Rumours about the difficulty of getting a Turkmenistan Transit Visa and the low approval rates are abundant on the internet.
In normal travel times, it’s really not as hard to acquire the transit version of the Turkmenistan visa as some people would have you believe.
Turkmenistan Visa Options
If you want to travel to Turkmenistan, you must get a visa. As a famously reclusive country, Turkmenistan only has two options for visitor visas. They are the Turkmenistan Tourist Visa and the Turkmenistan Transit Visa.
The Expensive Option – Turkmenistan Tourist Visa
The Turkmenistan Tourist Visa is issued for a period of up to 30 days, but most people don’t spend anywhere near that amount of time in the country.
Why?
The tourist visa comes with a huge caveat; a certified guide must accompany you for your whole trip. That guide comes at a cost of US$150-$200 a day. This price includes all of the guide’s expenses, but none of the traveller’s.
Restrictions of a Turkmenistan Tourist Visa
As a condition of this Turkmenistan visa, the guide is assigned to the traveller/group exclusively. That means that the guide can’t have anyone besides the people named on their paperwork in their cars.
Furthermore, they can only carry those travellers on the specific dates stated on the paperwork.
There are many police checkpoints along Turkmen roads and they often check papers.
Turkmenistan Transit Visa – The Cheaper Option
If you’re a budget traveller, the Turkmenistan Transit Visa is definitely the option for you. You can apply for it at any Turkmenistan embassy or consulate, but there seems to be greater approval rates in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
You are free to wander around the crazy country of Turkmenistan on your own with this visa.
Restrictions of a Turkmenistan Transit Visa
The transit version of the Turkmenistan visa is only issued for five days, inclusive of the entry and exit days.
It is only valid for overland transit through Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan to Iran and Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan. Or Iran and Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan and Afghanistan are no longer accepted as valid transit points.
Real Life Examples of Applications for the Turkmenistan Transit Visa and the Turkmenistan Tourist Visa
Below are accounts of the visa application process from the experiences of 10 travellers that were granted both the Turkmenistan Transit Visa and the Turkmenistan Tourist Visa in the summer of 2019.
Three applied for five day tourist visas from their home countries. They sighted the daily expense of having a guide as the reason for their short stays.
Seven applied for transit visas in either Tashkent, Uzbekistan or Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Both visas came with their own set of issues.
Application Process For the Turkmenistan Tourist Visa
For the tourist visa, you need to get in touch with a licenced Turkmenistan tour company or tour guide.
The tour guide/company will work with you to compile an itinerary, or you can join a small group tour if it suits you. The guide/company will provide the Turkmenistan Letter of Invitation once you have completed your booking with them.
Documents and Payment Required When Entering Turkmenistan on a Tourist Visa
For this Turkmenistan visa, you need proof that you’ve hired a local guide or joined a local tour when you enter the country.
This proof comes in the form of the Turkmenistan Letter of Invitation that the tour company/guide has provided you with.
Presenting that letter, along with US$50, at the pre-arranged border will get you the visa. Sounds easy enough, right?
The three people on tourist visas spent around three hours at the border waiting for paperwork. That could’ve possibly been because the travel companies they booked through missed something.
Getting the Turkmenistan Visa in Tashkent at the Embassy of Turkmenistan in the Republic of Uzbekistan
Discussions online indicate that you need to get to the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Tashkent, (found at Afrosiyob Street, 19, about a 400 metre walk from the Kosmonavtlar Metro station), at 7am.
Then put your name on a waiting list and wait for the embassy to open at 9am.
This actually isn’t necessary. As long as you arrive at any time before 1pm, they will see you and let you submit your application. Even if you end up leaving after 1pm.
Some waiting outside the embassy could be required. No more than 20 minutes worth. The processing officer will come out to guide you in. You can wait in a nice shaded area across from the embassy so that you don’t melt in the Uzbek heat.
Regulations for Entering the Embassy in Tashkent
Once the officer comes out, you must leave your mobile phone with security. You’ll get a numbered tile so you can claim your phone back on the way out. They will also ask if you have any other cameras, but they won’t check.
There’s a big sign out the front saying that no photos are allowed. I guess they want to make sure you don’t have the chance to break their rules.
Application Procedure for the Turkmenistan Visa in Tashkent
This Turkmenistan embassy only requires you to fill out 2 one page forms. The first form is the application form, in English and Uzbek.
You need to attach a passport-sized photo to the top right-hand corner of it.
The second form is completely in Uzbek, but the staff will guide you. Both forms are available at the embassy.
Documents Required For the Turkmenistan Transit Visa in Tashkent
The documents required for submitting your application for a transit visa for travel to Turkmenistan in Tashkent are –
* Colour copy of the information page of your passport
* 2 passport size photos with a white background
* Copy of visa for country of transit, ie: Azerbaijan or Iran
Payments and Waiting Time For the Visa in Tashkent
Upon submission of your documents, you need to pay a US$10 fee to the embassy. Staff will give you a receipt.
They will tell you that you will need to bring that receipt with you when you pick up the visa. I wasn’t asked for it when I returned though. Staff initially told me to come back in 10 working days. I managed to convince them to have it ready in 10 days/a week and a half.
