Expat insurance and health insurance in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan introduced, effective 1 January 2021, a mandatory health insurance scheme (Obligatory Health Insurance), administered by the public agency TABIB (Tabiblik Xidmətlərinin İdarə Birliyi, the union managing medical services), which oversees the public facilities integrated into this scheme. Funding relies on contributions shared between employee and employer: 2% + 2% on the portion of monthly salary below 2,500 AZN (private sector outside oil/gas), then 0.5% + 0.5% above that, with different thresholds in the oil, gas and public sectors. According to the available tax summaries, this scheme applies to all foreign employees working in Azerbaijan, except people with diplomatic status and expatriates employed under oil production-sharing agreements (PSA).

Despite the extension of this scheme, direct household payments remain very high: 64.63% of current health expenditure in 2023 according to the World Bank, one of the highest levels in the region. According to France Diplomatie, public hospital facilities are inexpensive but often poorly equipped outside Baku; for serious illness, some patients seek treatment abroad.

The private sector, concentrated in Baku, developed in response to the limits of the public system, with international-standard medical centres used by expats: France Diplomatie indicates that consultations there are expensive, in the range of 50 to 250 USD, at the expense of the patient or their international health insurance.

• Visa mandatory for any stay, unlike neighbouring Armenia and Georgia: an e-visa (ASAN Viza) must be obtained before departure, for a single-entry stay of 30 days maximum, at a cost of 20 USD in visa fees plus 5 USD in service fees (standard processing within 3 business days) or 40 USD in service fees for expedited processing within 3 hours, non-refundable if refused.
• Valid passport for at least 3 months after the planned end date of the stay. For a stay exceeding 30 days, a regular visa must be requested from an Azerbaijani diplomatic representation.
• Mandatory registration for any foreigner staying more than 15 days in Azerbaijan, within 15 days of arrival, according to France Diplomatie.
• Health and repatriation insurance strongly recommended by France Diplomatie, without being formally required for entry: it must cover medical costs (including surgery and hospitalisation) and medical repatriation, as no coverage is provided by the French embassy.
• No European health insurance card: since Azerbaijan is a member of neither the European Union nor the European Economic Area, the EHIC does not apply there, regardless of the length of stay.
• Affiliation with mandatory health insurance (TABIB): contribution shared between employee/employer (2% + 2% up to 2,500 AZN of monthly salary, 0.5% + 0.5% above that), applicable to foreign employees outside diplomatic status and outside PSA oil schemes, since 1 January 2021.
• Travel advised against except for essential reasons by France Diplomatie (update of 7 April 2026), with a formal ban on travelling to the border areas with Armenia, the former Nagorno-Karabakh regions, and advice against any travel in the border zone with Iran, the latter having been the target of a drone strike on 5 March 2026.
• Seconded employee : in the absence of a Franco-Azerbaijani agreement, staying on the French scheme falls solely under French law (unilateral secondment), for a period of 3 years renewable once, without exemption from any contributions due in Azerbaijan.

Outside affiliation with mandatory health insurance and outside private insurance, care is billed at full rate by the facility, public or private alike, not published uniformly; the risk remains primarily financial, with no help from the French embassy for medical costs. A standard travel insurance policy may also carry exclusions or special conditions for zones subject to a French government travel advisory: it is worth checking this point precisely with the insurer before departure.

France and Azerbaijan are not bound by any bilateral social security agreement: CLEISS classifies Azerbaijan among the countries appearing neither on the list of states where EU regulations apply, nor on the list of states that have concluded a bilateral agreement with France. There is therefore neither a European health insurance card, nor an A1 or S1 form enforceable against Azerbaijani authorities, nor any direct reimbursement mechanism between the two systems.

• Temporary stay: no European or bilateral coordination applies; only specific travel insurance taken out before departure covers costs on site, with CLEISS recommending requesting reimbursement for unforeseen care from your French fund upon return, within the limits of French rates.
• Secondment from France: in the absence of an agreement, French law provides for unilateral secondment of 3 years, renewable once. The employee stays affiliated with the French scheme, with contributions paid in France, but without exemption from contributions due in Azerbaijan under mandatory health insurance (TABIB). Care received on site is reimbursed retroactively by the French fund, within the limits of French rates, upon presentation of receipts and form S3125.
• Long-term move: affiliation with mandatory health insurance (TABIB) applies to the locally employed foreign worker, through a contribution shared with the employer; no transfer of rights from France is provided for, including for retirees.
• Retiree: no coordination mechanism allows rights acquired in France to be exercised; international health insurance remains necessary, as the terms of access to mandatory health insurance for a foreign retiree are not detailed uniformly in public sources.

1. Before departure: check France Diplomatie's "Security" page on Azerbaijan, as travel there has been advised against except for essential reasons since April 2026.
2. Before departure: notify French agencies of your departure (CPAM, CAF, France Travail, pension funds).
3. Before departure: apply for the e-visa (ASAN Viza) online, alone or before any other long-stay visa if the stay exceeds 30 days.
4. Before departure: take out health/repatriation insurance covering medical costs and hospitalisation, and explicitly check the conditions applicable to zones subject to a French government travel advisory.
5. Seconded employee: arrange unilateral secondment with the employer through your French fund before departure (maximum duration 3 years renewable once).
6. Within 15 days of arrival, for a stay of more than 15 days: complete the registration required by Azerbaijani authorities.
7. Employee hired locally: check with the employer the terms of affiliation with mandatory health insurance (TABIB) and the applicable contribution rate.
8. Keep proof of care and form S3125 for any request for retroactive reimbursement from the French fund (secondment cases).
9. Register with the roll of French nationals living abroad (French embassy in Baku).