Dominican Republic and Azerbaijan allow 90 day visa free stays for tourists

The Dominican Republic and Azerbaijan signed a mutual visa waiver agreement Sept. 24, 2026, establishing a framework for reciprocal short-term travel between the two nations.

Terms of the bilateral agreement

Dominican Foreign Minister Víctor Bisonó and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov signed the treaty in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic (MIREX) announced.

The agreement allows citizens of both countries holding valid ordinary passports to enter, exit, transit and stay without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.

This diplomatic step follows an earlier bilateral accord signed Aug. 18, 2026, which applied strictly to diplomatic, official and service passport holders. The new pact broadens the policy directly to general citizens, covering standard tourism and short family visits.

Previous entry requirements

Before this signing, travelers between the two countries lacked a mutual, standard visa waiver mechanism.

Under baseline rules published by MIREX, foreign nationals normally need a consular visa to enter Dominican territory unless covered by a specific exemption or bilateral accord. Foreigners holding permanent residency or valid multi-entry visas from the United States, Canada, Great Britain or the Schengen Area can enter under Decree 691-07 for tourism using a valid passport and Tourist Card. Standard Dominican visa applications take between 10 and 20 business days to process through consular portals.

Azerbaijan operates its own strict border controls. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists bilateral visa exemptions for select countries including Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates, but hadn't maintained a general standard-passport waiver for Dominican citizens.

Entry into force and border status

The signing of the treaty doesn't mean border officers are admitting travelers visa-free today.

Neither government published an official effective date, nor did they release the full legal text outlining internal ratification steps, legislative approvals or the exchange of diplomatic notes required to enact the treaty.

Consular databases and entry portals reflect the pending status:

• Azerbaijan's official bilateral exemption registry and its eVisa platform haven't added the Dominican Republic to operational visa-free rosters.

• Dominican border databases haven't published operational entry instructions for Azerbaijani passport holders under this accord.

• Neither government has issued airline boarding directives authorizing visa-free boarding for ordinary passport holders on these routes.

Travelers and remote workers planning trips between Santo Domingo and Baku should continue securing standard visas or e-visas through official diplomatic channels. Boarding a flight without a confirmed visa before the treaty formally takes effect risks denied boarding or border rejection.

Limits for nomads and long-term stays

The pending agreement addresses only standard visits and transit. It doesn't establish a digital nomad visa, provide local work rights or grant an automatic pathway to immigration status.

Remote workers can't use the 90-day waiver window to establish local tax residency or take up domestic employment. Individuals planning stays beyond 90 days must apply through established categories for business, study or residency, as detailed in our breakdown of the Dominican Republic's residency rules.

Key administrative details remain unresolved in the public record. Official announcements did not define passport validity thresholds beyond standard departure dates, return ticket mandates or proof-of-funds rules. Both foreign ministries must complete domestic validation steps before border control officers implement the 90-day rule at international airports.