Azerbaijani presidential administration: Azerbaijan to introduce e-visa system

Today, the migration processes are developing dynamically. Although most of the migratory flows is associated with the movement of migrant workers, tourist migration also plays an important role in this process. Spring and summer tourist seasons are approaching. Along with this, the Year of Tourism was announced in 2011. Certain measures in the management of migration processes are planned to be held.

Azerbaijan's Presidential Administration Department for Work with Law-Enforcement Bodies Fuad Aleskerov answers the questions.


What measures are planned to be held in the migration sphere due to declaring 2011 as Year of Tourism in Azerbaijan?

It is known that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree "Declaring 2011 as the Year of Tourism in Azerbaijan Republic" on February 15, 2011. The purpose of this order is to create favorable conditions for further development of tourism and tourist activities in Azerbaijan to popularize natural monuments of our country, having rich geographical landscape and ancient historical and cultural heritage of the people through the rational use of tourism resources. The Cabinet of Ministers instructed to prepare an action plan due to declaring 2011 as the Year of Tourism in Azerbaijan. The bill on tourism development in Azerbaijan, simplification of rules of issuing tourist visas, and increasing transparency in this field was prepared and submitted to the Azerbaijani parliament within executing the order "Approving national strategy on increasing transparency and combat corruption" in accordance with the Azerbaijani presidential decree dated July 28, 2007.

Please, tell us about the essence of this bill...

According to the bill, getting visas by tourists through travel agencies will be simplified. Thus, tourism companies can directly contact the embassy and consulate of Azerbaijan in a country where foreigners live via the Internet to get tourist visas in electronic form. Foreigners staying in the countries that do not have embassies and consulates of Azerbaijan should contact Embassy and Consulates of our country in the third countries. The visas will be issued in electronic form and sent to the email address of a tourist company that made the request.

The visa issued in the electronic form will not be pasted in the passport. It will be presented by the tourist with a passport when crossing the border checkpoint.
It should be stressed that all embassies and consulates of Azerbaijan in foreign countries are connected to the inter-agency automated information search system "entry-exit". Getting important information required to issue visas is ensured. Another opportunity offered to travel companies, is mailing the documents to obtain visas in the embassies and consulates of Azerbaijan. In this case, the visa is made. Passport and other documents (except for the documents that should remain in the embassy or consulate) are returned to a tourist company by mail.

Will the list of documents, required for obtaining a tourist visa and the term of considering the applications for a visa be changed?

The bill includes a list of documents confirming the visit for tourism. It is a travel voucher or a tour pass, a passenger ticket and documents confirming hotel reservation, camping at the tourist camp, or on sites of this type. The information about the list of documents required for issuing visas, application form and amount of state duty, as well as other information will be posted in the informational Internet resources of the Foreign Ministry, embassies and consulates of Azerbaijan in foreign countries. The bill provides that appeals related to issuing of visas, must be reviewed not later than 15 days. According to the new rules, a tourist visa will give the opportunity to stay in the country up to 30 days.

If we are not mistaken, another document associated with registration of visas has been recently adopted. Is there any relationship between the new bill and the document?

The Azerbaijani President signed a decree "Some issues connected with registration of visas for foreigners and people without citizenship entering the Azerbaijan Republic" on September 13, 2010. This decree determined the rules for foreigners and people without citizenship to appeal to the Foreign Ministry (including the international airport) to get visas. This decree is in force. It is successfully executed by state bodies. A new bill, as we stressed above, aims at simplifying the rules on applications for tourist visas. It is not planned to issue tourist visas at the international airports of Azerbaijan.


/Trend/