Requirements for Azerbaijani nationals, permanently living and working abroad to register at the local consulates and embassies now extends to temporary residence holders as well.
All Azerbaijani citizens must register at the local consulates within a month of their arrival to a foreign country.
Relevant information will be sent to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection as well as the State Migration Service twice a year – in March and September. This new amendment was added to the laws on "Citizenship” and on "Leaving, Returning and Passport”.
“The downside of this requirement is that Azerbaijani government will keep taps on all its citizens living and working abroad. It is going to be easy to locate those critical of the government. This law is part of the government’s attempt to keep its nationals under control”, says Asima Nasirli, lawyer focused on migration issues.
The government of Azerbaijan on the other hand, claims this new regulation is introduced solely for the purpose of ensuring their safety and social protection.
The law on citizenship was amended in 2014. The new amendments stipulate that Azerbaijani citizens receiving citizenship of another country must report within a month of their new citizenship to the migration service in a written form. While neither Criminal nor Administrative Codes provide specific liability for this violation, the president of Azerbaijan suggested in mid April that those Azerbaijani nationals who fail to report their new citizenships should be punished either through a fine or public work.