Before you start

BakıKart for the metro and buses
Valid foreign licence plus an International Driving Permit

Step-by-step

1
Buy a BakıKart on arrival
The BakıKart covers the metro and city buses. The plastic card is bought at a metro station with a small card fee included in the first payment, and topped up at machines or through payment apps. The metro fare rose to AZN 0.60 per ride from 1 October 2025. The network is limited compared with the city's sprawl but covers the central corridors efficiently, and the stations are Soviet-deep with long escalators.
In personWho: AllImmediateAZN 0.60 per ride plus a small card fee
2
Use Bolt for everything the metro does not cover
Bolt is the dominant ride-hailing app in Baku and typical in-city trips run a few manat. Uber withdrew from Azerbaijan and Yandex Go does not operate, so the app landscape is narrower than in neighbouring countries — check what is currently live before relying on a specific app. The purple official city taxis can be hailed and are metered; unofficial cars will quote a price and it will not be the local one.
Mobile appWho: AllImmediateAZN 3-10 for typical city trips
3
Drive on a foreign licence and IDP as a visitor only
Visitors can drive on a valid foreign licence, and an International Driving Permit alongside it avoids argument with rental firms and traffic police. Baku traffic is assertive, lane discipline is loose and the Old City streets are narrow and one-way. Central parking is genuinely scarce. Most foreign residents living in Sabail or Nasimi do not keep a car.
In personWho: VisitorsFor the duration of your visitFree
4
Convert to an Azerbaijani licence once resident
Once you hold a residence permit you should expect to convert to an Azerbaijani licence rather than relying indefinitely on a foreign one. The process runs through the state road police service and typically involves a translated licence, a medical certificate and the state duty, with testing requirements depending on your country of issue. Confirm the current requirement for your specific licence before assuming a straight exchange — this is one of the least consistently documented processes in the country.
In personWho: Residence permit holdersWeeksState duty plus medical certificate and translation

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence and translation
International Driving Permit
Medical certificate (for conversion)
Residence permit
BakıKart

Things most newcomers don’t know

The regional ride-hailing habit does not transfer: Uber left Azerbaijan and Yandex Go does not operate, so Bolt carries the market.

People arriving from Tbilisi or Almaty expect the same two or three apps and find one. That matters at the airport at 2am and in outer districts where coverage thins. Install Bolt before you land and have the official city taxi number as a fallback rather than negotiating with an unofficial driver in a language you do not speak.

Baku's metro is deep because the stations were built as civil-defence shelters, and the escalators are correspondingly long.

It is a practical point, not trivia: allow more time than the map distance suggests, and note that some stations have no lift, which matters with luggage or a pushchair. The system is clean, frequent and one of the best-value ways to move around the central corridors.

Source: Baku Metro

The khazri wind reshapes the day rather than just the weather forecast.

The northerly wind that gives Baku its 'city of winds' reputation can strip 10 degrees of felt temperature off a mild day and makes the seafront boulevard genuinely unpleasant. Outdoor plans get cancelled, ferry and some flight schedules are affected, and it is the reason locals check the wind before the temperature.

Overland travel out of Azerbaijan runs north to Russia, west to Georgia or south to Iran — never west to Armenia.

The Armenian border is closed and there are no diplomatic relations. Every regional itinerary that includes both Baku and Yerevan has to loop through Georgia, which adds a day in each direction. Plan the Caucasus as two separate trips or budget the Tbilisi transit.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming Uber or Yandex Go work here — they do not; Bolt is the main app
Taking an unofficial street taxi without agreeing a price, and paying several times the metered fare
Running indefinitely on a foreign licence after obtaining a residence permit
Renting a car for a central Baku stay when parking is scarce and the metro covers the corridors
Planning an overland Baku-to-Yerevan leg — the border is closed

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.