Azerbaijan Temporary Import of Exhibition Samples: 4 Documents and the 14-Day Re-Export Rule

1. Key takeaways

Exhibition samples are exempt from national registration in Azerbaijan: Article 6.5.1 of the Law on Medicinal Products lists medicinal products and medical devices intended for display at exhibitions (exhibition samples) among the categories that do not require national registration. Exemption from registration, however, does not mean exemption from formalities — temporary import is handled under Article 9-1.7, and the application must be accompanied by 4 documents:

9-1.7.1 a copy of the extract from the state register of legal entities, where the applicant is a legal entity, or a copy of the identity document, where the applicant is an individual entrepreneur;

9-1.7.2 a copy of the document confirming registration of the applicant as a taxpayer;

9-1.7.3 a copy of the invoice;

9-1.7.4 a copy of the letter (document) issued by the exhibition organizer stating the information on the applicant and on the samples to be displayed at the exhibition.

Article 9-1.8 further imposes three hard constraints: the samples must be re-exported no later than 14 calendar days after the end of the exhibition; they must not be sold; and the packaging must bear the marking Nümunədir, satıla bilməz. (sample, not for sale).

2. Legal basis

• Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Medicinal Products (Dərman vasitələri haqqında, Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 208-IIIQ, adopted on December 22, 2006, entered into force on February 28, 2007, Collection of Legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2007, No. 2, Article 70), as amended by Law No. 979-VIQD of July 14, 2023 (which added Articles 1-1 and 9-1 as new provisions, Collection of Legislation, 2023, No. 8, Article 1127): Article 6.5.1 (exhibition samples do not require national registration), Article 6.5 (list of categories not requiring national registration), Articles 9-1.7.1 to 9-1.7.4 (four documents for temporary import), Article 9-1.8 (re-export within 14 calendar days, no sale, packaging marking), Article 9-1.4 (application before entry into the customs territory), Article 9-1.12 (review period), Article 6.1 (principle that unregistered products may not be imported).
• Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Licenses and Permits (Lisenziyalar və icazələr haqqında, No. 176-VQ of March 15, 2016), Articles 18.2.1–18.2.3, 19.9, 25 and 26.1: Article 19.9 (7 working days), Articles 18.2.1 to 18.2.3 (documents on legal entity status).
• Decision No. 8 of the Board of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan of May 21, 2024, on the Classification of Medical Devices by Risk Level (adopted pursuant to the second sentence of Article 6.8 of the Law on Medicinal Products; signed by Minister Teymur Musayev; sent to the Ministry of Justice for inclusion in the register of legal acts within 3 days of adoption): paragraphs 3.1.1 to 3.1.8 (classification dimensions, used to determine whether a sample falls in the low-risk category).

3. Expert insights

Insight 1: Article 6.5.1 is one of the few provisions that names devices and medicinal products side by side. Within the list in Article 6.5, paragraph 6.5.1 expressly covers medicinal products and medical devices (exhibition samples). This is a rare exemption clause in the Law that places devices and medicines in the same sentence, and it is the most direct legal channel for bringing demonstration units, prototypes and demo equipment into Azerbaijan.

Insight 2: The 14-calendar-day re-export period is a hard constraint, and the countdown starts from the end of the exhibition. Article 9-1.8 uses 14 (on dörd) təqvim günü (14 calendar days), not working days. Whether the day of the end of the exhibition is excluded and counting starts the next day is pending verification; in practice it is advisable to plan backwards on the basis of the day after the exhibition ends plus 14 days, and to reserve time for logistics.

Insight 3: The packaging marking is a formal requirement, and omission is itself a violation. Article 9-1.8 requires the packaging to carry the marking Nümunədir, satıla bilməz. The requirement does not distinguish by language, but since the goods move through Azerbaijani customs and the exhibition venue, the practical estimate is to add the marking in both Azerbaijani and English and to mark it uniformly on the exhibit list.

Insight 4: Samples must not be sold — this is the absolute red line of this channel. Article 9-1.8 states expressly that the samples must not be sold. Any post-exhibition conversion into sales requires national registration to be completed first (where the product falls within the registrable range), followed by normal import — selling first and regularizing later is not possible. This point is especially important for companies hoping to test the market through exhibitions.

Insight 5: Where an exhibition sample is a low-risk device, it is already exempt from national registration in any case. Article 6.5.1 and paragraph 3.4 of Decision No. 8 (low-risk devices are not registered) are two independent exemptions. A low-risk sample does not need registration even without relying on Article 6.5.1; but import must still follow Article 9-1 (one permit per consignment under Article 9-1.2).

4. Practical recommendations

1. Determine the risk class of the product at the start of the exhibition project: samples in the registrable range use the exhibition sample exemption of Article 6.5.1; low-risk samples follow normal import.
2. Prepare the four documents under Article 9-1.7, and request the organizer letter from the exhibition organizer well in advance.
3. Complete the application before the goods enter the customs territory (Article 9-1.4) and plan the shipment backwards on the basis of the 7-working-day review period.
4. Mark all sample packaging uniformly with Nümunədir, satıla bilməz. (sample, not for sale), ideally in Azerbaijani and English side by side.
5. Arrange the re-export logistics before the exhibition ends, planning backwards on the basis of the next day plus 14 calendar days.
6. Any post-exhibition conversion into sales requires national registration to be completed first; selling first and regularizing later is prohibited.

5. Verification checklist

• □ The risk class has been determined and the exemption route selected (Article 6.5.1 or low-risk).
• □ The four documents under Article 9-1.7 are complete (including the organizer letter).
• □ The application was completed before customs entry with 7 working days reserved.
• □ Sample packaging carries the sample, not for sale marking.
• □ Re-export logistics have been arranged on the basis of the day after the exhibition ends plus 14 calendar days.
• □ The red line that post-exhibition sales require prior national registration has been documented internally.

Regulatory information verified as of October 30, 2026.

This article was prepared and translated by GRZAN as part of the international medical device registration guide. For professional support with regulatory submissions in Azerbaijan and other jurisdictions, contact info@grzanglobal.com.