亞塞拜然簽證,用中華民國護照可以簽出來嗎? Azerbaijan Visa，2012

(更新:最近又可簽下來了。。)

亞塞拜然，一個讓旅人可以大開眼界的國度，一進首都巴庫就會讓您了解甚麼叫產油國，甚麼叫做火之國，除了舊城古跡之外，所有的硬體設備大都是與石油有關，成千上萬座的點頭機、運油遊輪、大卡車、裝卸設備、豪華轎車、名牌時尚、、、琳瑯滿目，連導遊都長得像石油大亨的女兒一樣美麗氣派(如上圖我左邊那位)。

不過，這不是今天講的重點，而是從2009年底至今，因為被亞塞拜然簽證折騰很多次，最近一次送簽證的過程花了很多時間也到東京去兩趟還是功虧一簣，就寫一寫心情，並搜尋到一些心得以供旅人與同業參考，也希望有朋友可以指點。

亞塞拜然簽證，用中華民國護照可以簽出來嗎? 從事旅遊業，我們算是非常小心與積極作業的團隊，但去年至今，也真沮喪起來了，因為目前為止我們仍無法取得該國團體旅行簽證，如果我們都無法取得，那不是經營這路線的同業當然也不清楚了，更不用談其他想旅行的朋友了。。

下列網站可搜尋到較新的訊息，有關亞塞拜然簽證的說明，這個歐洲旅行代理公司的網站，也代理辦理Azerbaijan簽證的服務，簡略概述該網站對於Azerbaijan簽證的解釋。http://azerbaijan24.com/azerbaijan-visa-support.html，原文拉到最後如下。

亞塞拜然自2010年取消落地簽證後，世界各國除了少數幾個國家不需簽證外，各國都要由Azerbaijan各地領事館申請取得該國簽證，偏偏申請這個國家的簽證的程序是又長又不穩定，而且各地外交人員核發簽證的標準不一，也就是一個法規各地簽證官各自解讀，造成各地簽發的條件鬆緊不一。

根據網站描述，亞塞拜然簽證的取得並不容易，看來也不是針對台灣才不簽。

網站有條列各國之亞塞拜然簽證核發之要件；其中有說明必備的邀請函，即所謂亞塞拜然旅行社的邀請函(LOI)上一定要有正式官方簽章核發，一般邀請函上的官方簽章都是來自亞塞拜然文化及觀光局的蓋章簽名；該網站特別提醒，只有觀光局的官方簽核，申請的案件常常有被拒絕，因此建議，邀請函上最好也有亞塞拜然的外交部(MFA)核准的簽章，如此成功取得簽證的機率高。

另外，申請簽證者其國家若有亞塞拜然領事館，最好就近在自己的國家的亞塞拜然領事館申請；若沒有，需要到其他國家的亞塞拜然領事館申請的話，則邀請函一定要有MFA核發簽准，否則一定被拒，網站最後也列舉的國家中，有些國家無論如何邀請函一定要有MFA的核發，例如，中國大陸就是其中之一，而日本國民則只要有亞塞拜然觀光局核簽即可，韓國近幾年來也是有變化，最近幾年也變成要加MFA的核准了。所以，無論日本或韓國都一樣。

因此，根據網站資訊看來，中華民國護照在台灣的居民，若有MFA核准去日本申請可能比較容易成功。問題是，我如何可以拿到MFA核發的邀請函呢?

最近一來的簽證作業，我們從吉隆坡到東京兩地去辦都沒獲准，看來是中華民國護照不易獲准拿到亞塞拜然的外交部(MFA)核准的簽章，然後在也無法繼續申請下去。

延伸閱讀:http://azerbaijan24.com/azerbaijan-visa-support.html

原文如下:

Azerbaijan visa support

Last updated 29 May 2012

General info on visa support process: how to get LOI & Tourist Voucher

To obtain tourist visa to Azerbaijan you will need an official Letter of Invitation (LOI) from travel agency licensed by Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Visa support letter has to be on a headed paper, duly stamped and signed. Invitation letter has to be submitted to Azeri embassy abroad along with application form, two passport-size (3x4 cm) photos and original passport/travel document (must be valid for at least 6 months after the expiry date of the Azerbaijani visa you apply for). It will allow applicant to obtain single or double entry (rarely granted) tourist visa that is valid for three months and authorizes to enter and stay in Azerbaijan for up to 30 days.
Azerbaijan24.com will provide you with visa support documents from a travel agency licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan and guide you through a tricky process of obtainment Azeri visa. Should you need an assistance with getting Azerbaijan tourist visa contact us for arrangements. We are working every day and aim to process all requests within 24 hours. Below you will find useful information that is updated on a regular basis.

