SERVICE PASSPORT

General information

Service passport is a document issued by the relevant executive authority of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan) to carry out the right of persons belonging to the Republic of Azerbaijan to leave the Republic of Azerbaijan and to come to Azerbaijan, confirming their identity and nationality outside the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is an official document valid for business trips for all countries.

According to Article 5 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "About Passports", the service passport is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan to:

The list of exempted service passports to foreign countries shall be submitted to the officials approved by the relevant executive authority, including the relevant executive authority of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Milli Mejlis, Chamber of Accounts, Prosecutor's Office, Central Bank, Financial Monitoring Service under the Central Bank, responsible officials of relevant executive authorities, judges, members of the Central Election Commission, deputies of the Supreme Majlis of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, responsible officials of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Supreme Court and relevant executive power bodies, heads of relevant executive authorities and their deputies, to administrative and technical staff, who work in representations of the Republic of Azerbaijan in foreign countries, if they work for more than three months to their wives (husbands), children under the age of 18, and those disabled who have reached the age of 18, international maritime and air vessels, railways and motor transport employees. The service passport shall be issued by the relevant executive authority of the Republic of Azerbaijan upon the expiration of five working days upon the submission of the presentation by the heads of relevant state bodies for the period of five years.

LIST of officials having the right to obtain a service passport, approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated March 3, 2011 N. 391:

1. Judges of the Courts of the Republic of Azerbaijan (except for the judges who have the right to obtain a diplomatic passport in accordance with the law).
2. The following seniors of state bodies, state-owned enterprises and organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as non-profit organizations:

2.1. Deputy heads of central executive power bodies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, heads of other state bodies, state-owned enterprises and organizations, as well as non-profit organizations, appointed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and their appointed assistants (with the exception of persons entitled to obtain diplomatic passports in accordance with appropriate law);

2.2. Acting and correspondent members of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, heads of departments (administration, secretariat, department), their deputies, scientific secretaries, heads of departments (academicians), scientific secretaries of the academy's Nakhchivan and Ganja divisions, academia's regional scientific centers, directors, deputy directors, heads of departments (laboratory), scientific secretaries of other scientific institutions equated to institutions;

2.3 Chief Executive Officer of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan and his Deputy, Assistant Executive Director, Executive Director's Office, Secretariat of the Commission on Transparency in Extractive Industries and other structural units (administration, department, division) and their deputies;

2.4. Director of Heydar Aliyev Center and his deputy;

2.5. Members of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan (except for the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, entitled to obtain a diplomatic passport in accordance with the law), members of the Central Election Commission of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic;

2.6. Deputies of the Ali Majlis of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic;

2.7. Deputy heads of central executive power bodies of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic;

2.8. Ombudsman of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan;

2.9. Members of the National Television and Radio Council;

2.10. Members of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Television and Radio Council;

2.11. Head of the Permanent Representation of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in Baku;

2.12. Heads of local executive power bodies.

2.13. Other executives defending the interests of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the international conferences, consultations and other international events (with the consent of the head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan).

3. Deputy Chiefs of the Special State Protection Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, heads of departments (divisions, services, units) and their deputies, security officers and officials equated to them.
4. The following persons, working in the civil service, including special civil service:

4.1. Employees of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Office of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Special Medical Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan who do not have the right to obtain diplomatic passports;

4.2. civil servants serving in the higher and sixth classification positions of administrative positions (excluding civil servants, who have the right to obtain a diplomatic passport in accordance with the law);

4.3. Assistants (advisors) of heads of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Foreign Intelligence Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Service for Mobilization and Conscription of the Republic of Azerbaijan and State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, heads of the Secretariat, Chief Administration, Administration (Department, Service, Military Unit, Division, Sector, Group) and their deputies, head (senior) and mid-ranking officers, senior (large, medium)  special rank holders, senior advisers, advisers, leading consultants, consultants and equated officials;

4.4. Heads and deputies, heads of structural units of subordinate bodies and their deputies of Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Foreign Intelligence Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Service for Conscription of Military Service and of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan;

4.5. Chief Advisor to the Minister of Taxes of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of the Office and his Deputy, Heads of Departments, Department (Departments, Division, Unit) and their Deputies, Heads and Small Officers in the Office of the Ministry, Heads of Subordinate Offices and their deputies, heads of structural units of those bodies and their deputies;

4.6. Investigators, interrogators and prosecutors of the prosecutor's office of the Republic of Azerbaijan (except the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, his deputies and the prosecutor of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic who are entitled to obtain diplomatic passports in accordance with law);

4.7. Staff members of the courier communication office who are not eligible to obtain diplomatic passports;

4.8. Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Deputy Governor, Chief Executive Officer and his deputy, heads of departments, divisions and other structural units and their deputies, senior specialists (senior consultants), leading specialists (leading consultants), specialists (consultants), junior specialists and officials of similar rank, heads of the Central Bank's regional office at Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and other administrative units and their deputies; 

4.9. Deputy Head of the Financial Monitoring Service under the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of the Executive Office and his deputy, heads of departments  and other structural units and their deputies, senior specialists (senior consultants), leading specialists (leading consultants), specialists (consultants) and officials of similar rank;

4.10. Administrative and technical staff of the diplomatic representations of the Republic of Azerbaijan in foreign countries.

