e-Visa, consular visa, stay registration and the 30-day rule

ASAN e-visa

Citizens of the UAE, Pakistan and most other countries can apply online at evisa.gov.az. The single-entry e-visa allows a stay of up to 30 days, is issued within three working days at the standard fee of about USD 20 plus a service charge, or within three hours at the urgent fee. You print it and present it with your passport at the border. Children need their own.

The e-visa is the easy way in for a first visit and for family members who arrive after the sponsor's card has issued. Its weakness is the 30-day stay, which collides with the filing rule below.

Consular visa for 90 days

A visa issued by an Azerbaijani embassy or consulate can allow up to 90 days. For the principals on the registration trip, who must file their residence applications from inside the country, this removes the need to extend the stay. Apply at the mission nearest you with the invitation or the company's registration plan; processing is a few working days and the fee depends on nationality.

Registering your stay within 15 days

Every foreigner staying more than 15 days must be registered at the place of stay with the State Migration Service. It is free, online, and takes minutes, but it is the document that every later application asks for. Hotels do it automatically. For a flat, the landlord registers you through the portal, or you register yourself with the lease or the owner's consent and ID. Put registration into the lease as a condition; some landlords hesitate because it discloses rental income.

The 30-day filing rule and extensions

Art. 47.1 of the Migration Code requires the application for a temporary residence permit to be lodged at least 30 days before the permitted stay ends. The practical consequences:

• On a 30-day e-visa you cannot meet the rule unless you first extend the stay. An extension is filed online in the first days after arrival, on a stated reason such as business with the newly registered branch, and costs 30 to 60 AZN.
• On a 90-day consular visa you have about 60 days to register the branch, do the medicals and file. That is comfortable.
• Once the application is lodged and accepted, you may remain in the country while it is decided, even past the visa date.

A calendar that works

1. Day 0: arrive on a 90-day visa, or on an e-visa with the extension filed the next morning.
2. Days 1 to 5: register the stay; file the branch registration; book the medical centre.
3. Days 3 to 10: registration extract issued; bank meeting; medical results.
4. Days 10 to 15: file the residence applications online, book fingerprint appointments.
5. Days 30 to 40: cards issued at the standard fee; collect in person.
6. After the Head's card: family e-visas, arrival, registration, medicals, their applications.

Keep the passport pages, the visa, the registration confirmation and every fee receipt together. The migration portal asks for each of them as a separate upload.