Hi Jan,
this guy also came through with photographic film: http://caravanistan.com/forum/viewtopic ... film#p4088
no problems.
Tashkent to Shymkent border crossing Q&A
Forum rules
Before asking a border crossing question, make sure you have read the relevant article about the country. Overview page: http://caravanistan.com/border-crossings/
Before submitting a crossing report or question, have a look first to see if a topic already exists. Existing forum topics are linked to from the border crossing pages on the site.
Thank you!
Before asking a border crossing question, make sure you have read the relevant article about the country. Overview page: http://caravanistan.com/border-crossings/
Before submitting a crossing report or question, have a look first to see if a topic already exists. Existing forum topics are linked to from the border crossing pages on the site.
Thank you!
Re: Tashkent to Shymkent border crossing
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Re: Tashkent to Shymkent border crossing
Shymkent - Tashkent report
Feb 26th
Shymkent to Border:
Picked up a shared taxi from here: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3088782071
I full shared taxi was waiting and I was asked to pay 700 Tenge.
The taxi driver didn't know which border post I needed to get off at, and I was stupidly dropped off 10km from the correct, open to foreigners border which is in the village (town?) of Жибек жолы ,Zhibek-Joly.
Border:
I arrived about 14:00. It was not too busy and I was through in about an hour.
My bags were scanned in an x-ray machine but I wasn't searched at all.
The custom/money declaration form was the longest part of the process but the guard spoke English and helped.
There are money changes on the Uzbek side of the border, but be carefully as they tried to rip me off on the rate. In the end I only changed a few dollars to be on the safe side.
Border to Tashkent:
I had a hard time fighting off taxi drivers but eventually walked 150m down the road to a large rank of shared taxi's (left hand side of the road)
A shared taxi to the north of the city (specifically here: https://www.openstreetmap.org/query?lat ... 5/69.29021)
cost 1500 com.
Feb 26th
Shymkent to Border:
Picked up a shared taxi from here: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3088782071
I full shared taxi was waiting and I was asked to pay 700 Tenge.
The taxi driver didn't know which border post I needed to get off at, and I was stupidly dropped off 10km from the correct, open to foreigners border which is in the village (town?) of Жибек жолы ,Zhibek-Joly.
Border:
I arrived about 14:00. It was not too busy and I was through in about an hour.
My bags were scanned in an x-ray machine but I wasn't searched at all.
The custom/money declaration form was the longest part of the process but the guard spoke English and helped.
There are money changes on the Uzbek side of the border, but be carefully as they tried to rip me off on the rate. In the end I only changed a few dollars to be on the safe side.
Border to Tashkent:
I had a hard time fighting off taxi drivers but eventually walked 150m down the road to a large rank of shared taxi's (left hand side of the road)
A shared taxi to the north of the city (specifically here: https://www.openstreetmap.org/query?lat ... 5/69.29021)
cost 1500 com.
Last edited by jmcl1 on Fri May 06, 2016 4:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1 x
Re: Tashkent to Shymkent border crossing
And just a word on my return journey
Tashkent -> Shymkent, on the Weekly Nukus-Almaty train.
I was in a 4 bed coupé alone.
Uzbek border guards were all very nice but thorough. I think about 5 different people spoke to me at various points over the course of 2 hours, all in English.
Firstly I was asked for my customs form and hotel slips.
I was then asked to show photos on my iPad and mobile phone ( and they looked through a lot of photos) but they seemed be checking half heartedly and we mostly spoke about my photos of Big Ben in London.
I was also asked to show my first aid kit and the books I was carrying.
The whole time I remained in my coupé, nothing was thoroughly searched and I was not asked to show money.
On the Kazakh side it was surprisingly worse. It wasn't awful, I just wasn't expecting it from the Kazakh side of the border.
Firstly a 30 something guard came into my coupé and demanded to see a money declaration form (speaking in russian) and then just kept saying 'dollar'. After playing dumb, speaking in basic Russian and asking to speak to someone in English he left promising to come back ( I never saw him again).
Then two young 20 something year old guards came in speaking only Russian and demanding me to turn my phone off. One raised his hand to hit me when I looked confused and then just started laughing. Some lovely scare tactics for no apparent reason.
They then brought another Kazakh passenger into my coupé and felt him down and he handed over a small amount of Tenge.
I didn't hand over any more and they didn't search my bags.
Nothing else was said to me after that and 20 minutes later we proceeded on to Shymkent.
Tashkent -> Shymkent, on the Weekly Nukus-Almaty train.
I was in a 4 bed coupé alone.
Uzbek border guards were all very nice but thorough. I think about 5 different people spoke to me at various points over the course of 2 hours, all in English.
Firstly I was asked for my customs form and hotel slips.
