Can you visit Azerbaijan after Armenia or vice versa? (2024)
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Due to the complicated geopolitical situation in the Caucasus, it has never since 1991 been possible to cross from Armenia to Azerbaijan or vice-versa.
However, you can visit both countries by first going to a third country, for example, Georgia or Iran.
The short answer is that you can visit both Azerbaijan and Armenia on the same trip. However, mind these 2 caveats:
- No borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan are open to travelers.
- You must not have visited Nagorno-Karabakh while in Armenia (N.B. It is a de jure part of Azerbaijan).
If you arrive at either with an entry stamp from the other, you will be briefly questioned about where and why you went. As a genuine traveler, just answer truthfully and confidently and you won’t be denied entry.
The Complicated Geopolitical Situation
Armenia and Azerbaijan are the worst neighbors. They’ve had two full-scale wars and a dozen skirmishes over the past three decades. Perhaps peace is in sight now that the conflict was finally resolved in late 2023 – even if not to both sides’ satisfaction.
The main point of contention was the region of Nagorno-Karabakh (as known in Azerbaijan and internationally) or Artsakh (as known in Armenia), which was de jure part of Azerbaijan, but de facto controlled and governed by the Republic of Artsakh, a satellite state of Armenia.
The Republic of Artsakh formally dissolved on January 1st, 2024, thus ending the conflict.
The animosity between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians from Artsakh became refugees.
Visiting Azerbaijan after Armenia (personal experience)
This is what I did in the autumn of 2022. This was BEFORE the official annexation of Nagorno Karabakh.
I was in Armenia in early October. I then entered Georgia through the Bagratashen – Sadakhlo border crossing and stayed in Georgia until late October when I flew to Baku.
Upon landing at Heydar Aliyev International Airport and giving my passport to the immigration officer, she quickly discovered the Armenian stamp from a week ago. The following conversation happened:
Yes, it was that simple! I wouldn’t even call it an interrogation – it was very smooth and over within 2 minutes. This is standard procedure if you enter Azerbaijan with an Armenian stamp.
It’s important to note that you’ll likely have the least trouble at Baku Airport as compared to any other land border.
Some travelers who cross the land borders between Georgia and Azerbaijan have reported a higher level of scrutiny and more questions. The border guards are reputedly not always nice and polite about it. Some have even been asked to produce their hotel receipts to prove they haven’t been to Nagorno-Karabakh!
Talking of Nagorno-Karabakh…
If you have visited Nagorno-Karabakh while in Armenia (something very very difficult after 01.01.2024 anyway) and then tried to enter Azerbaijan it would be incredibly dangerous!
As time passes by, this will become less of a problem as Nagorno Karabakh (now formally Artsakh as it is known in Azerbaijan) is today fully within the borders and administered by Azerbaijan.
Read this forum thread from Caravanistan for stories from people who visited Artsakh before the changes and then still managed to enter Azerbaijan.
Visiting Armenia after Azerbaijan
Armenia is just as strict about people who’ve visited Azerbaijan as the other way around.
A big exception is that the Armenians didn’t care much about Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), as they considered it Armenian territory anyway. This was before 2024. Now Artsakh is fully within the administrative control of Azerbaijan although no changes to Armenian policy are expected.
This means you can go to Artsakh on the Azeri side and then enter Armenia. Additionally, your passport will not be stamped in Artsakh (it’s part of Azerbaijan after all) so there will not be any evidence of you having ever been there.
Note that going to Artsakh still requires a special permit.
If you fly into Yerevan with an Azeri stamp, expect a few questions but nothing extraordinary: why, where, when, the usual stuff.
Crossing the land borders from Georgia should also be pretty straightforward, though once again, land borders are usually stricter and more thorough in their questioning.
Personal Experience
I traveled by train from Tbilisi to Yerevan and a fellow backpacker in the coupe had visited Azerbaijan prior. The immigration officer who came on board only asked him why he’d been to Azerbaijan and promptly stamped him in.
So there really isn’t anything to be afraid of, just have your story straight and answer truthfully.
Border crossings between Armenia and Azerbaijan
There are no open border crossings between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
If you want to visit both countries on the same trip, the easiest way is to go back to Georgia and then enter Azerbaijan.
Going through Iran is another option. However, that will probably require you to pre-obtain an Iranian visa. Iran offers visas on arrival for certain nationalities ONLY if they enter via air. Others (USA, UK, Canada) are barred from independent travel altogether.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing to worry about on your trip to the Caucasus. Thousands of backpackers visit all three countries in the region without much hassle.
If you decide to visit Azerbaijan after Armenia (or the other way around), just be prepared to answer a few questions about your stay and have no evidence of any travel to Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh while in Armenia.
You’ll be fine.
