Company registration in Azerbaijan

Registration fee is from 2500 €

Registration period — 7-10 business days

Minimum authorized capital - 10 AZN

Remote opening — yes

Financial statements — yes

Azerbaijan is a country located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Its capital is the city of Baku.

Azerbaijan is a modern country open to foreign investment, offering foreign entrepreneurs favorable conditions for doing business. Thanks to its location between Europe and Asia and its developed transport network, Azerbaijan has become one of the business centers of the Caspian region. The state actively supports the development of businesses with foreign capital, particularly in logistics, transportation, energy, and the IT sector.

For foreign investors, setting up a company in Azerbaijan is appealing primarily because of the possibility of 100% foreign ownership of a business, the simplicity of the company registration process, and the absence of requirements for paying in share capital.

A foreign entrepreneur can open a business in Azerbaijan in several forms:

  • MMC (Limited Liability Company), the most popular form for foreign founders

  • representative office of a foreign company

  • branch

  • sole proprietorship

Registering a company in Azerbaijan opens access to a market at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and, if the conditions are met, grants the right to industry-specific tax benefits, for example for residents of special economic zones or particular economic sectors. Our specialists will help determine whether such benefits apply to your business.

What kind of business is company registration in Azerbaijan suited for?

Opening a company in Azerbaijan is the optimal choice for:

  • transport companies and carriers

  • logistics companies

  • trading and distribution companies

  • IT companies and software developers

  • exporters

  • energy and investment projects

Registering a company in Azerbaijan with Maira Consult is a fast and straightforward process that requires no travel abroad. We support you at every stage, prepare the documents, provide a legal address, and help you open a bank account.

Azerbaijan advantages

1

Ability to open an account with an Azerbaijani bank

2

100% foreign ownership is allowed

3

No requirements for paying up the share capital

4

Fully remote company registration

5

Additional benefits for businesses in logistics, transport, energy, and the IT sector

General Information

Registration Features

To open a company in Azerbaijan, non-resident directors and shareholders must first obtain a local tax identification number (TIN).

Company Name

To register a company in Azerbaijan, it is first necessary to check the uniqueness of the name in the state register of Azerbaijan.

The name may contain Latin or Azerbaijani letters, and the use of international terms is allowed (for example, Group, Holding, etc.).

Authorized Capital

Azerbaijani legislation does not set a mandatory minimum charter capital for an MMC (LLC): the amount is nominal and is paid at the founder's discretion.

In practice, we recommend a charter capital of at least 10 AZN (~6 USD) as a sufficient benchmark for registration.

Director

The director may be an individual, a resident of any country. Having a local tax identification number (TIN) is mandatory.

Shareholders

At least one shareholder is required, an individual or a legal entity, with no residency requirements. The shareholder must obtain a local tax identification number (TIN).

Financial Reporting

All companies file monthly or quarterly reports with the tax authorities of Azerbaijan. An audit is required only for companies with large turnover.

Taxation

Corporate tax is 20%.

The standard VAT rate is 18%. If annual turnover exceeds 200,000 AZN, the company is required to obtain a VAT number.

Confidentiality

The state register is open, but personal information about beneficiaries is not accessible.

Stages of company registration

01

Choosing the name and form of the company

To open a business in Azerbaijan, you first need to choose the company's legal form and check the company name in the state register. Non-residents of Azerbaijan most often choose the MMC (Limited Liability Company) form.

02

Preparation and collection of documents

Each company participant must go through the KYC verification procedure and provide the necessary documents (passport, proof of residential address, i.e. a utility bill) and a detailed description of the company's activities.

03

Identification of company participants

To identify the participants, it is enough to have a notary certify the passport and a power of attorney using our template. Based on these documents, our lawyers will help obtain a local tax identification number (TIN) for the director and shareholder without their having to visit Azerbaijan.

04

Formation of the share capital (if necessary)

The share capital of an MMC company in Azerbaijan is formed after registration is completed (if required).

