Uzbekistan visa on arrival: questions and reports

[paula]

Hi
Just to report back on this: I had no trouble at all getting my visa issued on arrival at Tashkent. I was asked to show LOI and pay $90.00. They were barely interested in completed visa application forms, didn't ask whether I had embassy in Ireland or not, didn't want the photos and handed me my visa with a big smile in less than 3 minutes.
I was also asked to show LOI when boarding the Istanbul-Tashkent flight.
Maybe time to take the 'fear' out of the visa process. Other western travelers on the flight into Tashkent seemed extremely concerned for my fate on arrival!

[steven]

Great! Time to start enjoying then!

[Pubung]

Just a comment about the Uzbek arrival visa. As an italian citiezen, I read all around internet/lonely planet that I didn't need a LOI and that I could get a visa on arrival at the Airport of Tashkent. So I assembled both informations and went there with nothing. It turned out that if you want an arrival visa, you do need a LOI, doesn't matter where you are from, and I wasn't allowed to go inside the country. A part from the fact that is was really not a clever decision to go there with nothing, as I always read to be very careful about Uzbekistan, I never saw an explicit information that you need a LOI in all cases if you want an arrival visa. So, here is the report for someone luckier than me that finds this post. And if you do find yourself in the same situation of me, it's better not to argue with the police, even if they don't tell you why you can't get the visa, and ask please as many times as you can.

[steven]

Too bad you didn't read our article on Uzbekistan visa. It says quite clearly:

It is possible to get a visa on arrival in Uzbekistan, but only at the airport of Tashkent. Single or double entry is possible. There are several requirements though.
•You need to have a letter of invitation
•There is no Uzbek embassy in the country where you are coming from (where your airplane is coming from, not your country of residence)

When entering from a land border into Uzbekistan, visa on arrival is not possible.

http://caravanistan.com/visa/uzbekistan/

[Pubung]

I did, but I also read that I didn't need an LOI before and for some reason I was too confident about it. My mistake, for sure. And, actually, a bit of the Uzbek Embassy in Seoul mistake too, because they said it was alright to go there in my conditions with no LOI/visa, even if I was coming from a country with an Uzbek Embassy.

[Coega]

Has anyone been refused an Uzbek visa at Tashkent airport despite meeting all the requirements, ie having a LOI, no Uzbek embassy in home country and not sufficient time in transit country to apply for visa?

I would like to know if there is a high risk of being turned away and sent back.

Many thanks

Ona

[steven]

I don't know. Not enough ppl do it for us to get updates.

[Zac Cicala]

I've read the visa rules pretty carefully for Uzbekistan and saw that it's possible to get a visa on arrival at Tashkent IF the place you’re coming from does not have an embassy.

"There is no Uzbek embassy in the country where you are coming from (where your airplane is coming from, not your country of residence)"

I'm looking to fly from Georgia to Tashkent and there's no embassy in Georgia. The catch is that there are no direct flights from Georgia so the flight would be from Georgia -> Almaty, Kazakhstan and then Almaty -> Tashkent. I would be flying from Georgia but the plane would be coming from Kazakhstan. Can I get a visa on arrival in this situation?

[steven]

Logically yes, because you did not have enough time to get a visa in Almaty. Of course, nothing is 100% sure.

[Crazydre]

Although the Uzbek MFA still only mentions the possibility of obtaining a visa on Arrival at Tashkent Airport, nowadays when looking at the application website, Termez (a town on the border with Afghanistan) is listed among places of issuance as well.

Does anyone have experience of getting an Uzbek visa when crossing from Afghanistan?

(not going to the area, but want to know it for my own reference)