I was then asked to show photos on my iPad and mobile phone ( and they looked through a lot of photos) but they seemed be checking half heartedly and we mostly spoke about my photos of Big Ben in London.
I was also asked to show my first aid kit and the books I was carrying.
The whole time I remained in my coupé, nothing was thoroughly searched and I was not asked to show money.
On the Kazakh side it was surprisingly worse. It wasn't awful, I just wasn't expecting it from the Kazakh side of the border.
Firstly a 30 something guard came into my coupé and demanded to see a money declaration form (speaking in russian) and then just kept saying 'dollar'. After playing dumb, speaking in basic Russian and asking to speak to someone in English he left promising to come back ( I never saw him again).
Then two young 20 something year old guards came in speaking only Russian and demanding me to turn my phone off. One raised his hand to hit me when I looked confused and then just started laughing. Some lovely scare tactics for no apparent reason.
They then brought another Kazakh passenger into my coupé and felt him down and he handed over a small amount of Tenge.
I didn't hand over any more and they didn't search my bags.
Nothing else was said to me after that and 20 minutes later we proceeded on to Shymkent.
1 x
Zhibek Zholy border (Chernayevka)
Hi, I would like to ask about the posiblity to cross the Kazakh border with Uzbekistan in Zhibek Zholy (Chernayevka) during the night? Is it 24h border? Alternatively, maybe someone knows if there is any hostel/hotel/guesthouse in Zhibek Zholy?
I will be grateful for any information. Thank you!
I will be grateful for any information. Thank you!
0 x
Re: Zhibek Zholy border (Chernayevka)
Answer provided at http://caravanistan.com/border-crossings/kazakhstan/
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Re: Zhibek Zholy border (Chernayevka)
Thank you Steven! Maybe you have knowledge about any hostel/hotel/guesthouse in Zhibek Zholy?
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Re: Tashkent to Shymkent border crossing
I'm going to leave for round trip in one day between Shymkent and Tashkent via border at Chernaevka. For your information, I'm planning to leave from Tashkent early in the morning and then will be back from Symkent in the late afternoon. In this case, the registration of accommodation in Symkent(e.g.Visitor must register with OVIR within 5 days) will be required by border guards when I return to Tashkent from Symkent in the late afternoon. Because I'm not staying in Symkent for any night, I think it is not mandatory to submit them but I'm not sure. Please kindly trace and let me know it if you have any information on it. Thanks~
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Re: Tashkent to Shymkent border crossing
Not necessary see http://caravanistan.com/visa/kazakhstan ... tion-ovir/opus96 wrote:I'm going to leave for round trip in one day between Shymkent and Tashkent via border at Chernaevka. For your information, I'm planning to leave from Tashkent early in the morning and then will be back from Symkent in the late afternoon. In this case, the registration of accommodation in Symkent(e.g.Visitor must register with OVIR within 5 days) will be required by border guards when I return to Tashkent from Symkent in the late afternoon. Because I'm not staying in Symkent for any night, I think it is not mandatory to submit them but I'm not sure. Please kindly trace and let me know it if you have any information on it. Thanks~
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nhutchings
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:26 am
- x 5
Chernayevka / Zhibek-Joly open to self-drivers
Good morning -
My first post, although been reading quite a bit, and I have a bit of happy news:
Yesterday, my wife and I drove from Tashkent to Bishkek, and crossed into Kazakhstan at the Chernayevka/Zhibek-Jolk crossing point. It was open to self-drivers and very fast as there was only one car ahead of us and one car after us. We are Armenian citizens driving our personal car, an Audi A6 with Armenian plates, the car ahead of us had Uzbekistan plates, and the car after us had Kazakhstan plates, so it looks like it's open to all traffic.
Side note - we were able to drive from Tashkent to Bishkek in about 10 hours, including crossing both borders, a one-hour lunch in Shymkent, and quite a bit of construction on the Kazakhstan transit reducing the highway to two lanes. Gotta love Kazakhstani aslphalt!
Safe travels, yall.
My first post, although been reading quite a bit, and I have a bit of happy news:
Yesterday, my wife and I drove from Tashkent to Bishkek, and crossed into Kazakhstan at the Chernayevka/Zhibek-Jolk crossing point. It was open to self-drivers and very fast as there was only one car ahead of us and one car after us. We are Armenian citizens driving our personal car, an Audi A6 with Armenian plates, the car ahead of us had Uzbekistan plates, and the car after us had Kazakhstan plates, so it looks like it's open to all traffic.
Side note - we were able to drive from Tashkent to Bishkek in about 10 hours, including crossing both borders, a one-hour lunch in Shymkent, and quite a bit of construction on the Kazakhstan transit reducing the highway to two lanes. Gotta love Kazakhstani aslphalt!
Safe travels, yall.
2 x
Re: Tashkent to Shymkent border crossing Q&A
Crossed this in August:
Easy but I was interrogated. The whole crossing took 45 mins.
