AZERBAIJAN
Standard time zone UTC/GMT +4 hours.
Electric power Standards B and F sockets with a voltage of 220 V and a frequency of 50 Hz are used throughout Azerbaijan.
Climate in Azerbaijan
The best time to visit Azerbaijan is April to June and September to October. The territory of Azerbaijan features 9 climatic zones of the world’s total of 11 zones - from the subtropics to the Alpine meadows.
How to Dress in Azerbaijan
There are no strict rules about the dress code however visits to religious places such mosques require certain dress code. Women should refrain from wearing tight fitting dresses, short skirts and low necks, while men should not use shorts and sleeveless shirts while visiting religious places.
Entering the local people’s houses and mosques people are required to take off their shoes.
Azerbaijan Cuisine
Azerbaijan’s traditional cuisine is diverse with a great number of meat, fish, vegetable and dairy. Meat dishes in Azerbaijan are particularly numerous and diverse and bread plays a key role in the Azerbaijani kitchen.
Visa, Permits and Safety Recommendations
Mind that even if a tourist has the visa for Azerbaijan they may be denied permission to enter the country, if they have a record in their passport that they have visited Nagorno-Karabakh, an illegally occupied territory of Azerbaijan.
During the whole period of your stay in Azerbaijan you must always have with you an identity card or its copy with the visa permitting to enter the country (for countries whose citizens are required to have a visa for Azerbaijan).
All foreigners who stay in Azerbaijan for over 10 days must register at the State Migration Service of Azerbaijan within 9 days after their arrival. In order to do it a tourist must deliver a completed registration form, a copy of the passport and a copy of the visa (for countries whose citizens are required to have a visa for Azerbaijan) to the State Migration Service, personally or via e-mail. Hotels assist their guests in going through this procedure.
Clearing Customs in Azerbaijan
It is recommended that you fill the customs declaration, where you specify the exact sum of cash money you bring to the country. The declaration must be signed and stamped by a customs official and must be preserved until the moment you depart Azerbaijan.
People are allowed to bring up to 1.5 litres of strong alcoholic drinks and up to 2 litres of wine (for persons over 16 years of age) to Azerbaijan. You are allowed to take up to 125 g of caviar, 30 packs of cigarettes and the quantity of medicines necessary for personal use.
Currency in Azerbaijan
The basic monetary unit of Azerbaijan is manat (AZN). The face values of the banknotes are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 manat, while those of the coins are 1, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 50 gopik. The local currency can be bought at banks, hotels and numerous currency exchange offices. Exchange offices often operate for 24 hours (in Baku, large cities and at airports). If you exchange a sum of over $500, you need to show your identity card.
Banks do not operate on official holidays and on days-off; in this case you can only exchange money at the Respublika Bank, which is open after normal business hours.
Master Card and Visa cards can be used at boutiques, expensive restaurants and large hotels. Credit cards may be rejected by some food shops, cafes, hotels or boarding houses. You can hardly use credit cards outside cities.
Photographing in Azerbaijan
Photography is allowed at any monument, except for the underground, airports, bus stations, petroleum refineries, factories and other guarded objects, where photographing is prohibited. Taking pictures may require extra payment.
Tips in Azerbaijan
Many of the large restaurants of Baku indicate in their menus the sum of tips, which is usually from 5% to 10%. If a restaurant does not provide it, you may add 10% to the bill sum (if you do it in the beginning you will be served more quickly).
A porter at the airport or hotel may be tipped 5 to 10 manat, depending on the size of your luggage. Taxi drivers are not tipped, usually; you should negotiate the fare in advance. You should keep in mind that taxi drivers do not accept foreign money.
Telephone codes in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan country code is +994 (994 8-10)
Useful phone numbers in Azerbaijan
Information services of Azerbaijan “119”
Tel: 012 119
Baku Inquiry office
Tel: 109