Embassy reports: Russian Visa in Tashkent

[tikkath]

does this mean that transit visa would also be easy to get here? I just plan to transit on the train..

[steven]

I assume it would be possible.

[RansNL]

I went to apply on November 18th and it was the same as written here before. The process was very easy and smooth. I payed 224.000 som for the express service.

[Uazdan]

As an Australian I applied for a russian tourist visa here at the start of October 2016. They required from me: Invitation (original), insurance certificate (original), a CV, a print out application, photocopies of passport including page with Uzbek visa and car documents. Processing time was going to be 10 working days with no fast option. I didn't end up proceeding as I wasn't able to obtain the originals at a reasonable cost or time frame. Plus 10 days really would have eaten way my time.
My advice to Australians is to apply in another country where they don't require originals or other rubbish like a CV (normally only needed for a business visa).
The cost was going to as normal for australians but due to the Uzbek black market money exchange it works out half price.
A bit of info about Uzbekistan - it is illegal to print or copy colour documents with a stamp on it (unless it has a copy water mark). This is why all colour copies of invitations presented here are taken to be originals. So if you want to prepare, print it in another country.

[RansNL]

it is illegal to print or copy colour documents with a stamp on it (unless it has a copy water mark). This is why all colour copies of invitations presented here are taken to be originals. So if you want to prepare, print it in another country.

I printed my LOI with the stamp in a small printshop close to the Topchan hostel in Tashkent. I even asked them for heavy quality paper which was also no problem. The embassy accepted it as the original.

[rumolddo]

Ok, UK passport here on 15 day Uzbek tourist visa.

The woman at the visa counter took my documents without any questions, 2 hours later (yep) I was finally called into a room (Kabinet 11) where by a young male staff member told me I could only make the visa if I was a resident ("you should make it in Great Britain...") OR in any country where I could stay for 90 days. Confirmation if it was needed that (for a UK passport at least) Tashkent is not as lenient as t was. Furthermore all the locals I saw had 100 dollar bills in their visa files - I can't confirm if this means they now take USD instead of sum but it seemed that way

[SamVic]

Update for two French brothers. Same as rumolddo said, not easy at all anymore.

They said we needed the original of the invitation letter (we tried a good quality print, didnt work), and for tourist-visa holders (30 days) it takes about 20 days for the whole process. But we went to a tourist agency at the next corner, and they could make a new invitation letter and issue the visas in 10 days... It costs way more than expected (1 milion sums per person for the agency plus 38 dollars for the embassy) but it seems to be the only way...

[travellingmusician]

Does anybody know where to get an original LOI in Tashkent?

I was at the Russian Embassy yesterday and it seemed they are willing to give me (swiss passport) a tourist visa if i had a original LOI.

thanks for any info.

[TomasS]

I was there today and they said to me-come on tuesday at 10:00. So we can meet there:) but i cannot help you, i have original one- ok, not original, but printed in my home country with fantastic quality

[Sixglobetruckers]

Hello we are a Belgian and french family: 2 adults and 3 children. Despite the new rules we went to ask if we could get the visas if we are not résidents and the officers told us their was no problem for european passports.
The visa section is opened on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 12 o'clock. It is not in Nukusstreet but behind the embassy in a small street. As foreigners they let us pass in front of everybody.
We asked for a 30 days visa and we gave:
- printed pdf document completed online www.visakdmid.ru
- printed letter of invitation baught on internet
- printed document from medical assistance in English and specifying there is a coverage in russia
- booking documents of the hotel (this was not in the list of asked documents but we had to book and enter the adresses for the letters of invitation so we just gave them also) - we only took hotels we could cancel of course
- couloured copies of the front page of our passeports
- pictures for everybody
- and 80 dollars per person (even the chidren) in dollars, they do not accept sums anymore.
They ask originals and a lot of overlanders seem to give fake originals trying to find good printing and photoshop the documents (espacially for the letter of invitation). We just printed normally in a normal print shop, it didn't look like originals and nobody bothered. We only had to insist in the print shop to print the LOI because there is a official stamp on them that is forbidden to print in Ouzbékistan.
We entered the documents on Thursday and they gave us an appointment to collect them the next monday at noon. We could keep the passeports in between. They asked to keep them but we said we woud need them for the week-enf so they just left them to us.
So no problem to continue to get the russian visa in Tachkent, for now!