How I was able to cross the Georgia Azerbaijan border from Lagodheki (GE) to Balakan (AZ)

On January 4, 2026, I asked the following question in the WhatsApp group Cycling East / Silk Road:

“I would also like to cross the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan this year and have the same problem as everyone else here. Why don’t we get together and write a petition to send to the government in Azerbaijan?”

Among other responses, I received the following comment:

“There was the talk of the Trans‑Caspian underground cycle tunnel this summer, no? 😉 That may be more probable to happen 😂”.

As a result, I decided on the very same day to look for a solution on my own.

The background is the situation at the land border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. This border was closed at the beginning of the COVID‑19 pandemic in March 2020. The measure was imposed by Azerbaijan, not by Georgia. Since then, the so‑called special quarantine regime has been extended multiple times, most recently until at least the summer of 2026.

The resulting situation is as follows:

• Entry into Azerbaijan by air is permitted.
• Entry into Azerbaijan by land, including from Georgia, is generally not permitted.

On January 15, 2026, I received a message from a Senior Advisor of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the following content:

“The purpose of this correspondence is to formally inform you of the outcome of your request submitted to the Presidential Administration. We are pleased to inform you that your inquiry concerning the crossing of the state border from Georgia into the Republic of Azerbaijan in April has been duly reviewed and confirmed.”

I am unable to assess whether this was an individual exception or a process that may also work for others.

My approach was as follows

I sent a formal request by email to The Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, attaching a photo of myself and my bicycle as well as a copy of my EU passport. I also specified the time window in which I intended to cross the border.

Approximately ten days later, I received a positive response.

Thanks to this permission, I was able to cross the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan by bike today with almost no problems.

Interestingly, the problem today wasn’t actually entering Azerbaijan, but getting permission from the Georgian authorities to leave. As they are firmly of the opinion that the border is closed, they didn’t want to let me through. It took a lot of patience before I finally got my exit stamp and was allowed through to the Azerbaijani checkpoint.

From there on, it was easy, quick and met with great kindness.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the authorities who made my entry possible, and I hope and wish that this will be made possible for all cyclists after me.