without registration is fined AZN 300 to 400. Full steps: address registration.

1. 1

   Day 1

   Note your arrival date. Keep your boarding pass and passport stamp.

2. 2

   By day 15

   Make sure the hotel or the owner registered you, or file it yourself. Ask for the confirmation.

3. 3

   After a move

   Register at the new address within 5 working days.

Visa free entry is for visits. Paid work in Azerbaijan needs a work permit, which your employer applies for, and a temporary residence permit. Study for a full degree needs a student residence permit filed through your university.

Working remotely for a Russian or foreign employer while on a visit is not clearly regulated. Azerbaijan has announced rules for digital nomads from 2027, but the details are not fully published yet.

The legal path is a temporary residence permit. The grounds include work, study, marriage to a citizen or resident, a company you own, property and others. Apply at least 30 days before your 90 days run out, at ASAN Service, a migration office or online. An accepted application keeps your stay legal while you wait.

A short stay extension of up to 60 days exists only for specific reasons, such as urgent medical treatment or a close relative's illness or death. It is not a way to extend a holiday. See staying longer than 30 days for how extensions work.

• Apply for the permit early. Day 60 of your 90 is the last safe moment.
• Keep your registration confirmation; the permit office asks where you live.
• Track your days. Sroky has a counter for Azerbaijan's calendar year limit and reminds you before day 90. It is a private app, not the government.