01
Sole trader or company
An individual entrepreneur (fərdi sahibkar) is the simplest start: fewer formalities and lighter reporting, good for services and small turnover. A legal entity (an LLC, say) is more involved but better for partnerships, investment and large counterparties.
02
Step by step: registration
Registering a sole trader and many companies is available online — through the State Tax Service (DVX) and the my.gov.az portal. A company needs a charter, a legal address and founder details; a sole trader needs an ID and activity details. A VÖEN is issued on completion.
03
Bank account and AML/KYC
You open a bank account for payments. The bank runs AML/KYC — verifying identity and the source of funds. Have your registration documents ready and be prepared to describe the business.
04
Tax setup and reporting
After registration you register for tax and choose a regime (general or simplified) — which drives your rate, reporting and contributions. Reporting and payments run online via e-taxes.
05
Common mistakes
Picking the wrong form "for later", trading before registration completes, keeping no income/expense records, ignoring reporting deadlines. Estimate turnover, hiring and B2B work up front — it decides the form and regime.
Method
Primary sources
The explainer is checked against these institutional and industry sources. Links open the original material.