The Azerbaijan Car Rental Association (ACRA) has published a White List of 11 verified operators. On this list Salam Rental Company bets on what renters most often lack — a live person on the line around the clock.
We explain how Salam’s “24/7 support” differs from the voicemail in the listings, how the company helps visitors, and what its White List membership means for your rental in Baku.
What the ACRA White List is and why it matters when renting a car in Baku
Azerbaijan has no government body that licenses car rental operators. As a result, the market split for years into two parts: professional operators with an office, an insured fleet and transparent contracts — and a grey sector of anonymous listings that look identical on a website but reveal the difference only at vehicle return: a sudden charge for a scratch you didn’t make, or a deposit that “gets delayed”.
The Azerbaijan Car Rental Association (ACRA) was founded in 2026 precisely to draw a clear line between them. Its main tool is a public White List of 11 verified operators. Each has passed an audit against the eight mandatory charter criteria and complies with the international standards ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001, integrated into a QHSE system.
Salam Rental Company is on this list as one of the eleven verified operators. That means when you choose Salam Rental, you get not a marketing promise but obligations backed by an annual independent audit and the public removal of violators from the list.
Salam Rental: who they are and since when
Salam Rental Company has operated since 2016 and is oriented above all to visitors to Azerbaijan and first-time renters.
The company made round-the-clock live support its main promise — and confirmed it with White List membership.
A person, not a voicemail
At Salam’s support line, at any hour, a real duty manager who knows your contract answers. Not a voicemail, not a chatbot, not “we’ll call back during business hours”.
This is exactly what the ACRA charter sets as a separate criterion: live 24/7 support, not a marketing phrase on a website.
Help for first-time visitors to Azerbaijan
Salam is oriented to travellers: it will suggest a route, explain local road and traffic specifics, and help a newcomer get their bearings.
For a visitor with no local experience this removes much of the anxiety — especially in the first hours after arrival.
How Salam Rental meets the 8 ACRA charter criteria
Salam Rental meets all eight ACRA charter criteria, and it has made the round-the-clock support criterion the centre of its service:
1. Legal registration and licence. Active registration, an operating licence and no outstanding client judgements. Behind the company is a real legal entity you can hold accountable — not an anonymous phone number.
2. Fleet technical condition. Maintenance on the manufacturer’s schedule, current documents and a service record for every vehicle. The car is prepared on a plan, not “when something breaks”.
3. Transparent contract. No hidden clauses, no ambiguous damage wording and no illegible small print. You understand what you are signing before you sign it.
4. Inspection report at handover. A written report with photographs of every mark, signed by both parties. Any damage claim at return must be backed by this report.
5. Insurance on every vehicle. Minimum CDW and TPL on each car, with a mandatory offer of full insurance and a Zero Excess option. Basic protection is guaranteed, with no surprises.
6. Fixed deposit terms. The deposit amount and an exhaustive list of grounds for retention are stated in the contract. The operator cannot withhold the deposit “at its discretion”.
7. Live 24/7 support. A real duty manager who knows your contract, at any hour. Not a voicemail or a chatbot.
8. Environmental fleet management. Vehicle age and condition are controlled to ISO 14001, with scheduled rotation of ageing cars. You never drive a worn-out vehicle.
Why live support matters more than it seems
Most rental problems arise not at the pickup desk but on the road: a flat tyre, a disputed situation after a minor accident, a documentation question late at night. In that moment, the difference between a real manager and a voicemail becomes decisive. Salam builds its service around exactly that moment.
ISO standards and the QHSE system — what they guarantee the client
ISO is a set of international standards that describe not a product but a management system: documented procedures a company’s processes must meet. A certificate cannot be bought — it can only be earned by passing an independent external audit, and then reconfirmed every year.
For car rental these are three standards in a QHSE bundle: ISO 9001 covers process quality and repeatability (booking, handover, return), ISO 14001 covers fleet management and renewal, and ISO 45001 covers technical safety, including the pre-handover vehicle inspection. The benchmark for every White List member is set by the association’s chairman, Karavan Rent A Car, which has held Bureau Veritas certificates with JAS-ANZ accreditation since 2016.
As a member, Salam complies with ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001. ISO 9001 requires client enquiries to be handled by a documented procedure with a normative response time — and that is what stands behind the 24/7 promise.
Renting a car in Baku: documents, age and deposit
What documents you need
A foreign national needs a valid passport and a driving licence in Latin script. If your licence is in Cyrillic only, obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP) in advance — without it the rental may refuse handover.
Minimum age
The minimum renter age at most association members is 21. For certain vehicle classes (premium, off-road) the age and experience requirements may be higher.
Deposit and no-deposit rental
Blocking a deposit usually requires a credit card in the renter’s name. All White List members offer no-deposit rental when full insurance or a Zero Excess option is chosen; the exact terms depend on the vehicle class and rental period.
Vehicle pickup and delivery
Salam Rental provides vehicles in Baku with airport and city delivery — convenient for visitors arriving on flights at any time of day.
What Salam Rental’s White List membership means for you
With Salam you are never left alone with a problem: at any hour a real person who knows your contract is on the line.
That is especially valuable if you are driving in Azerbaijan for the first time and do not yet know the local roads.
Frequently asked questions about renting from Salam Rental
Is this really live support, not a bot?
Yes. At Salam’s support line a real duty manager who knows your contract answers around the clock — that is the company’s key feature.
Will they help if I am in Azerbaijan for the first time?
Yes, Salam is oriented to visitors: they will suggest a route, explain local road specifics and help you get your bearings.
Is 24/7 support mandatory for everyone on the list?
Yes, it is one of the eight charter criteria. Salam makes a deliberate point of it.
What is the ACRA White List?
It is a public list of 11 verified car rental companies in Azerbaijan that have passed an audit against eight charter criteria and comply with ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001. A violator is removed from the list publicly.
Can I rent a car without a deposit?
Yes. All association members offer no-deposit rental when full insurance or a Zero Excess option is chosen. Terms depend on the vehicle class and rental period — check the operator’s website or Wowcars.
How do I verify a company is on the White List?
The current list is published on karavan.az and the Wowcars platform. If a company appears on neither, it is not an association member.
You can book a car directly on the company’s website — Salam Rental — website, or compare all 11 ACRA White List members in one interface on the Wowcars platform. The current White List is always published on karavan.az and Wowcars: if a company is on neither, it is not an association member.