Azerbaijan Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify an Azerbaijan Business

TL;DR. Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service (taxes.gov.az) maintains the State Register of Commercial Entities and provides free public company lookups by name or VOEN (10-digit taxpayer number). The interface has partial English. No account is required for basic searches. The site has English, Azerbaijani, and Russian options, but company records are in Azerbaijani. Fees for paper-based registration are AZN 15 (~USD 9) for most legal entities; electronic registration is free. Certified extract fees are not publicly listed and require direct inquiry.

What is the official Azerbaijan business registry?

The State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası İqtisadiyyat Nazirliyi yanında Dövlət Vergi Xidməti) is the government body responsible for state registration of commercial legal entities and the associated taxpayer records. The public portal is at taxes.gov.az.

The legal basis for commercial entity registration is the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on State Registration and State Registry of Legal Entities (2003, as amended). All commercial legal entities operating in Azerbaijan must register with the State Tax Service before commencing business. The registration process simultaneously assigns the VOEN (Vergi Ödəyicisinin Eyniləşdirmə Nömrəsi, the Taxpayer Identification Number) and records the entity in the State Register of Commercial Entities.

The State Tax Service also maintains records for individual entrepreneurs (fiziki şəxs sahibkarlar) and non-commercial organizations, though the primary registry focus for commercial due diligence purposes is the legal entity register. Since a 2016 reform, commercial entity registration and tax registration were unified under the Ministry of Taxes (now State Tax Service), reducing duplicate filings.

The Ministry of Economy also operates the e-taxes.gov.az portal for commercial entity name verification, which is a separate but complementary lookup tool. Buyers needing to verify entities across the South Caucasus region may also consult the Georgia company search guide, which covers the NAPR registry and has a more accessible English-language interface.

What can you search?

The taxes.gov.az portal offers three primary search functions:

• Taxpayer Registration Search: basic information on taxpayers registered for tax purposes, searchable by VOEN or name
• Commercial Entity Registry: full register information on commercial legal entities
• Change History Records: history of changes entered in the state register of commercial entities

Freely available data includes: company name, VOEN, legal form, registered address, status, and registered activity. The portal lists entities by their official Azerbaijani-language names.

The commercial entity checker at e-taxes.gov.az/ebyn/commersialChecker_en.jsp provides a simple English-language search interface for verifying whether a specific business name is registered.

How much does it cost?

Registration fees are per the taxes.gov.az fee schedule (rusumlarvexercler), verified May 2026. AZN/USD conversion used: 0.59 (approximate; the Azerbaijani Manat is pegged to the USD at approximately 1.70 AZN = 1 USD; verify at the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, cbar.az). The certified extract fee was not listed on the public fee page as of May 2026; contact the State Tax Service directly for current extract pricing.

Do you need a local account or ID?

No Azerbaijani identity document or account is required for free public searches on taxes.gov.az or the e-taxes commercial checker. The basic search functions are publicly accessible.

For obtaining certified extracts or formal documents, the process is less clearly defined for foreign parties on the public portal. The Asan Service centers (asan.gov.az) operate as one-stop government service centers across Azerbaijan and handle a range of State Tax Service requests, including entity registration and document issuance. Foreign nationals with a passport can use these centers. For remote requests, engagement of a local legal agent is the most reliable route for foreign compliance teams.

Is the website in English?

Partial. The taxes.gov.az portal offers navigation and major section headings in English, Azerbaijani, and Russian. The commercial entity search functions have English-language labels. However, company records, addresses, and issued documents are in Azerbaijani (Latin script since 1991). Company names may also appear in Azerbaijani Cyrillic in older records. The e-taxes.gov.az commercial checker has an English interface and returns results with company names in their registered Azerbaijani form.

For compliance teams that cannot read Azerbaijani, the VOEN number is the reliable anchor for cross-referencing entity identity.

What’s the turnaround time?

Basic online searches return results instantly. For certified extract documents, the turnaround is not publicly specified on the taxes.gov.az portal. In practice, Asan Service centers process standard registry documents within 1-3 business days for walk-in requests. Remote requests via agent intermediaries add additional time.

Is there an API?

No public API is available from the State Tax Service for real-time company registry queries as of May 2026. The taxes.gov.az portal does not publish developer documentation or integration endpoints. Compliance platforms needing Azerbaijani entity data typically use the portal’s search functions manually or rely on international aggregators. The OECD and org-id.guide reference the AZ-IVI identifier schema for Azerbaijan legal entities, which can assist in cross-system identification.

