Questions about Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia
 

Hi everybody!
I've some questions about Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia...

What's the plan:
Me, and my girlfriend, are planning to take a trip around the black sea clockwise this August to October...
From Switzerland somehow to Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Greece and back home.

In the past, it wasn't one of my hobbies to plan trips...I have the feeling, this time I should do it...a little bit at least :-)
Some things are clear:
A Visa for Russia is already organized...no big deal.
Azerbaijan to Armenia -> not possible
Russia directy to Turkey -> probably not till 2030 or something

Now the Questions about Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey:
- Are there any problems to cross borders between these countries, because there are already other stamps in the passports?
- There are some very strange stories around about the Azeri-Border...
one of them: You can have a visa, BUT you have to give a deposit for your bike of 1/3 of the value...
or an other one: a transit visum is possible for 3 days (would be enough), without deposit; BUT is Georgia to Georgia seen also a transit?!

Questions over Questions? Could please somebody be so kind to help me?? Thank you very much!!

Greetings
Chris

Georgia, no visa required, no custom problem for bikes or cars. Easy for UE citizens.

Acerbaijan: visa required (you will need a LOI), no custom problem for bikes or cars, just buying insurance and probably wait for a while. I waited 5 hours at Baku port coming from Aktau.

I´ve never been to Armenia. Can not help.

HEADING EAST...: WELCOME TO GEORGIA

Armenia
Buy visa on border (10 USD for Polish)
55 USD for all car papers on entry, and 23 USD for all papers on exit.
Really much time on Iran-Armenia border on Armienian side 5-6 hours (problems with computers)

I had a different experience than Miquel regarding Azerbaijan

Your visa is not related to how long you can keep a vehicle. Before entering, I understood that it was possible to enter for up to 72 hours (not exactly 3 days) without paying a deposit. If you want to stay longer, you need to pay a deposit. It doesn't matter how long your visa is valid for.

And that was exactly what they told me at the Astara border with Iran. They were very friendly and professional.

(I also though it would be impossible for me to enter with my right hand drive car, though they said nothing about it...)

I had to pay $15 road tax, nothing else, no asking for bribes etc. I was given 72 hours to the minute.

So if you're only going to stay 72 hours it doesn't make sense to pay $100 for a visa and $100 or whatever for an invitation to get a one-month tourist visa. I got a transit visa for $20 with no invitation in Tehran. I could have got a double entry transit visa for $40. They are valid for one month from date of issue, and you can stay 5 days (though the vehicle only 72 hours of course). So it worked out pretty well for me.

Regarding Russia direct to Turkey... I don't understand your 2030 comment. There is a ferry connection Sochi - Trabzon, though you'll have to wait far far longer for the two continents to collide and form a land border between the two countries.

From Russia you will not be able to do the trip clockwise overland... you need to take the ferry. If you do it anti-clockwise, you can go from Georgia to Abkhazia then into Russia (if you have a multi-entry Russian visa) I did this 2 weeks ago. My Abkhazia post is in the Southern Asia forum, along with another one about Azerbaijan.

Georgia is very easy to enter. You can stay 360 days without a visa. But you are not allowed to take more than one tank of fuel into the country.

The only stamps / visa problems may be:

- You cannot enter Georgia from Abkhazia
- You cannot enter Azerbaijan if you have a Nagorno-Karabakh visa in your passport (you can get the visa loose).

Good luck

Daniel

Thanks
 

Hi everyone!
Thank you for your helpfull replies!!
@Daniel: "Russia directy to Turkey -> probably not till 2030 or something" was a misstyping...i meant "Russia directly to Georgia". Thank you for pointing it out and make it clear!

Greetings
chris

Hello, Daniel!

Two questions:

1) Did they tell you or do you know, maybe, how much was the "deposit" to pay if your vehicle remains more than 3 days in Azerbaijan?

2) I've never applied for transit visas, so I wonder if it's OK to request it if my motorcycle trip's direction will be Tbilisi-Baku-Tbilisi... (in other words, same point of entry and exit).


Thanks!