The complexity of the process is that there is no universal rule and every single Azerbaijan embassy interpret visa regulations with some variations of their own. Some consulates insist on that every single Letter of Invitation has to be separately validated through Consular Section of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Azerbaijan. This is a lengthy & bureaucratic procedure involves substantial costs, mainly related to corrupt practices of visa officials. As a result tourists would have to be charged $250 USD just for the visa support only.
Most of the embassies though are happy with standard letterhead LOIs (properly signed & stamped) from Azeri travel agency along with official Travel Vouchers from Ministry of Tourism of Azerbaijan but without separate approval of that LOI through Consular Department of MFA in Baku. As mentioned, these documents are working fine for many (even most) embassies, but double check is highly recommended. For this reason we highly recommend customers applying for visa support through us to check with the relevant embassy whether they would accept such a document for visa. At the bottom of the page you can find more detailed info for most frequently used embassies.

Also, as recommendation - try to obtain visa in your own country where AZ embassy is based. In case there is no AZ embassy in your country you should ideally obtain your visa in AZ embassy in any other country without hassle. However, if there is such an embassy in your country, but you apply in other country (and have no permanent residency there) then most likely you would be requested to provide MFA attested LOI. So CHECK BEFORE YOU TRAVEL! Check the bottom of the page for situation with AZ embassies in various countries.

PLEASE, don't make inquiries on current situation with us, all the information that we have we immediately post on our site. We are physically not able to track all changes in every embassy. Please contact the embassy where you plan to obtain your visa and check with them. Thank you for understanding.

NOTE: Visas upon arrival in Baku airport are no longer available from 15 October 2010.

Effective 15 October 2010, the Azeri Government has officially stopped to Issue Visa’s on arrival at the Baku airport for European and US Citizens (Turkish & Russian nationals are not affected). All affected nationals are required to obtain their visa in advance from an Azeri embassy. Azerbaijan is sending back any passengers without a pre-arranged visa. Only diplomats and people on official government business are being allowed in without a visa. No visas are available at land borders as well. All visas has to be obtained in advance in one of Azeri diplomatic missions abroad.

Azerbaijan Visa Support Service

Visa support provided as part of one of our tour packages (at least 3 days) is free of charge
If you need just a letter of invitation (LOI) from our travel agency the fee for our service is $60 USD *

N.B. If your visa is rejected for some reason we refund that fee in full minus bank transfer fees if there are any.
- * Requirements and fees are subject to change without prior notice.

Please note that additional consular fees are paid at the embassy with your visa application. Azerbaijan24.com can also provide you with tourist vouchers that will entitle you to a reduced visa fee of just 20 USD, in other words instead of paying full standard visa fee in the embassy (ranging from 40 to 130 USD depending on the length of your stay and the country of your citizenship) you will pay just 20 USD. Tourist vouchers are provided as part of visa support package only. Bear in mind, that tourist vouchers might not work in some embassies (though they have to be accepted by any Azeri consulate), and you will be charged the full standard visa fee instead of $20. Unfortunately, we have no opportunities to influence embassies on this matter. We also make no refund if vouchers does not work for reduced visa fee. Refunds are made only if the visa is rejected. For situation with vouchers in some embassies check the bottom of this page.

Document list, terms & dates of visa preparation & consular fees may be changed according to the regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan24.com does not carry responsibility for the non-implementation or timeliness of visa processing by consular sections of Azeri embassies abroad, nor we are responsible for visa rejection.

