Azerbaijan is launching a bespoke visa scheme for attendees at COP29 in Baku this autumn. The entry authorization is set to be an electronic, completely free of charge “COP29 Special Visa”.
Available to all foreign nationals registered to participate in the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), the border pass will take the form of a dedicated single-entry digital visa, showing a date of issue and valid until 30 November 2024.
Summit to bring visitor surge
With 198 countries party to the Convention, the South Caucasian republic is anticipating a surge in international visitors thanks to its role as host nation for the yearly climate summit. Around 85,000 visitors attended COP28 in Dubai in 2023 and this time round at least 70,000 to 80,000 people associated with the event are expected to travel to Azerbaijan.
Many of those will be accommodated in the Absheron Peninsula surrounding the capital, a region known as the Land of Fire for its dramatic burning mountainsides, lit by eternal flames of natural gas – a fitting backdrop perhaps as the delegates consider progress on cutting fossil fuel use and the global warming commitments made under the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015. Ahead of the event, Azerbaijan has restated its pledge to bring down greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by 2030 and is set to extend that goal to 40 percent by 2050.
Meanwhile, Baku remains the main hub for the event and Javanshir Bayramov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Tourism Bureau has said hotel reservations for the capital in November suggest even higher numbers of COP guests than initial estimates suggest.
Apply promptly, urges Baku
With that in mind, the hosts are urging potential COP29 attendees not to delay getting their digital paperwork in order. “Participants are encouraged to promptly apply for the COP29 Special Visa once their UNFCCC registration is confirmed. Please use the visa portal link in your UNFCCC registration email to track your visa status,” the organisers’ guidance says.
All foreign participants in COP29 must be in possession of a valid passport, lasting at least six months from the date of their planned entry into Azerbaijan. Official advice says that “Upon registration approval via the UNFCCC Online Registration System, participants will receive a link to apply for a visa in the UNFCCC registration confirmation email.”
Because the visa will be valid for just a single entry, anyone leaving the country and wishing to re-enter will have to reapply for another COP29 visa, using the same procedure and referencing their UNFCCC registration number.
