Azerbaijan and Sudan Sign Mutual Visa Exemption for Diplomatic Passport Holders

Azerbaijan and Sudan cleared visa-free travel on July 22, 2026 for holders of diplomatic passports after President Ilham Aliyev approved the bilateral agreement. The waiver works both ways. Ordinary passports stay out.

The accord carries the full title, "Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Sudan on the Mutual Exemption of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic Passports." It applies only to diplomatic passport holders from both countries. Narrowly drawn.

The two governments signed the deal in Baku on May 19, 2026. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov signed for his side, and Ambassador Mohi-Eddin Salim signed for Sudan. One accord.

A Milli Majlis committee first reviewed the draft on July 6, 2026. Parliament then approved it in one reading on July 13, 2026. Fast passage.

Aliyev’s approval on July 22, 2026 closed Azerbaijan’s domestic process. The move followed the parliamentary vote by nine days. The file is now set.

Officials described the deal as a way to make official travel easier and deepen ties between the two governments. The Sudanese side tied it to growing communication between state institutions. That was the point.

Officials cast the waiver as a narrow diplomatic tool

In a May 19 statement, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said:

"The agreement aims to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance political and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries, facilitating the movement of official delegations and improving coordination between their institutions on issues of mutual interest."

Mohi-Eddin Salim also said the two sides were "building on the positive momentum in bilateral relations recently. and the shared political will to propel relations towards broader horizons of cooperation."