To proceed with a visa support please make a payment, send a scanned copy of your passport along with the following information:

Baku Travel Services

Full Name
Passport number
Citizenship
Duration of stay
Arrival date
Planned Accommodation (Hotel, Hostel, Friend)
Your contact details
Place of applying for visa (in what country, city)

We aim to process all requests within 24 hours (excluding Sundays).

Based on the information received we will issue a Letter of Invitation and send scanned copies of LOI & Tourist Voucher to your email within 24 hours. You will need to print off the documents that we will send you and enclose with application form (for those applying in London, UK application form is here) that you will submit to the embassy.

STANDARD TOURIST LETTER OF INVITATION WITHOUT MFA APPROVAL
Europe, USA, Canada, Japan Visa Duration Our Price
30 days
$60
Processing time:
1 working day
Requested docs and info:
1. Passport Copy, 2. Exact entry and Departure dates 3. Embassy of application

TOURIST LETTER OF INVITATION WITH MFA APPROVAL
Europe, USA, Canada, Japan Visa Duration Our Price
30 days
Processing time:
25 working days
$100
Processing time:
express (3 working days)
$250
Requested docs and info:
1. Passport Copy, 2. Exact entry and Departure dates 3. Embassy of application

P.S. We are not providing visa support for African nationals
MULTIPLE ENTRY BUSINESS VISA INVITATION WITH MFA APPROVAL
Europe, USA, Canada, Japan Visa Duration
1 month / USD 3 months / USD
1 year / USD
$250 $350 $500
single entry only
double entry only multiple entry
Processing time:
2 working days
Requested docs and info:
1. Passport Copy, 2. Entry and Departure dates 3. Embassy of application
Our side provides:
1. Letter from the company 2. Copy of company registration certificate

P/S.Multiple entry visa has no limits on number of entries to AZ with each entry not exceeding 90 days, i.e. one have to leave & re-enter AZ after 3 months stay

For those applying for AZ visa in UK

To meet the increasing demand, while maintaining high standards of service the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in London has outsourced its visa application processing to Visa Services Centre Limited (VSC) that will start accepting documents from 15 July 2011.

Azerbaijan Visa Centre
Lower Ground Floor
1 Star Street
London, W2 1QD

For further details on how to apply for a visa, please visit the website below:
_www.visaforazerbaijan.org.uk_
Please be aware that Application Forms must be completed online on the website of the Azerbaijan Visa Centre.

LOI & Tourist Voucher from travel agency is still needed for travelers to apply for AZ visa in UK. They are issued ONLY for customers booking hotel or tour (at least 3 days) through our travel agency. According to some reports just a hotel booking confirmation (on a headed paper signed and stamped) might be sufficient to obtain visa. You can place a hotel booking with us (check the frontpage for hotel options) and we'll make sure you get a proper confirmation paper from the hotel.
For those applying for AZ visa in Tbilisi (Georgia)

Despite being one of the most efficient embassies for many years, embassy in Tbilisi is no more reliable as was before. They have started requesting visa support documents approved through MFA (mainly for those passport-holders that have AZ embassy in their own country). Still, that started causing serious problems for many travelers that planned to obtain visa in Tbilisi on the way to AZ. For those who experience problems or have no other alternative but Georgia we recommend to get visas in AZ consulate in Batumi that opened just couple of months ago. So far very efficient, helpful consul.

The address is
Nodar Dumbadze str.
146010, Batumi
Tel: +(995 22) 276700
The consulates' officer name is Elmar, and the consulate is next door to the Iranian Embassy(consulate), and opens at 10 am.
NOTE!

