Turkmenistan Transit Visa in Dushanbe

[bert]

I applied 16 October in Dushanbe for a transit visa 8-12 November (Kunya-Urgench to Ashgabat). No need to prepare an application letter. You can simply copy the sample one on the wall. Otherwise, bring the documents as described by Koen above.

The guys were friendly and spoke a little bit of English. They told I would receive the result by e-mail after 10 working days and I could get the visa at Tashkent or the border if the approval was OK. They refused to give their contact details though.

As slightly expected: no e-mail from these guys.

I decided to take matters into my owns hands and I travelled to Tashkent. On 31 October, I visited the Turkmen embassy there. The guys were friendly. They would call a woman who spezks English over the phone. They told me that it was not allowed to travel between 8 and 11 November. But when I asked, I could change the dates. I had to fill in a new application form stating transit 12-16 November and give new copies etc. They gave me the visa for the other dates after 10 minutes waiting and paying 55 USD. Happy ending after all.

[Cyclist Bang]

Embassy: Turkmenistan embassy in Dushanbe (38.608985, 68.781942 this is the right one)
Nationality: Republic of Korea (South Korea)
Cyclist (Did not mention it to the embassy. Also they did not ask)
5 days transit visa
IN: Dashoguz, 9 NOV
OUT: Ashgabat, 13 NOV
Conclusion: Gave up after 15 days waiting

Wrong information I had at the beginning: Turkmen independence day is 27th October. Not in September. https://www.officeholidays.com has wrong information.

Documents: picture, passport, color copy of passport, color copy of iranian visa. (My passport is visa free for Uzbekistan)
I did color copy around this coordinate. 38.567735, 68.798324

Details:
11 OCT: I arrived embassy at 09:40. 7 people was waiting. Went inside the embassy around 11:00. You have to fill two papers. One document and one letter. The letter is basically empty A4 paper and you have to hand write a letter. The example is on the wall so just write it down. Embassy told me to come back on 19 OCT. I needed some rest after Pamirs. I thought it was good length of time to get rest so I decided to get the visa in Dushanbe.
I figured out that Independence day is 27 OCT, but I was not worried because it was before the day.

19 OCT: (From here, many WTFs but I am not writing all) I arrived embassy at 09:30. Nobody was waiting. But embassy told me it is not ready. They told me to come back on 22 OCT.

22 OCT: Still not ready. This time there was another guy. He wondered why I came this early. He told me to come on 25th.
My friend advised me to change the issuing place to Tashkent or to get it at the border. But I could not trust the way they work and I thought it will bring more chaos. So I didn’t.

25 OCT: I arrived at 09:40. 6 people waiting. We waited until noon. Embassy did not open.

26 OCT: Embassy closed. The guards said they all left yesterday to Turkmenistan and reopens on 01 NOV.

27 OCT: I left Dushanbe.

I could wait until 1 NOV but it was another ‘maybe’. I applied entrance date as 9 NOV so it was not enough time to cycle or travel Uzbekistan anyway. The embassy is just waiting for the letter from their country so maybe it is not their fault. But it seems they do not even know when they close embassy. Maybe their chain of command works as typical dictatorship country so they do not share informations to the bottom line. Or maybe he just forgot. I don’t know. Well, I had a good rest. But if they told me to come back on 25th from the beginning, I could go to a small trip to fann mountains, not sitting and wandering around Dushanbe... Now I am heading to Caspian sea to take a ferry.

[steven]

Wrong information I had at the beginning: Turkmen independence day is 27th October. Not in September. https://www.officeholidays.com has wrong information.

Just tooting my own horn a bit: Caravanistan had the right information: https://caravanistan.com/festivals-events/turkmenistan/

It changed this year.

[DiedeO]

Hey everybody,

I'm glad to tell you that everything went according to plan for us. We applied 18 oktober in Dushanbe with the right documents mentioned on this forum. We asked if it was possible to pick it up in Tashkent and he said yes. We waited ten working days before sending a email to [email protected] to ask if we got accepted and got a positive respons the same day. Today we picked up the visa in Thaskent. You need a COLOUR copy of your pasport and 1 foto for application (size 3*4) to pick it up. We arrived around 11am, got a document to fill out (weirdly its another application form), and after 10 minutes got the visa in our passport. NO lines, no leaving the passport and picking it up after 4... We heard of another couple (asked in Bishkek) and a family (asked in Dushanbe) that they got it the same way.

I don't know if it's because we are traveling off season or maybe we all got lucky. But hopefully the lottery got easier!

I hope this message will give good hope to the people that still has to apply.

ps: asked for 5 day transit form nukus to asjchabad and got exactly that.

[Gravelforbreakfast]

Dushanbe embassy report.

We showed up at 9:45, queue of 8 people. After 1.5 hours we were called in. Guard says only 1 person can go in. But inside you can ask the embassy employee if your boy/girlfriend can come in, which is then granted.

Filled in Visa application form and gave copies of passport, visa Iran, visa Uzbekistan and a letter explaining our purpose for the visit.

Originally, we planned to apply for a transit visa 7 days later. The embassy employee duly informed us that the first possible entry date was after 10 working days, effectively 14 days. Caravanistan should update this on their website, as it currently says 3-7 days processing time for transit visa. Minor setback for us. We gave him our e-mailaddresses for the code to pick up visa at the border and he said we would receive an email.

We waited 14 days in Tashkent and of course we heard nothing from the Dushanbe embassy. So we went to the Tashkent embassy on Monday morning 15 October. We mentioned that we requested a visa at Dushanbe 2 weeks before. We then got a form to fill in (similar to visa application). After paying 55 usd we walked out with a 5 day transit visa stamped in our passport.