I asked the Tashkent hotel to get me a taxi to the border. I took half an hour and 40000 SOM. I arrived at Chernayevka at 10:45, and the border was madness, lots of people coming and going, but when I got to the actual building it was not that bad.
On the Uzbek side, you first have to fill the exit declaration, then you put it with the entrance one, and hand it to the guards maning the xray machine. I do not know if the border was too busy or what, but they barely glanced at it and I guess nobody was really checking anything on the machine. So no inspection.
Then you get to the passport booths where everybody tries to skip line. There, the guard asked me no questions, did not want to see my registration slips and in general, looked pretty bored. I was stamped very quickly. There is a final passport check before the actual border.
On the Kazakh side, first you encounter a policeman handing the registration cards. I only wrote the fields of: passport number, surname, name, nationality and purpose of visit + signature. I asked the policeman what to write in the "inviting person (organization)" field and he wrote something in Russian I could not decypher.
There are not so many booths but the lines move fast. Since I was the only foreigner at that moment, the guard took a while with me. Because I am Spanish I do not need visa, but he had to call someone to confirm. First photo, then some questions, then passport stamp, and I was really happy to see he stamped the registation card two times.
He told me to wait, and after a minute the policeman in the entrance accompanied me (skipping the xray machines) to a office were an officer and his aide interrogated me in Russian for around five to ten minutes. They were nice and polite but wanted to know what I was doing there, my profession, if I was going to work there, my itinerary, when I was leaving the country, if I was carrying any books... no mobile check and no medicine check.
I asked them if I had to register. They were not sure, they said yes at the begining but later told me no. I was there without visa and I did not have to register. I was a little anxious a few days latter in Almaty airport, but I was stamped out without a problem.
When they got bored of me, the policeman got me to the exit door where taxi drivers and money changers decended on my like vultures. I would advice to change remaining soms in the Uzbek side, it looked more relaxed there. The SOM exchange rate there is whatever they like, beacuse the black market rate also applies and it is hard to calculate in that environment. Try to not get ripped off. And do not change dollars, the rate is almost a scam and in Shymkent you can change with almost no commision.
The remaining soms where more than enough to buy a seat on a marshrutka for 800 tenge and disappoint a lot of taxi drivers xD. It takes 1 h 10 minutes to get to the outskirts of Shymkent. The road is very good except in a small section at the beginning.
Easy but I was interrogated. The whole crossing took 45 mins.
I asked the Tashkent hotel to get me a taxi to the border. I took half an hour and 40000 SOM. I arrived at Chernayevka at 10:45, and the border was madness, lots of people coming and going, but when I got to the actual building it was not that bad.
On the Uzbek side, you first have to fill the exit declaration, then you put it with the entrance one, and hand it to the guards maning the xray machine. I do not know if the border was too busy or what, but they barely glanced at it and I guess nobody was really checking anything on the machine. So no inspection.
Then you get to the passport booths where everybody tries to skip line. There, the guard asked me no questions, did not want to see my registration slips and in general, looked pretty bored. I was stamped very quickly. There is a final passport check before the actual border.
On the Kazakh side, first you encounter a policeman handing the registration cards. I only wrote the fields of: passport number, surname, name, nationality and purpose of visit + signature. I asked the policeman what to write in the "inviting person (organization)" field and he wrote something in Russian I could not decypher.
There are not so many booths but the lines move fast. Since I was the only foreigner at that moment, the guard took a while with me. Because I am Spanish I do not need visa, but he had to call someone to confirm. First photo, then some questions, then passport stamp, and I was really happy to see he stamped the registation card two times.
He told me to wait, and after a minute the policeman in the entrance accompanied me (skipping the xray machines) to a office were an officer and his aide interrogated me in Russian for around five to ten minutes. They were nice and polite but wanted to know what I was doing there, my profession, if I was going to work there, my itinerary, when I was leaving the country, if I was carrying any books... no mobile check and no medicine check.
I asked them if I had to register. They were not sure, they said yes at the begining but later told me no. I was there without visa and I did not have to register. I was a little anxious a few days latter in Almaty airport, but I was stamped out without a problem.
When they got bored of me, the policeman got me to the exit door where taxi drivers and money changers decended on my like vultures. I would advice to change remaining soms in the Uzbek side, it looked more relaxed there. The SOM exchange rate there is whatever they like, beacuse the black market rate also applies and it is hard to calculate in that environment. Try to not get ripped off. And do not change dollars, the rate is almost a scam and in Shymkent you can change with almost no commision.
The remaining soms where more than enough to buy a seat on a marshrutka for 800 tenge and disappoint a lot of taxi drivers xD. It takes 1 h 10 minutes to get to the outskirts of Shymkent. The road is very good except in a small section at the beginning.
2 x
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