Azerbaijan applies e-application for citizenship
By Nigar Orujova
Application for the Azerbaijani citizenship will become easier as the State Migration Service has introduced electronic registration of documents.
The panel of the State Migration Service has approved the administrative regulations on the admission of applications and documents in connection with the Azerbaijani citizenship.
Applications and documents in connection with acquiring citizenship of Azerbaijan can now be sent to the website of the service (http://en.e.migration.gov.az/). All the information regarding the Azerbaijani citizenship are available at a special page of the website.
The e-service is partially automated. Other performers of the electronic service are the National Security Ministry and the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Applications for citizenship will be considered separately by the two ministries within a month.
To obtain the Azerbaijani citizenship the applicants are required to produce a biography and fill an application form addressed to the Azerbaijani President with four photos (3x4cm). Other necessary documents include a reference from the place of residence on family composition, receipt for paid state duty, copy of the permission card for permanent residence in the territory of Azerbaijan, notarized copy of the document certifying the identity, document certifying existence of legal source of income, and petition of state body inviting him/her to Azerbaijan.
Moreover, an applicant should prove his or her skills of the state language by providing a certificate from the Education Ministry.
Azerbaijan’s rapid development does not pass unnoticed and now more and more people come to the country that today develops not only its oil sector, but other spheres of economy.
The country itself has a demand for foreign workforce in different sectors of industry, especially highly skilled foreign labor force in the fields of mining and processing industry, construction, maintenance of medical equipment and communication technologies.
There are about 24,000 migrants in Azerbaijan at present, half of which are migrant workers. Every year Azerbaijan allocates 10,000 jobs within the labor quotas for migrant workers.
Azerbaijan has also recently improved legislation for registration of migrants in the country. At present, foreigners and stateless persons arriving in Azerbaijan for a period exceeding three days should register with the Migration Service.
A copy of the person's ID should be submitted to the Migration Service personally, via mail, or email within 3 days.
The service is free and application forms are available at the Migration Service, post offices, or online at the website of the service. The Migration Service immediately registers foreigners at the place of their stay and presents written notification to the receiving party within one working day.
Foreigners can be registered for the period provided in their visas, or for 90 days under the visa-free regime.
Foreigners should not forget that after changing the place of residence, registration must be renewed, otherwise penalties or even deportation may be applied.
Earlier, Azerbaijan also switched to issuing electronic visa.
With stable development of the economy and facilitation of the legislation, the country may attract even more people from the region and the world in the near future.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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