Brits, Indians, citizens and expatriates of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and 81 other nationalities will now be able to apply for Azerbaijan visa online in a safe and stress-free and way following the introduction of a hustle free online visa application technology by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan.

The introduction of this hustle free electronic visa application technology is one of the much anticipated for reforms linked with renewal and improvement of tourism services as the country strives to sustain the remarkable increase in tourism inflow especially for the tourists from the GCC

Commenting on this huge milestone by Azerbaijan, the Chairman of the Representative Office of the Ministry in GCC, Mr. Rashid AL Noori said: “The government of Azerbaijan under the strategic leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, has made another historical milestone by providing this wonderful technology. The entire process is possible by simply completing 3 steps. It is hustle free, no one gets to waste any time and there are no more queues. Anyone can now make arrangements to travel to Azerbaijan without having to leave the comfort of their homes.”

Under the new platform, citizens of 81 countries will be able to get visas to Azerbaijan without the hustle of paperwork. The platform is incorporated in the Ministry’s Representative Office Website “www.ourazerbaijan.com” and “www.azerbaijan-visa.com” and offers the best visa solution with the simplest procedure that requires only 3 steps, done exclusively online. The applicant only requires to go to the site, submit the needed information, pay off the visa fee online and once the e-Visa is approved and processed, the applicant will be able to download it within three working days.

This announcement follows the lifting of visa entry requirements to Azerbaijan in November 2015, and the introduction of visa on arrival for GCC nationals in February last year, an improvement that oversaw a 300 % growth of tourism flow from GCC to Azerbaijan. The e-visa move for the 81 countries comes at a critical time as the country transforms into a popular tourist destination with more travelers developing a burning desire to visit Azerbaijan.

The designated 81 countries include: India, China, France, Japan, Canada, Jordan, Germany, Australia, United Kingdom of Great Britain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Netherlands, Albania, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Algeria, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, , Greece, Guatemala, Holy See (Vatican), Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Northern Ireland, United States of America, and Vietnam

When asked about citizens of countries not listed Mr. AL Noori said: Virtually everyone who requires a visa to Azerbaijan can obtain it through this platform but they will have to adhere to some additional requirements. Those GCC nationals who prefer to get Visa prior to travel in order to avoid queuing at the airport on arrival should take advantage of this platform. We believe this release technological reform will give travelers a better experience and an enjoyable trip to Azerbaijan.

Aside from the ongoing winter activities. Azerbaijan is preparing to host major sport and cultural events in 2017 including The Islamic Solidarity Games, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, International Carpet Congress and many other events.