Standard LOI is required only (no MFA needed) by the embassy

Austria (Vienna) - insist on having originals of tourist vouchers to give reduced visa fee. Vouchers need to be posted to applicants from Baku (will take 10-14 days by standard air-mail. Courier service is available for extra fee if needed.
Belgium (Brussels) - tourist vouchers are not accepted for reduced visa fee.
Georgia (Batumi consulate) one of the most efficient. No LOI is required. 3 days visa processing. Embassy in Tbilisi asks for MFA approval
Germany (Berlin) - tourist vouchers are not accepted for reduced visa fee and one has to pay full fee of 60 Euros.
Greece (Athens) - accepts visa support docs without any problems
France (Paris) - accepts visa support docs without any problems. Vouchers seems to be not working for discounted visa fee, perhaps originals needed.
Holland (Hague) - processes vouchers without problems. Reduced visa cost is 15 Euro. Processing time is around 1 week.
Indonesia (Jakarta) - processes vouchers without problems. MFA approval for LOIs is required for visits exceeding 15 days.
Iran (Tehran embassy & Tabriz consulate) - need no LOI at all. Visas could be obtained same day without any support documents. They don't accept tourist vouchers.
Italy (Rome) - contradictory reports. MFA approval is required from time to time. Hotel booking confirmation would be helpful to avoid that. Also very lengthy processing procedure might be expected (up to 2 weeks).
Japan (Tokyo)
Kazakhstan (Aktau consulate) - need originals of LOIs & Vouchers for reduced fee visa. Otherwise they can issue tourist visas just with scans but charging full visa price. Transit visa (valid for 5 days) from the Aktau consulate takes 3 working days, they require no LOI but just passport, $20 and an application form which they help to fill in.
Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek) - they only ask travel agency to send copies of docs to their email
Kuwait (Kuwait City) - standard LOIs are accepted only for citizens or permanent residents of Kuwait. All others have to apply with LOIs approved through MFA. Those applying without MFA approved LOIs have to submit docs in person. Fingerprints are taken.
Latvia (Riga) - only foreigners holding permanent residence in Baltic countries can apply for visa. They insist on having originals of tourist vouchers to give reduced visa fee.
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) - accepts visa support docs without any problems. They ask travel agency to send copies of docs to their email. More info here >>>
Poland (Warsaw) - standard LOI accepted for Polish citizens only. All other citizens need to obtain MFA approved LOI
Romania (Bucharest)
Russia (Moscow) - accepts visa support docs in original only, that need to be posted from Baku. Will take around 10 working days to arrive by standard post. Courier service available for extra fee if needed.
South Korea (Seoul) - standard LOIs worked well until recently. Some problems were reported lately with the need to apply for MFA approval.
Sweden (Stockholm) - need originals of tourist vouchers to give reduced visa fee.
Switzerland (Bern) - processing time at least 1 week to obtain visa.
UAE (Abu-Dhabi embassy & Dubai consulate) - provide visa with standard visa support docs only to UAE citizens or permanent residents, otherwise MFA approval is needed
Ukraine (Kiev) - standard LOI is OK for permanent residents only. Tourist vouchers are not accepted.
United Kingdom (London) - Standard LOI is OK. Process tourist vouchers without any problem and give discounted visa fee (?14 instead of standard ?55, but Visa Centre charges extra to process vouchers, though they are still worth using. Applications are accepted only from citizens of UK, Ireland, Iceland and Denmark (and those who have permanent residence there on student or work basis). If you are EU passport holder working in UK and you obviously don't need visa or work permit for that (and hence have no stamps in your passport) you will need to submit them your bank statements AND utility bills to prove that you live in UK on a permanent basis. Otherwise there is a chance that your application won't be accepted on non-residency grounds. Also, sometimes only hotel headed paper booking confirmation might be sufficient to get your visa even without LOI. See above for info on Visa Centre.
USA (Washington embassy & Los-Angeles consulate) - need original tourist voucher to give reduced visa fee. In the rest in some cases it is possible to obtain tourist visa even without any support docs.

MFA approved LOI is required only for non-residents

UAE (Abu Dhabi & Dubai) - though sometimes even standard LOI for non-residents might be OK
Latvia (Riga)
Kuwait (Kuwait City)
Ukraine (Kiev)

MFA approved LOI is required for all nationals

China (Beijing)
Czech Republic (Prague)
Georgia (Tbilisi)
India (Delhi)
Italy (Rome) unless there is also a hotel confirmation
Morocco (Rabat)
Pakistan (Islamabad)
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) - though sometimes standard LOI might be OK
Turkey (Ankara, Istanbul & Kars). Those with permanent residence in Turkey don't need any support docs to get AZ visa.
Turkmenistan (Ashgabat)

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