Shopping in Baku: Where to Shop, What to Bring Home and the VAT Refund

Shopping in Baku means carpets, copper, silk kelaghayi scarves and armudu glasses in the Old City of İçərişəhər, and brands and clothing in malls along the seafront and near the metro. Below, find places to suit your shopping, a selection of items linked to UNESCO-listed traditions, a manat converter for your own currency at the Central Bank of Azerbaijan’s rate, a VAT refund calculator (Tax Free) and a check of what you can take out of the country.

Where to shop: choose what you’re looking for

Baku stretches along the Caspian Sea. In the centre, the Old City of İçərişəhər, pedestrian Nizami Street with Fountain Square, and Baku Boulevard are close together. Large malls are on the seafront and near metro stations. Choose what you need to highlight suitable places.

Prices are fixed in malls and chain shops. Bargaining is customary in small Old City shops and markets: start calmly and with a smile.

Carpets: how to buy in İçərişəhər

UNESCO added Azerbaijani carpet weaving to its list of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage in 2010. Old City shops sell both hand-knotted and factory-made carpets. You can recognise a hand-knotted carpet by its reverse: it shows the same pattern as the front, and the fringe continues the warp threads rather than being a strip sewn on.

Before you pay

Ask the seller for documents showing who wove the carpet, when and from what materials, plus an invoice stating the amount. This information determines whether the carpet can be exported. An old carpet needs an export certificate; without one, your purchase may be stopped from leaving the country.

1. Compare several shops. Old City shops stand close together, but prices and quality vary considerably.
2. Check the reverse and fringe. Handwork shows on the back: a clear pattern and knots.
3. Ask about documents. Details of the maker, date and material, plus an invoice. For an old carpet, a certificate.
4. Ask about Tax Free. If your receipt totals at least 300 manats, you can reclaim part of the VAT at the airport.

What to bring home: items linked to UNESCO-listed traditions

Azerbaijan has more than twenty-five traditions on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. You can take six of them home with you. Tap a medallion to learn what it is, where to find it and how to transport it.

What it costs in your money: the manat rate

Prices in Baku are in manats (AZN, symbol ₼). For many years, the Central Bank of Azerbaijan has kept the US dollar rate at 1.70 manats; other currencies change daily. Enter the price on the tag and the calculator will convert it at the CBAR rate on 14 October 2026. This is an example: you can enter your card or exchange office rate in the “Your rate” field.

It is easier to exchange cash at banks and exchange offices in the city. Cards are accepted in malls, chain shops and many cafés; carry cash in manats for small Old City shops.

Tax Free: how to reclaim VAT

Foreigners receive a VAT refund on purchases they take out of Azerbaijan, as set out in Tax Code, art. 165.3. The VAT rate is 18%. Heydar Aliyev International Airport’s rules require a single electronic tax invoice to total at least 300 manats including VAT, and the purchase must leave the country by air within 90 days. The operator retains 20% of the tax, and the bank charges its own fee.

1. In the shop. Look for the Tax Free sign on the door or at the till. Before paying, say you need Tax Free and show your passport: the seller will issue an electronic tax invoice.
2. Do not use your purchase. The refund applies to goods for personal use that you take out of the country. Keep the receipt and packaging.
3. At Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The refund point is in Terminal 1, on the departures level. Show your passport, boarding pass, purchase and receipt.
4. Receive your money. Premium Bank pays the refund in cash or transfers it to your card.

What you can take out of Azerbaijan

Customs rules are the same for citizens and foreigners. If you are carrying anything you need to declare, use the red channel; otherwise, use the green channel. Choose an item on the belt and the scanner will show what the rules say about it.

If you are unsure, call the customs helpline: 195, then 6. They can also answer questions about what you can bring into Azerbaijan.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and check dates

We checked everything on 14 October 2026. Exchange rates, Tax Free and customs rules change, so check the sources below before a large purchase.

1. Azerbaijan’s Tax Code (art. 165.3: VAT refunds for foreigners; art. 173.1: 18% rate) — e-qanun.az, Azerbaijan’s legislation database, checked 14 Oct 2026
2. VAT Refund: refund conditions — Heydar Aliyev International Airport, checked 14 Oct 2026
3. Changes to VAT refund rules from 1 Jan 2025 — Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service, checked 14 Oct 2026
4. Exchange rates on 14 Oct 2026 — CBAR, checked 14 Oct 2026
5. Rules for travellers: caviar, cash and channels — Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee, checked 14 Oct 2026
6. Exporting cultural property (PDF) — Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee, checked 14 Oct 2026
7. Personal effects allowances, including sturgeon caviar up to 125 g — CITES, notification 2025/049, checked 14 Oct 2026
8. Azerbaijan on the intangible cultural heritage lists — UNESCO, checked 14 Oct 2026
9. Teze Bazar reconstruction project — PMD Projects, checked 14 Oct 2026
10. Port Baku Mall: address and shops — Port Baku Mall, checked 14 Oct 2026