The IMEI registry: roaming is exempt, a local SIM is not
Azerbaijan's mobile-device registration rules require phones brought into the country to be registered by IMEI within 30 days of connecting to a network. Bakcell's explanation of the rules says unregistered devices are blacklisted after the period and cannot use mobile services, and that the state fee for a personal device is AZN 5, while the ministry's 2018 announcement explains that the fee is set by device model and can be looked up at imei.az.
The exemption matters to visitors. The Ministry of Digital Development and Transport's news item says the rule does not apply to devices of foreign guests and tourists using roaming with a foreign operator's SIM card. Bakcell says the same: a foreigner using a foreign SIM in roaming does not need to register the IMEI. A foreigner using a local SIM, by contrast, is covered by the 30-day clock.
For a trip shorter than a month the clock should not bite, but a longer stay on a local SIM needs the handset registered. Check your IMEI status at imei.az, which Bakcell says shows whether a device is on the whitelist or blacklist, before you buy a local line.
Nar TouristSIM and the passport used at entry
Nar's TouristSIM announcement lists three packages for visitors. At the time of checking, TouristSIM 40GB cost 34 AZN for 20 GB of mobile internet, a further 20 GB for social media, and 100 domestic and 20 international minutes. TouristSIM 70GB cost 55 AZN with 40 GB, 30 GB of social data, 170 domestic and 50 international minutes. TouristSIM 130GB cost 75 AZN with 80 GB, 50 GB of social data, 250 domestic and 70 international minutes.
Each package is valid for 30 days from activation, after which the SIM card is deactivated automatically, according to Nar. To activate, the tourist visits a Nar store and presents the passport that was used for entry registration in Azerbaijan. Bring the passport you entered the country with.
Bakcell TravelSIM at the airport stand
Bakcell's TravelSIM announcement says visitors can get a number from the Bakcell stand at the airport or from sales points in the capital and regions. It lists TravelSIM 35 at 35 AZN with 50 domestic minutes, 50 international minutes and 30 GB, TravelSIM 55 at 55 AZN with 100 and 100 minutes and 60 GB, and TravelSIM 75 at 75 AZN with 150 and 150 minutes and 120 GB.
The announcement does not state how long the packages last or what identification is needed, so ask at the stand. Compared with Nar's pages, Bakcell's is lighter on terms; treat the headline figures as a starting point and read the activation message before you pay.
Azercell: branches and an eSIM that needs a registered handset
Azercell's support page says its Guest pack is sold at official branches across Azerbaijan, including Azercell Exclusive offices and official dealers, and refers to its list of sales and service centres. We could not open the pages that give the Guest pack contents or required documents, so we do not quote a price here.
For eSIM, Azercell says the profile can be obtained online at azercellim.com using the SIMA digital signature with face recognition, or offline at a customer service centre or dealer with ID. Before activating, it says the device IMEI must be registered, which it tells customers to check at my.gov.az, and an internet connection is needed. It says the QR code can be reused up to five times within 12 months. A visitor without a SIMA signature should therefore expect the in-person route.
Note the dependency in Azercell's own instructions: an eSIM cannot be activated until the IMEI is registered, which is the same registry described above.
Borders, photography and drones
The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel within 5 km of the border with Armenia because of mines and unexploded ordnance from former conflict. A phone map will not warn you about this, so check current advice and plan routes with a local driver or tour operator.
The same advice warns that military bases, equipment and installations in any condition are sensitive and that visitors have been detained and questioned for visiting or photographing them. It asks for sensitivity around religious and commemorative sites. It also says non-residents cannot import drones, which are confiscated at the border. If your trip involves a camera phone and a drone, leave the drone at home.
Emergency numbers and keeping the home line
The UK Foreign Office lists 102 for police, 103 for ambulance and 101 for fire in Azerbaijan.
Apple says an iPhone must be unlocked to use a local eSIM, that Wi-Fi is needed to install it and that you pick the line used for data. Google says Pixel 3a and later phones can pair a physical SIM and an eSIM. Samsung describes adding eSIMs in SIM manager. If you use a local SIM, remember the registry; if you roam on your home plan, check the daily roaming fee. Our Azerbaijan plan page is an alternative bought before departure.
Networks our Azerbaijan plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Azerbaijan, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Azercell5G
- Bakcell5G
- BAKCELL5G
- Bakcell Ltd5G
- Nar Mobile3G