What you legally cannot do

• Bulk automated scraping of the taxes.gov.az portal is not authorized under Azerbaijani information law.
• The Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Personal Data (Law No. 998-IIIQ, 2010) restricts commercial use of director and founder personal data. Use of registry data for unsolicited marketing is prohibited.
• Registry documents may not be redistributed commercially without State Tax Service authorization.
• Compliance buyers should document the purpose of each registry inquiry as part of their AML audit trail.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• VOEN is the anchor identifier. The VOEN (10 digits: 2-digit regional code, 6-digit serial number, 1 algorithmic check digit, 1 legal-status digit where 1 = legal entity and 2 = individual) is the single cross-government identifier in Azerbaijan. It serves simultaneously as the TIN and the company registration number. Always search and match by VOEN, not by company name, to avoid transliteration errors.
• Azerbaijani Latin script since 1991. Azerbaijan converted from Cyrillic to a modified Latin alphabet in 1991. Older records may include Cyrillic-script names. Be alert to this when cross-referencing historical records.
• Oil and gas sector concentration. A large share of Azerbaijan’s economy is concentrated in the energy sector and related state-owned enterprises (SOCAR and affiliates). For onboarding entities in the energy, transport, or construction sectors, understanding any state ownership link is important for PEP (Politically Exposed Person) screening purposes.
• Asan Service. The Asan Service network is Azerbaijan’s multi-ministry one-stop government service center, operating in Baku and regional cities. For foreign parties seeking physical access to State Tax Service documents, Asan centers are the most accessible and reliable option.
• Regional variations. Azerbaijan has a special economic zone in the Alat Free Economic Zone (FEZ), where entities may register under distinct procedures. Verify whether a counterparty is an FEZ entity or a standard commercial entity, as different regulatory frameworks may apply.
• Azerbaijan is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Verify the current status at fatf-gafi.org. Azerbaijan is a member of MONEYVAL and has undergone periodic mutual evaluations. For global due diligence workflows, standard enhanced due diligence applies for any jurisdictional risk factors specific to the counterparty.

Alternatives if you cannot access the State Tax Service registry directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes Azerbaijani company filings from State Tax Service data. Data may lag by weeks or months. Useful for initial name-check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• e-taxes.gov.az commercial checker provides a simple English-language name verification tool, useful as a first-pass check before requesting a full registry extract.
• Asan Service centers (asan.gov.az) provide walk-in access to State Tax Service documents for parties in Azerbaijan, including foreign nationals.

Local data suppliers

• Accounting.Az (accounting.az). An Azerbaijani professional services platform that provides company search and registry information as part of its business services offering. Useful for compliance teams that need a structured company profile with English-language support and local verification.

Use the State Tax Service registry for the authoritative legal filing record. Use a local professional services firm when you need English-language document interpretation or agent-assisted certified extract procurement.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Azerbaijan registry directly?

Yes for basic searches: taxes.gov.az and the e-taxes commercial checker are publicly accessible worldwide without registration. For certified extract documents, foreign parties typically need to engage a local agent or use the Asan Service center in person. Remote certified document procurement by foreign buyers is not clearly supported through the public portal.

What is the VOEN number in Azerbaijan?

The VOEN (Vergi Ödəyicisinin Eyniləşdirmə Nömrəsi) is a 10-digit taxpayer identification number assigned by the State Tax Service at the point of registration. The first two digits encode the regional tax authority. Digits 3-8 are a sequential serial number. Digit 9 is a check digit calculated algorithmically. Digit 10 indicates legal status: 1 for legal entities, 2 for individuals. The VOEN is also the company’s registration number in the State Register, making it the single cross-government identifier.

What entity types are registered with the State Tax Service?

The State Register covers limited liability companies (MMC, Məhdud Məsuliyyətli Cəmiyyət), open and closed joint-stock companies, individual enterprises (Fərdi Firma), non-profit associations and public unions, and representative offices and branches of foreign legal entities. Banks and insurance companies register separately through the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (cbar.az) and the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (fimsa.gov.az), though they also receive a VOEN from the State Tax Service.

Does Azerbaijan have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Azerbaijan has AML legislation requiring beneficial ownership disclosure to financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses. The Financial Monitoring Service under the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (fimsa.gov.az) oversees AML compliance. As of May 2026, there is no publicly accessible central UBO register in Azerbaijan. UBO information is held internally by entities and disclosed to regulatory authorities and obliged entities on request. Enhanced due diligence is required for verifying beneficial ownership chains in Azerbaijani corporate structures.

How current is the data in the State Tax Service register?

The public online database is updated on a filing-event basis. Registration changes, address updates, and director amendments are processed by the State Tax Service and reflected in the online system after processing. Turnaround for registry updates is not publicly specified but is estimated at 1-3 business days for standard filings. Certified extracts issued at Asan Service centers or through formal channels reflect the exact state of the register at the moment of issuance.

Is Azerbaijan on the FATF grey list?

No. Azerbaijan is not on the FATF list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring as of May 2026. The country is a member of MONEYVAL and subject to periodic AML/CFT mutual evaluations. For the current assessment, see fatf-gafi.org.

What’s the difference between the State Tax Service register and financial sector supervision?

The State Tax Service register covers all commercial legal entities for registration and tax purposes. Banks, non-bank credit organizations, insurance companies, and investment funds are also regulated by the Financial Market Supervisory Authority of Azerbaijan (FIMSA, fimsa.gov.az) and must obtain separate licenses from FIMSA before operating. When conducting due diligence on a financial institution in Azerbaijan, verify both the State Tax Service registration and the FIMSA license status.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: State Tax Service of Azerbaijan (taxes.gov.az), e-taxes.gov.az commercial checker, OECD TIN guidance for Azerbaijan (oecd.org), FATF-GAFI country pages (fatf-gafi.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.