05

Company registration

A company in Azerbaijan can be opened within 7 to 10 business days. For a non-resident director, it is possible to obtain a digital signature (ASAN Imza), which allows the company to be registered without a visit to Azerbaijan.

06

Receiving of corporate documents

As soon as the state register shows that the company in Azerbaijan has been registered, the register issues corporate documents with the corresponding stamps (certificate of registration, articles of association, and an extract from the state register).

07

Legalization of documents (if necessary)

After the company is registered in Azerbaijan, the documents are sent for an Apostille for their further use abroad (if required).

08

Delivery of corporate documents

After registering the company in Azerbaijan, we will send you the documents by international courier service.

Answers to the Most Common Questions:

Yes, non-residents can register a company in Azerbaijan without any restrictions. Local legislation allows 100% foreign ownership of a business. A mandatory requirement for foreign participants of a company is having a local tax identification number.
Yes, opening a business in Azerbaijan with a foreign founder can be done entirely remotely, without a personal visit to Azerbaijan. To do this, you need to have your passport and a power of attorney based on our template notarized, and send the original documents to our lawyers in Baku.
In order to open an account in Azerbaijan, a non-resident must first register a company in Azerbaijan and obtain a local tax identification number. To open a corporate account with Azerbaijani banks, it is important for the company's activities to be connected to the country, and it is also desirable to have local counterparties.
Azerbaijan recognizes the following main legal business forms: MMC (LLC), joint-stock companies ASC and QSC, general and limited partnerships, branches and representative offices of foreign companies, state enterprises, cooperatives, and non-profit organizations (İctimai Birlik / Fond). In addition to MMC, ASC, QSC, and general partnership, Azerbaijani legislation also provides for limited partnership (mixed liability of partners), branches and representative offices of foreign companies, state enterprises, as well as cooperatives and non-profit organizations (İctimai Birlik / Fond). For most foreign investors looking to open an MMC in Baku or register an LLC in Azerbaijan, MMC remains the optimal choice; our specialists will help determine whether another form would suit you better depending on the scale and type of business.
MMC (an abbreviation of the Azerbaijani "Məhdud Məsuliyyətli Cəmiyyət") is a limited liability company, equivalent to an LLC or a Ukrainian TOV. This is the most popular business registration form in Azerbaijan among foreign founders, and it is the search query "mmc nədir" (meaning "what is MMC") that entrepreneurs who are just starting to consider opening an MMC in Baku most often use to look for an answer. This form is well suited for IT companies, e-commerce, and international trade thanks to the simplicity of registration and the absence of a mandatory minimum capital requirement.
Azerbaijan has two types of joint-stock companies (ASC Azerbaijan, JSC Azerbaijan, QSC registration, "səhmdar cəmiyyəti"): ASC - open joint-stock company; QSC - closed company. Suitable for large business projects, manufacturing, and holdings.
Tam Ortaklıq, or general partnership, is a legal business form (equivalent to a general partnership) in which all partners bear full, unlimited property liability for the company's obligations. Due to the high personal risks involved, this form is rarely chosen by foreign investors; the vast majority prefer MMC precisely because of the limited liability it offers founders.
In addition to MMC, Azerbaijani legislation provides for joint-stock companies, or səhmdar cəmiyyəti. There are two types: ASC (Açıq Səhmdar Cəmiyyəti), an open joint-stock company whose shares can be freely traded, and QSC (Qapalı Səhmdar Cəmiyyəti), a closed joint-stock company with a limited circle of shareholders. Unlike MMC, registering an ASC or QSC (JSC Azerbaijan) involves a more complex corporate structure and is generally suited to large business projects, manufacturing companies, and holdings, rather than small and medium-sized businesses.

Our Contacts

Phone

+380 97 527-66-30

Client Relations Department

+380 73 427-66-30

Email

[email protected]

Address

Kyiv, 01054, Ukraine,

40B Ivan Franko St., office 207

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MAIRA LLC

EDRPOU code: 38202700

Jurisdiction: Ukraine

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