While you can fly in to Azerbaijan without restrictions, and exit via land or sea, you cannot enter via a land or sea border.
Azerbaijan has kept its land and sea borders closed for entry since 2020 and is unlikely to open them up again. People with their own car or motorbike can ship in their vehicle from Tbilisi to Baku and fly in. Cyclists might be able to get a special permit.
Azerbaijan proper borders Georgia, Armenia, Russia and Iran. The exclave of Nakchivan borders Iran, Turkey and Armenia. For an exact location of these and all other border crossings on the Silk Road, see the border crossing map.
It is NOT a problem to have an Armenian border stamp in your passport. Azeri border guards have been known to confiscate bottles of Armenian wine and liquor.
Table of Contents
Azerbaijan border closures: why?
Azerbaijan has kept its land and sea borders closed for entry since the pandemic. You can fly into Azerbaijan without restrictions, and exit via land or sea. But you cannot enter via a land or sea border. It is unlikely this will change anytime soon. The closed borders are likely here to stay. Why?
- Domestic Control and Political Power: Many analysts believe the closures are a tool for the Aliyev government to consolidate power and limit citizens’ freedom of movement. By restricting land crossings, the state can more easily monitor and control who enters and leaves, reducing the risk of dissent and making it harder for citizens to flee or return en masse, especially those who might be economically vulnerable or politically opposed to the regime. Some experts describe this as an attempt to “create a closed state” and argue that Aliyev fears that greater freedom of movement could undermine his authority.
- Economic and Financial Control: The closures help the government control financial flows, making it harder to smuggle currency and goods, and ensuring that most travel (and associated spending) goes through channels-like air travel-dominated by state-linked businesses. This benefits the national airline AZAL, which is closely tied to the ruling elite and has seen record profits since the closures began. By turning the country into an open-air prison, profitability has increased for the Aliyevs.
- Suppressing Return Migration: Analysts note that millions of Azerbaijanis live abroad, particularly in Russia and Ukraine. The border closures make it harder for these migrants to return, which could otherwise strain the domestic economy and social services, or potentially introduce politically active returnees.
You can post hopeful rumors and desperate pleas to the government in this thread: When will Azerbaijan open its borders? But don’t count on it. This looks permanent.
Your options with a car, motorbike or bicycle
If you are driving a car or motorbike, the best way is to ship in your vehicle from Tbilisi (or possibly elsewhere eg. Aqtau – no reports yet) and pick it up in Baku a week later when you fly in. Reports and questions welcome in this forum thread.
For cyclists: we have read of one pair of Koreans that managed to get a permit to cross the Caspian Sea and enter in Baku, and a pair of American cyclists who took the boat without getting the permit in 2022 – they had no issues getting in. Since then, others have tried, but failed. However, in 2025, two cyclists managed to cross the border from Georgia.
We welcome more information about the (im)possibility of getting this permit in this forum thread. If you don’t manage, you will have to fly in with your bicycle.
Azerbaijan – Georgia border crossings
In the past, there were cases of travelers holding a Georgian e-visa being sent back at the Azeri-Georgian border. They were told they could only fly in to Georgia. This no longer seems to be the case. Your reports regarding this subject are welcome in this forum topic.
Matsimi / Lagodekhi / Balakan: Connecting Telavi and Zaqatala. Quiet and easy-going. A beautiful drive. It pays to start early if on public transport, as marshrutka services fade out in the afternoon. The Georgian side has a duty-free shop and money exchange, but exchange rates are much better in Lagodekhi town. On the Azeri side there is nothing.
GEO -> AZ: Infrequent minibuses run directly from Telavi to Lagodekhi (1,5h, 10 lari). Otherwise, take the minibus to Tsnori and a second one to Lagodekhi. From Lagodekhi, the border is 4km away (4 lari by taxi).
Minibuses (0.50 manat) and taxis (5 manat) go between the border and Balakan.
Updates welcome in the Matsimi border crossing topic.
Tsiteli/Red Bridge – Shikhli/Sixli: This border crossing is open 24/7, connecting Rustavi (GEO) with Qazax (AZ). Public transport is available on both sides of the border, there are some shops and exchange places as well. The road from Tbilisi to Tsiteli is good.
On the Azeri side: watch out for the speed traps. To avoid these, take a minor road to the south or north. Barda is worth a visit if doing this.
Updates welcome in this forum topic.
Azerbaijan – Iran border crossings
Astara – Astara
Updates here. The name of the border towns, Astara, is the same in both countries. Good thing about this border is that you literally walk from one town into the other. No need to find transport to the border, just get to Astara, and walk across to the other Astara.
Open 24/7. On the Iranian side, exchange offices offer much better rates than the money changers hanging around near the border. In Azeri Astara, the local market has money changers with good rates.
Depending on the geopolitical situation, the border in Astara is either crazy-busy on one or both sides, or really quiet. See the forum thread for the latest news.
