Questions about visas+border crossing

[SalSalFR]

Hello everyone,
I am writing here to ask some questions about a future trip i wanna do. From Mongolia to France, crossing russia,kazakhstan, kyrgy, tadji, uzbe, and turkmenistan.
(I am FRENCH, just so you know for visas and stuff)
So i am thinking to take a flight to Mongolia in May, and wondering how difficult is it to get a visa if i am coming with a bike ? and leaving by bus ?(do i need to buy a fake plane ticket ? ) then to go towards the West, and then take a bus between mongolia and kazakhstan, as i am not sure if i can get a visa for russia ? I read somewhere that people take the bus for russia with a transit visa to reach kazakhstan ?
Then travel thru kaza, kyrgy, tadji, uzebekistan, but for theses countries, i should be able to get a 30days visa on arrival at the border without difficulties.
Then i am wondering for turkmenistan, to be able to get a visa again, is it difficult ? Wondering if i could get one pretty easily to go to Iran, or to take a ferry to azerbaijan.. Any advices for that ? Is it better to get an agency for the visas ? If you guys have any experiences with these travels by bike ? And if you are french would be a BIG plus(but not necessary haha )
Thank you and have a nice day !

[sebhoff]

Nobody knows when Turkmenistan is opening again - there have been rumours recently about something happening soon, but… The Caspian Sea ferry is difficult to impossible at the moment and Azerbaijan’s land borders are still closed, as far as I know. That should not last much longer, I guess - but again, who knows.
About the Russian visa: you’ll need to get this in France before leaving, I think, because Russian visas can usually only be applied for in your home country. But there are exceptions, and I have no specialist knowledge. And who knows what relations will be like with Russia by next May…
Sebastian

[trikolka]

Russian visas can usually only be applied for in your home country. But there are exceptions

a french tourist got his russian visa in Bishkek one month ago. He reported on a french forum : 2 weeks waiting time, no difficulty eventhough some travel insurances no longer provide certificates specifically for Russia. He entered Russia last week, by train from Kazakhstan (Petropavlovsk -> Omsk)

[trikolka]

So i am thinking to take a flight to Mongolia in May, and wondering how difficult is it to get a visa if i am coming with a bike ? and leaving by bus ?(do i need to buy a fake plane ticket ? ) then to go towards the West, and then take a bus between mongolia and kazakhstan,(....)

Mongolia has no border with Kazakhstan, you must go through Russia (or through China, but this is much more difficult, and right now not possible). If my informations are still valid (for updates, see https://caravanistan.com/border-crossings/ ), the Mongolia/Russsia border crossing is possible in Kyakhta, but none of the border crossing points west of this Ulan Baator - Ulan Ude axis are allowed to foreigners who need a russian and/or mongol visa.

Then travel thru kaza, kyrgy, tadji, uzebekistan, but for theses countries, i should be able to get a 30days visa on arrival at the border without difficulties

be careful if you plan to enter Tadjikistan from Kyrgyzstan following the "Pamirskiy Trakht" (former soviet road M41 Osh - Murgab - Khorog) : you will need a GBAO permit for this region of Tadjikistan, and it is not delivered at the border. If you cross Kyrgyz/Tadjik border further north, Karamyk is probably OK, but the Batken district has been closed for several months because of a border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tadjikistan.

[bwv812]

be careful if you plan to enter Tadjikistan from Kyrgyzstan following the "Pamirskiy Trakht" (former soviet road M41 Osh - Murgab - Khorog) : you will need a GBAO permit for this region of Tadjikistan, and it is not delivered at the border. If you cross Kyrgyz/Tadjik border further north, Karamyk is probably OK, but the Batken district has been closed for several months because of a border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tadjikistan.

All Kyrgyz-Tajik borders have been closed for months, and not just those in the Batken area.

Also, Karamyk is — and has always been — a bilateral-only border crossing that has been closed to tourists. The only time in recent memory that it was open to tourists was for a brief period in 2012 when the normal Kyzyl-Art/Bor-Dobo border was closed due to unrest in Khorog.

[trikolka]

All Kyrgyz-Tajik borders have been closed for months, and not just those in the Batken area.Also, Karamyk is — and has always been — a bilateral-only border crossing that has been closed to tourists. The only time in recent memory that it was open to tourists was for a brief period in 2012 when the normal Kyzyl-Art/Bor-Dobo border was closed due to unrest in Khorog.

well, maybe I misunderstood, but I thought Karamyk sometimes re-opens to foreigners when Pamirskiy Trakht closes, which happened earlier this year (may-june). A small number of tourists succeeded to cross border at Kyzyl-Art recently, but it may have happened by mistake ; other ones reported they were obliged to return where they came from. No idea how long these restrictions will last.

[bwv812]

This year all borders have been closed, but the Kyzyl-Art briefly opened for tourist who had received special authorization (this new policy happened just before the latest round of violence, which immediately eliminated this special option).

In the past Karamyk opened to tourists when borders in general remained open but Kyzyl-Art in particular was closed. That is not the current situation.

[SalSalFR]

Nobody knows when Turkmenistan is opening again - there have been rumours recently about something happening soon, but… The Caspian Sea ferry is difficult to impossible at the moment and Azerbaijan’s land borders are still closed, as far as I know. That should not last much longer, I guess - but again, who knows.
About the Russian visa: you’ll need to get this in France before leaving, I think, because Russian visas can usually only be applied for in your home country. But there are exceptions, and I have no specialist knowledge. And who knows what relations will be like with Russia by next May…
Sebastian

Damn, sorry it took so long for me to reply !
So i saw a couple of french guys on instagram that went to Azerbaijan by plane; but they might have a special visa..
And for Russia, yeah, i will forget about it, but you are right, you do need to do a visa before leaving !

[SalSalFR]

Russian visas can usually only be applied for in your home country. But there are exceptions

a french tourist got his russian visa in Bishkek one month ago. He reported on a french forum : 2 weeks waiting time, no difficulty eventhough some travel insurances no longer provide certificates specifically for Russia. He entered Russia last week, by train from Kazakhstan (Petropavlovsk -> Omsk)

Oh okay thanks for this info ! Didnt know it was still possible with the current situation ! Do you have his IG or website ? Cheers !

[SalSalFR]

So i am thinking to take a flight to Mongolia in May, and wondering how difficult is it to get a visa if i am coming with a bike ? and leaving by bus ?(do i need to buy a fake plane ticket ? ) then to go towards the West, and then take a bus between mongolia and kazakhstan,(....)

Mongolia has no border with Kazakhstan, you must go through Russia (or through China, but this is much more difficult, and right now not possible). If my informations are still valid (for updates, see https://caravanistan.com/border-crossings/ ), the Mongolia/Russsia border crossing is possible in Kyakhta, but none of the border crossing points west of this Ulan Baator - Ulan Ude axis are allowed to foreigners who need a russian and/or mongol visa.

Then travel thru kaza, kyrgy, tadji, uzebekistan, but for theses countries, i should be able to get a 30days visa on arrival at the border without difficulties

be careful if you plan to enter Tadjikistan from Kyrgyzstan following the "Pamirskiy Trakht" (former soviet road M41 Osh - Murgab - Khorog) : you will need a GBAO permit for this region of Tadjikistan, and it is not delivered at the border. If you cross Kyrgyz/Tadjik border further north, Karamyk is probably OK, but the Batken district has been closed for several months because of a border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tadjikistan.

Yeah, i know about no border between Kazakhstan and Mongolia, that's why i was talking about transit visa/visa for Russia
Oh, damn; seems like its gonna be difficult then..