It was once possible to receive the visa approval by email, but embassy staff members were adamant that was no longer the case.
Picking Up the Visa From the Embassy in Tashkent
When you pick up the visa, you’ll need to pay the US$45 visa fee directly to the embassy.
They will ask you what your exact entry date is. That is the date that they will put on the visa. The visa is valid for five days including the day of entry and exit.
Make sure you’ve allowed enough time to get yourself to the border you want to use to enter Turkmenistan. Keep in mind that the closest Uzbek/Turkmen border to Tashkent is about 10 hours away by car, with the most popular entry point, Nukus, being a 16-20 hour drive from Tashkent.
The Tashkent Turkmenistan Embassy website is here
Getting the Turkmenistan Visa for Transit in Bishkek at the Embassy of Turkmenistan to the Kyrgyz Republic
The Embassy of Turkmenistan to the Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek, located on Baytik Baatyr Street, opens at 10am. It is a lot quieter than it’s counterpart in Tashkent.
Do take note that it appears to be closed on Wednesdays. There’s no need to rush as you will most likely be the only one there at the time of application.
Like the embassy in Tashkent, there’s a big sign saying that no photography is allowed, but they do allow you to keep your phone on you when you enter the building. There’s no waiting at this embassy, you can just go straight to the window and submit your application.
Application Procedure for the Turkmenistan Visa in Bishkek
This Turkmenistan embassy requires you to fill out two application forms, one with two pages and one with one page.
Both forms are in Russian and English.
They also require a hand-written letter stating the visa you’re applying for and a detailed itinerary. A sample letter for you to follow is available at the embassy.
The application forms can be downloaded from the embassy website, or are available at the embassy.
Documents Required at the Turkmenistan Embassy in Bishkek
The documents required for submitting your application for the Turkmenistan visa in Bishkek are –
* Colour copy of the information page of your passport
* 2 passport size photos with a white background
* Copy of your visa for the country you’re transiting to, ie: Azerbaijan or Iran
Payment Procedure for the Visa in Bishkek
Before you can lodge the forms with the embassy, you will have to go to the KICB bank to pay the US$10 application fee. It’s a three kilometre Mashrutka (minivan) ride from the embassy.
When done, take the receipt for the transaction back to the embassy, as proof of payment.
The processing time for the visa at this embassy is one month, unless you write ‘urgent‘ on your hand-written letter. In that case, the processing time will be 10 working days.
They will email the invitation letter for the visa to you on the tenth working day.
Turkmenistan Letter of Invitation to Present at the Border From the Turkmen Embassy in Bishkek
This invitation letter will be valid for entry for up to three months, but you still only have five days, inclusive of your entry and exit dates, once you enter.
When you present the letter at the border, you will need to pay a US$55 visa fee and they will place the visa in your passport with a validity of five days, including your entry and exit dates.
Pros and Cons of Getting the Turkmenistan Visa at Each Location
Acquiring the visa for travel to Turkmenistan at the Turkmenistan Embassy in Tashkent is US$10 cheaper. That could be negated by the fact that you will either have to wait in Tashkent for 10 days or re-enter Uzbekistan later to collect the visa.
Getting the visa through the Turkmenistan Embassy in Bishkek is US$10 more expensive, but not having to return to the embassy later could save some time.
Now that you know that the application process for the Turkmenistan visa is relatively painless, what are you waiting for?
Check out some other Turkmenistan posts:
Frontier to Fire
South Turkmenistan
Things to Know About Travel to Turkmenistan
Turkmenbashi to Baku
————————————————————————————————————————————————–
If you enjoyed this guide on getting the Turkmenistan visa, please share it! :o)
14 Replies to “Turkmenistan Visa – Tourist or Transit?”
Thanks for this detailed guide on travelling to Turkmenistan! Very helpful
I’m glad you found it useful :o)
Wow, never thought about traveling to Turkmenistan. It does seem a bit difficult to travel there, but you certainly have broken down that myth with your informative post.
It’s not the easiest place to travel to, but also not the hardest!
The tourist Visa is like really expensive to pay for a tourist guide every day like $100. It would be nicer if they could decrease those amounts.
It’s clearly set up to make the maximum amount possible out of visitors to the country. Prices are set by guides though, not the government.
This is why people, like myself, opt for the transit visa.
Great tips to travel to Turkmenistan! Saving for my bucket list.
Cool. Thanks for reading :o)
Such a helpful and detailed article!
Thanks Lucy! :o)
I certainly would’ve loved to have known some of this beforehand.
Thanks for sharing this article. This is very helpful to backpackers like me and planning to visit this country soon
That’s partly why I wrote it! The information on Turkmenistan in internetland is patchy at best. Sometimes it’s downright wrong. You might also find this post useful – https://k-in-motion.com/blog/travel-to-turkmenistan-8-things-to-know/
I wish I’d have known some of these things before I went!
We love learning about places we did not even know about! Thanks for sharing such a piece of useful information!
I’m glad you found it useful. Thanks for reading :o)