5. Other individuals entitled to obtain a service passport:

5.1. In cases of employment of the administrative and technical staff of diplomatic representations of the Republic of Azerbaijan for more than three months in foreign countries, their spouses, their children under the age of 18 and disabled children at the age of 18;

5.2. Offshore and air vessels, railway, motor vehicle employees operating on international routes.

Issuance or renewal of a service passport is free of charge.

The authorized representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan abroad are obliged to assist the passport holder in carrying out his duties.

Attention! In order to obtain a visa for a work permit in a foreign country citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan holding a service passport should contact the diplomatic representations or consulates of the relevant foreign country accredited in the Republic of Azerbaijan via verbal note of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan (except for countries with visa-free travel agreement for citizens in accordance with the international treaties).

Consideration of an application for the issuance of a passport

• Depending on the type of a citizen’s passport, the application of the citizen on the issuance of a passport (the application of the enterprise, institution, organization) within the timeframe specified in Articles 4, 5 or 6 of the Law, in cases the trip is for immediate treatment of a person traveling abroad or individuals accompanying him/her, a serious illness or death of a relative living abroad are considered no later than 48 hours after submitting the documents confirming the above-mentioned facts.
• If a citizen's right to leave the country is temporarily restricted according to the circumstances indicated in the Migration Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the reasons for request on the issuance of a passport by the applicant is rejected in a written form and their applications are reconsidered upon the elimination of the reasons for refusal.
• If citizen submits the document with false or misleading information, the issuance of passport is denied and the matter of issuance can be reconsidered after the submission of new documents.
• The issuance of a passport associated with the protection of the state secret is denied only in cases stipulated by the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
• Pasportun verilməsi haqqında ərizəyə (vəsatətə) baxılmasının süründürülməsindən və ya buna imtina edilməsindən vətəndaş inzibati qaydada və (və ya) məhkəməyə şikayət edə bilər.
• A citizen may file an administrative complaint and (or) a complaint to the court for delay or rejection to consider the application for the issuance of a passport.

Responsibility for breaching the Law

• In cases if the incorrect information is included to the passport, theft, falsification, sale, illegal preparation or use, the responsible persons bear administrative and criminal responsibility in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Passport of citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan

• Passport of the citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan (hereinafter - passport) is a single document validating the identity of the citizen outside of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as providing a right to exit from the country and enter into the country.
• Passport issued for all citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the manner prescribed by the Law is valid for travel to all countries.
• Passport has the following types: ordinary, service and diplomatic. The description, specification and sample of passports are approved by the relevant executive authority.
• Passport is the property of the Republic of Azerbaijan, its acquisition or seizure from a citizen is strictly prohibited with the exception of cases stipulated by the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
• Each citizen is obliged to keep his passport safe. In cases a passport is lost, a citizen should immediately inform the state authorities issuing the passport, in cases such an event happens abroad, the diplomatic representations or consulates of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Diplomatic representations or consulates of the Azerbaijan Republic together with the relevant executive authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan provide such citizens with documents enabling them to return to the Republic of Azerbaijan within a short period of time.
• In case of a citizen’s death, his/her passport, as well as his/her expired passport is handed over to the relevant state authority.

Documents required for the service passport registration

The issuance or renewal of the service passport of the citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan it is necessary to submit the following documents:

• Completed application of the entity (organization, organization) representing a service passport for a particular form

a (for officials themselves) (sample is attached);

b (for family members of officials (sample is attached);

• After the application is filled out with the seal of the relevant public authority representing the person with the signature of the head of the company its original should be submitted.
• 2 color photos of the person (3x4 size in white background);
• Original official letter with information on the business trip to a foreign country (business trip date and, if necessary, the term of office of the person in business trips), and the necessity for the issuance of diplomatic passport provided by the relevant state body and addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan;
• original and copy of identity card;
• original and copy of previous diplomatic passport;
• Copy of the marriage certificate for the official's family members;
• a notarized consent of both parents for a child under the age of 18;
• If application is for official’s child who is under the age of 15, a medical certificate about the blood group (this document is not required when a child's personal identification card is issued);
• Passport must be changed when it’s expired or when the citizen's last name, first name, middle name is changed or if the passport, including its electronic carrier, is damaged or if the information on the passport or electronic carrier is wrong.

Note: When a passport is issued to the children of the official who has the right to obtain a service passport, only children who already turned the age of fifteen shall put their signature with their officials;

Information provided on the passport

Regardless of their type, each passport:

•  Name of the Republic of Azerbaijan, state emblem, country code, passport type, number, last name, name, middle name, citizenship, place of birth and date, sex, personal identification number, blood group, name of issuing authority, date of issue, validity period, passport holder's personal signature, passport related requirements are indicated;
• a passport holder's face description, a specification indicating the presence of a carrier (chip), and an inscription containing two lines that can be read by a machine;
• Permissions (visas) and other special (customs and border crossing points) notes are made for entry to a foreign country.
• In addition, the service passport shall indicate in the third part of Article 5 of this Law and in the service passport the circumstances provided for in the fifth part of Article 6 of this Law.
• Passport writings are displayed in the state language of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in the English language.
• Electronic carrier (chip) is placed on the passport. The electronic carrier (chip) shall include information provided in paragraph 1 of this Article (except for the passport holder's signature), face identification of the passport holder, fingerprint of a citizen at the age of fifteen and other information provided by the relevant executive authority.
• An official who enters the information provided in this Article in the passport or in his electronic carrier is responsible for the accuracy of that information.