I’m not sure whether it helped that we applied in Dushanbe first or that Tasjkent grants visa more easily? The Tashkent embassy for sure seemed a lot more pro active.

In any case waiting for the ‘code’ from Dushanbe doesn’t seem to be the best idea. We heard from various travellers they never got any reply at all.

What also may have helped is that we indicated the shortest route through Turkmenistan. Farap-Mary-Serakhs. Furthermore, we clearly mentioned our (former) jobs on our letter.

[ganesha1998]

20 year-old male Singaporean travelling from Uzbekistan to Iran. Successfully obtained a visa

I went to the Dushanbe embassy on Friday, 20 April 2019 to apply for my Turkmen Transit Visa. After waiting for 30 minutes, I was finally allowed to enter the premises by the embassy guards. The consul told me that the 'visa system' was not working on this particular day and to either come again on the following Monday, 23 April 2019 or apply for the visa at Tashkent. I tried my luck and revisited the embassy on Monday, 23 April 2019.

A friendly consul greeted me and helped me with the visa process. You'll need two passport-size photos, the visa for the onward country (Iranian E-Visa, for my case) and a photocopy of the passport details page. I read somewhere in the forum that a coloured-copy is needed. However, I gave the consul a blurry black and white copy and he accepted it. He kept my passport and directed me to pay USD 10 at the National Bank of Pakistan located on the other side of town (reachable by taking Bus no. 3 till Rudaki Park then change to Bus no. 8). After paying at the bank and returning to the embassy, he stamped the receipt and told me to wait 10 working days for the visa code which will be sent to my email address (6 May 2019 to be precise). I was sceptical of receiving the code visa code via email as I've read in this forum of how 'inefficient' and 'forgetful' the Turkmen embassy in Dushanbe is.

To my surprise, I received the code via email on the 1 MAY 2019, 5 days earlier than anticipated. Anyway, I decided to play safe and headed back to the embassy on 7 May 2019 to get the visa sticked on my passport. This day, however, the consulate section was closed and no reason was given for its closure. I was told to return the following day and so I did return. I arrived at 10am but was only allowed in at 12:30pm. The consul told me that Dushanbe Embassy doesn't issue sticker visas anymore but he printed for me a form with all my details on it, confirming indeed that I have a visa. There is no fixed entry or exit dates and I have a three month period, which started on the day I had received my code, to enter Turkmenistan. Only the entry point was fixed.

[Kit.law.70]

Applied in Bishkek, received a letter 10 days later by email and I decided to get my visa in Dushanbe.

Arrived in 17.06.2019 10am, prepare a colored-copy of your passport, a picture and the consulate will give you a form to fill in again.
After filling in the form, the friendly consulate will give you a paper and tell you to head to National Bank of Pakistan in the city center(6km by walking/30 mins bus ride, 48 Ayni street) and pay for $55.

I already paid $10 in Bishkek so in total the turkmen visa costs $65.
Went back to the embassy in 2pm and a 5-day sticker visa was issued, with specified date and entry exit points.

[Elisev]

First of all you need to know that the Embassy is in a small street and there is no sign on the wall. The entrance is a big grey portal but you'll never cross it. You can see the flag behind the walls and there is a white plastic cabin/hut in front of it with the soldiers. Be sure that the very lovely and friendly soldiers see you and call by phone the visa guy. Most of it, next to the cabin, there is the bench/waiting room/office.

At the end of August 19 the roads around were blocked because of construction but you can reach it by foot or your taxi will do a detour.

I went to the Embassy Wednesday around 11am to try to collect the forms. The guy in charge was leaving, he told me to come back the next day at 9am with my papers and we would do it together.
At 9am I was there on Thursday, the visa guy appeared soon. I explained I want to apply for a transit visa here and collect it in Tashkent. He said no problem and asked for my passport, a colour copy of it, two ID photos and my Iranian visa (it's my next country after Turkmenistan). He came in and I stayed on the bench. He came out again, gave me back my passport, made me complete a form (with the entry and exit points), explained to me that I need to pay 10$ in the Bank of Pakistan and gave me a paper to present there. I did it and came back to the bench (of course it's on the complete opposite side of the city). He came out again and took my passport and my receipt from the bank; then he went in again. Then he came back out with a printed electronic form for me to check and sign, and a written motivation letter to sign (no need to write it by yourself).
Most important he gave me a paper with my visa request number. Regardless, in 10 working days I need to show it and my passport to the Embassy in Tashkent. Then I'll know if my application was successful and hopefully I'll be able to collect it (no email address or way to contact). He seems confident but nothing is sure...

[rhinomaxil]

Easiest thing ever. Went today to the embassy in Dushanbe at 10:30am (see coordinates above - don’t use maps.me location). Soldier in front will check your passport and let you in. Documents needed:
- your passport (you don’t have to leave it, just show it)
- a photo
- a copy of your passport (I had one in color so I don’t know if black and white works)
- a copy of your next destination visa (for us Azerbaïdjan - no need for the visa of your precious destination)

The guy filled the form for us, we only had to add our permanent address, employer’s address and planned itinerary.

Then we went to pay the $10 fee at the National Bank of Pakistan (48 Ayni Street) and came back at 3pm to give the receipt.

The guy then gave us a paper with a number and told us we could collect our visa anywhere (in another embassy or even at the border) in 10 working days and pay then $55 each. He told us there would be no email or anything and no chance of rejection. So we will see in 3 weeks when we show up at the border if this works.

I will post an update if it doesn’t work at the border but otherwise it’s very simple, quick and efficient.

[pablogers]

Any reports in doing these "in" bishkek or dushanbe but from our home countries (send all paperwork by mail and collect in Dushanbe/Bishkek)????
Thanks