General Issues

National Holidays

January 1 - Wednesday               New Year's Day
January 20 - Monday                   Day of the Martyrs
February 14* - Friday                   Gurban Bayram
March 8 - Saturday                      Women's Day
March 20-21 - Thursday-Friday     Novruz Bayram
May 9 - Friday                             Victory Day
May 28 - Wednesday                   Republic Day
June 15 - Sunday                         National Salvation Day
October 18 - Saturday                  Armed Forces Day
November 12 - Wednesday           Constitution Day
November 17 - Monday                 Day of National Revival
November 24* - Monday               Ramazan (Day of Fasting)
December 31                              Day of Solidarity

* Two holidays (Gurban Bayram and Ramazan Bayram) are determined by the lunar calendar therefore the exact dates will be announced close to the holiday.

VISA Requirements

To travel to Azerbaijan, a visa must be obtained from the Consulate at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The following documents must be submitted:

1. One completed visa application form (you can download application forms from: www.azembassy.com . They are also available upon request by phone: (202) 337-3500 or fax: (202) 842-0004 and may be photocopied). Please answer all questions by typing or clearly printing in ink.
2. Original passport or re-entry permit (no copies accepted).
3. Two passport-size photos attached to the application form.
4. An invitation from Azerbaijan (faxed copies are accepted). For tourists, a confirmation from the receiving hotel is needed. If an invitation is not received for some reason, a letter of request for a visa must be submitted by the applicant, the name of the inviting organization and its chief must be indicated in the application form.
5. No fee is charged for issuing a visa.

If the processing time is less than 5 working days for a business visa, a fee in the amount of $40 for a single entry business visa or $250 for a one year multiple entry business visa, is charged for express processing. If the processing time is less than 10 working days for an ordinary (i.e. for cultural, tourist, private, etc. purpose) single entry visa, a fee in the amount of $40 for express issuing is charged.

Money order and company checks are accepted. For additional information, please, call the Consular section of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan at: (202) 337-5912


NEWS AND PUBLICATIONS

Azerbaijan International is an independent publication, which seeks to provide a forum for discussion and thought related to Azerbaijanis throughout the world on a wide range of subjects. To subscribe, contact Azerbaijan International, PO Box 5217, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413, USA. Telephone: (818) 785-0077; Fax: (818) 997-7337; E-mail: ai@artnet.net Web site: www.azer.com

Victor Kamkin, Inc. offers same-day electronic news bulletins, produced by the AssA-Irada Independent News Agency, subscriptions to Azerbaijani newspapers and maps. For more details, please contact Mr. James Beale, Victor Kamkin, Inc., 4956 Boiling Brook Parkway, Rockville, MD 20852 USA. Telephone: (301)881-4905, Fax: (301)881-1637, or by E-mail: Kamkin@igc.apc.org.

Azerbaijan News Distribution List. You can subscribe to an Azerbaijan News-Only Distribution List, HABARLAR-L, which is a Listserver type mailing list, by sending an e-mail to: Habarlar-L-Request@usc.edu and with this one line in the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE HABARLAR-L Your First Name Your Last Name


Newspapers

Azerbaijan. An official newspaper of Milli Majlis (Parliament). Tel: (99412) 396871 / 383111; Fax: (99412) 394323.

Azernews. An English language newspaper. Tel: (99412) 956905 / 949373; Fax: (99412) 973081 / 958537.

Ayna/Zerkalo. An independent newspaper published both in Azerbaijani and Russian. Now online. Visit: www.ayna.az for Azerbaijani version and www.zerkalo.az for Russian version. To subscribe or feedback, send an e-mail to: qazeta@zerkalo.az

Baku Sun. A daily English newspaper from B&B TV company. To subscribe, send an email to editor@baku.sun.baku.az

Digest of major newspapers from Azerbaijan at: www.digest-azerbaijan.com(in Russian only).

Echo. An independent online newspaper (in Russian only). Visit: www.zerkalo-daily.com for latest news, reports, and analysis.

News Agencies

ANS-News is an independent news agency. Their daily updated web site contains major news from Azerbaijan. Visit www.ans-dx.com and check ANS-Press and other sources of information from ANS.

Assa-Irada is an international independent news agency. Please contact them at: (99412) 949373 / 948576 or send a fax to: (99412) 958537.

Azertaj (AzerTAC) is a State News Agency. Daily news from Azertaj is available on-line at: www.azertag.com For feedback, please email: azertac@azdata.net.

Turan is an independent news agency. To subscribe, please send an email to root@turan.baku.az or visit their site: www.intrans.baku.az