Border crossings reports: Dostyk/Dustlyk (Uzbekistan/Kyrgyzstan)

[steven]

Please read and post reports on the Dostyk (Osh-Andijan) border crossing between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan below.

There is now a cross-border minibus service, Q&A in this forum thread.

We summarize all info on the Uzbekistan border crossings and Kyrgyzstan border crossings pages.

[Mike]

The short version: this border closes early in the evening. If you intend to use it, either stay in Andijon (or one of the other Fergana Valley towns) the night before, or if you really must start from Tashkent, leave at the crack of dawn.

The long version: by the time I'd taken the bus out to Kuyluk Bazaar (the shared taxi departure point in Tashkent) and waited for the taxi to fill up, it was just after noon when we left. Despite our driver being an absolute maniac, it was almost 7pm when we arrived in Andijon, and 7.30 when I'd taken a second taxi to the border. It was closed - they told me to come back the next day, and pointed me to a hotel a short distance away. Problem: it was the last day on my visa.

I went back at 7.30am the next day, and was detained at passport control (I presumed it was for overstaying my visa, although no-one actually confirmed that): "I tried to leave yesterday but you wouldn't let me" was apparently not accepted as an excuse. After a few hours I was taken from the border to the OVIR in Andijon, then after a few more hours to a police station. I'd been detained for 13 hours before they eventually confirmed what I'd suspected: yes, it was the visa that was the problem (due to the delay crossing the Caspian, I hadn't arrived in Uzbekistan until several days after the start of my visa, so I'd still been in the country less than 15 days - just not the 15 days they wanted). At 11pm I was taken to a hotel in Andijon, where I was instructed to stay for as long as it took them to send my passport to Tashkent, have an exit visa issued and then get it back - this turned out to be four days. I was eventually "deported", but I viewed it more as being "released", since I'd wanted to leave the country anyway and it was only their retention of my passport which prevented me doing so earlier. Only border police could see the logic in responding to someone staying in their country longer than they wanted by keeping him there even longer!

Heed my words, people - I wouldn't want anyone else to go through what I just have.

[steven]

Thank you, and condolences, have to change my wording on the dostlyk border. It used to be different, have just gotten another negative report.

[loyola]

Sorry to hear that story!

We went through that border two weeks ago from UZ to KG and had no real problem apart from the border guard asking a lot of questions about the medications we used while in UZ. A british couple we met had a different experience as they were search for 2 hours being questionned about every locals who appeared in their camera pics.

Also, we arrived at 13:15 and the border was closed on the UZ side because it was lunch time. It opened at around 13:45. Not sure if it´s a regular thing. 4-5 people at the border at the same time as us, no waiting. I ll probably post a trip,report in the coming weeks!

[fyodorova]

Holy crap! My condolences on this ordeal.

We did this border crossing just over 2 weeks ago. We arranged a private taxi from Tashkent that left at 7:30--more expensive but worth it as we got to the border before 3:00 and crossed over in plenty of time.

I can report that going through this border post was the worst experience we had in our entire time in Uzbekistan. The guards were unpleasant and wanted to search our stuff and inspect every photo on our devices. This was the first time in several Central Asian border crossings that our bags were searched in detail. We were with a guy who had some, ahem, private photos on his phone that the guard scrutinized and then demanded that he delete... why the photos had to be deleted when leaving the country was unclear. The guards were also very interested in our first aid kit and vitamins, as if they expected all foreigners to be carrying illegal drugs. It was the first time I felt at all scared or threatened at a border crossing, not because we were specifically threatened with anything, but because the guards seemed to want to find reasons to harass us. Keep your ducks in a row and delete or hide any photos you don't want the guards to see before crossing this border!

[steven]

Good advice here, and I recently added more warnings to the Uzbek border crossings page seeing how they stepped up security. See http://caravanistan.com/border-crossings/uzbekistan

[bwv812]

I had a really hard time getting into Uzbekistan at Dostyk—mainly because I was treated as a local (or maybe just a low-status foreigner—even though I can pass for Kyrgyz the guards knew I didn't speak Russian or Kyrgyz). It took four or five five hours, and because Kyrgyzstan stamps people out much faster than Uzbekistan stamps people in, there were hundreds of us stuck in a little holding pen in no-man's-land where we were variously yanked, prodded, pushed, and pulled by security guards. I saw one woman get slapped in the face after she got angry for being pushed to the ground by a security guard and saw another woman pass out from being crushed. So it could be worse. A white friend passed through a couple days later and was immediately escorted to the front of the line, so most people will be fine.

Uzbek immigration was extremely slow to process people, and although they searched everything they were mainly concerned with the three bottles of non-prescription pills I had (acetaminophen, allergy pills, and imodium).

[irishmcbride]

Went over this border crossing today, traveling from Osh to Fergana.

Taxi to the crossing from the Biy Ordo hostel cost us 200 som.

Getting over the Kyrgyz side was easy, they waved us to the front as stamped us out after checking our Uzbek visas.

A short walk through no-man's land, and happily the Uzbek medical guy waved us past. Just as well; we were so sweaty, joke would have been on him!

Into the Uzbek passport office, and our passports were stamped after a thorough examination. After filling in the form declaring money and electronic items (no requirement to list medicines, surprisingly), we were again waved to the front to have our details entered and bags checked.

They didn't bother going through our bags, they just wanted us to put all books and drugs on the desk. They gave my ibuprofen and immodium a brief glance, but were really curious about my Point It book, they had a good time looking at each page, then let us all through with a cheery "welcome to Uzbekistan!" No requirement to look at photos on cameras or phones, except the last five or six on the camera of one of our party.

Out and into Uzbekistan, it cost four of us $20 to get a taxi into Andijon (which I'm fairly sure is a rip off), after which we got a marshrutka to Fergana for 5000 Dom each. Now we're happily sat with a beer at a cafe around the corner from Valentina's fantastic guest house!

[Boocat89]

I did the Uzbeksitan to Osh crossing today without any problems. We had to queue to enter Andijon province for about an hour on the road, but apart from that, the journey to the border was smooth. At the border, the security guards were interested in my medication and books, but a quick explanation was all they needed. They only checked my phone for photos, not the large camera I had in my bag. Apart from that, nothing to report!

[hitchhaning]

Same here. Crossing from Uzbekistan to Osh, the Uzbeki guards may not be the most joyful people in the world, but they sure weren't looking to put us in any sort of trouble. All they wanted was to briefly see the medication, asked if we carried any books with us and what was the content of my laptop (didn't want to switch it on, though).

The Kyrgyz part was the most smiling border I've seen so far

Taxi from Andijan train station to the border cost us 20 000 som/ 5$ per person in a shared taxi. After the Kyrgyz border, pass the dozens of taxi drivers to find a marshrutka going to Osh bazaar for 10 som.