Iran -> Azerbaijan
Daily Tehran-Baku buses leave from Tehran’s West Terminal (15$, 24h). You can also easily take a bus to Astara (4.5h) or get a taxi ($40, 3,5h) from the ‘stand’ in front of West Terminal, as you walk from the Azadi Metro Station.
By car: On the Azerbaijan side, you have to pay 4 AZN for “Customs” before entering the border area; keep the litlle piece of paper they give you, you will need it. The border guards are friendly and helpful, but don’t forget to tell them that you have a Carnet de Passage! Otherwise, they will not stamp it.
Just go to the Customs office or ask someone to bring you there, you need to ask around a little bit, it is in the “truck area” of the border. Be sure that they stamp everything right and take the right part out, be always with your Carnet! Don’t give someone your Carnet, although there might be people around asking for it — they’re scammers and will not give it back until you pay some money.
If you are an Iranian passport holder, do NOT pre-pay your “exit/khorojee” online, only pay for it at this border. Apparently they are not online yet, so you would have to pay again.
Shared taxis go to Baku for 20 manat/seat.
Azerbaijan -> Iran
When crossing with your own vehicle, declaration can be quite confusing, but we do not recommend investing in a local “helper” to help you navigate the process. These guys are very tricky so struggling on your own might be a better deal in the end.
Bilasuvar: Open for international travelers, and seems to be more busy than Astara, with many Azeris crossing over to Iran for medical treatment and supplies.
Azerbaijan – Russia border crossings
The Baku-Derbent train is expensive and slow. Best to use buses and taxis to get across this border. Updates collected in the Azerbaijan to Russia border topic.
Yarag-Kazmalyar – Samur: Between Quba and Derbent. Known as the Golden Bridge due to the large amounts of bribes that passed here (you don’t need to worry). Open to CIS-country residents only for many years, but now open for all foreigners.
RU -> AZ: On public transport, you can take a shared taxi from Derbent to Yarag (1500 rubles). After the border on the Azeri side, getting a shared taxi to Xudat, Xacmaz or Quba should be easy and cheap (~4 manat). Public transport to Baku is available from these towns, or you can find a direct taxi to Baku from the border (but you are missing out on Azerbaijan’s beautiful north!).
A direct bus from Derbent to Quba is rumoured.
AZ -> RU: From Quba, a shared taxi to Samur goes for 10 manat or less. At the border, there is a huge queue of trucks but pedestrians or normal cars pass them. The Azeri side is quite quick, x-ray scanner for luggage. Once you have left Azerbaijan, you have to get in a marshrutka to drive you the 800 meters to Russian checkpoint (150 rubles or 5 manat).
From the border to Derbent it was 300 rubles for a shared taxi. The scenery is pretty nice, with snow-capped Caucasus mountains on your left side.
Shirvanovka- Novo-Filya: a multilateral border since 2018. Friendly, and much preferred to the central border at Samur, where taxi prices are higher and lines can be very long. Open non-stop.
AZ -> RU: 15 manat for the car to the border, 250 rubles for a seat to Derbent. In the other direction, there are marshrutka runs from Derbent to the border.
Yalama – Tagirkent-Kazmalyar: This is a multilateral border crossing according to the Russian customs website. We are looking for reports.
Garax-Zukhul: bilateral border crossing for locals only.
Nakchivan border crossings
There are no border crossings with Armenia yet, but this might change soon as the peace agreement after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war has stipulated a corridor between Nakchivan and Azerbaijan over Armenian territory. We are not sure what this corridor will look like, and if tourist might be able to use it in the future. If you have any news, let us know in this forum thread.
In the meantime, you can cross overland into Nakchivan from Iran and Turkey. Crossing might take some time as you are very suspect wanting to visit Nakchivan for tourism purposes.
Be sure to not have any compromising pictures on your camera, usb, computer or phone. As with the other Iran crossings, these have closed in the past but with improved relations seem open to all travelers now.
Jolfa – Julfa: IR -> AZ: Hoards of Azeris cross the border to stock up on cheaper Iranian goods in the free trade zone and there is a strip of shops running along a pedestrianised street to the border. Decent exchange rates at the border.
Minibuses run to the border until 2 or 3pm, after which they stop. Shared taxi into Nakhchivan is 3 manat per person. The border is quite busy in the late afternoon with returning Azeri shoppers so not a problem to split the ride with others. It’s only about 20 minutes from the border into the city.
Poldasht – Shahtakhti: Border crossing with Iran. Likely to operate 24/7.
Sadarak – Dilicu: Border crossing with Turkey between Nakchivan city and Iğdır. Several buses a day connect the 2 cities (3h drive). Updates and questions in this forum thread.
Visiting Nagorno-Karabakh
Since 2020, the situation in Karabakh has changed dramatically. All your questions regarding a potential visit to Karabakh are welcome in this forum thread.
Azerbaijan -Armenia border crossings
Qazax – Sofulu: This border crossing is closed.