Turkmenistan transit visa refusals

[Greaves]

Hello,

I applied for the Turkmen visa on 15/09/2015 in Dushanbe and picked it up on the 22/09/2015. I wrote a seperate letter explaining my trip, travelling overland through the country via motorbike. I received the Farap-Sarakhs transit visa from 05/10/2015-09/10/2015. I am an Australian.

At the Sarakhs border I paid $13 for me and $57 for my DR650 motorbike. Than in Farap another $13 to cross the bridge.

2 friends of mine, one Australian one French, also travelling by DR650 applied for the transit visa from Dushanbe for a crossing the same time. They both got accepted for the north crossing past the gas craters and Ashgabat, they picked the transit visas up on the border no problem.

Cheers

[steven]

For anyone who gets refused, I wrote the following guide laying out the options for a Plan B: http://caravanistan.com/visa/turkmenistan/refusal/

[evanrprice]

Just a quick note to say that although I received my transit visa today in Mashhad, a French guy was refused while i was there and a Japanese couple were seemingly also refused (told they didn't have (lost) their documentation but they could try reapply and wait another 10 days.

So the lottery is seemingly still ongoing.

As an interesting aside - the french guy (who was refused) had spent 2 months in Afghanistan prior to being in Iran (with a full beard and local attire and a positive attitude to the fact that kidnapping was a possibility!) and now intended to take a bus to Herat, fly to Kabul and then bus to Mazar-i-Sharif and out into Uzbekistan!

[steven]

Oh yeah, I know that guy...some people do astound you

[Roosmarijn]

Hi guys,

Not many recent posts lately, I assume the 50% chance of approval is still the case...
I'm up for the challenge
Promise I will post the outcome.

Hope u can help me with a problem.

I'm a solo female traveller, not a cyclist, just local transport.
Hoping to get a transit visa, applying in Tehran, planning to also pick it up there.
Already got a Iran & Uzbekistan visa. Made copies of them, hoping this will help.

But:
Plan to arrive in Turkmenistan around 15th of February for 5 / 7 days depending on approved transit visa.
I've read somewhere that there is potential travel restrictions in Turkmenistan in Feb.
Can somebody tell me what this means?
Does it affect visa arrangements?

Thanks so much!
Rosie

[steven]

Yes, 19th of February is Flag Day, pretty big deal, so could be an extra reason for refusal. They tend to extend their refusals beyond the actual day for Independence Day, so could be the same for Flag Day. Not sure though, you'll have to gamble. But at least you know what you're up against.

[Roosmarijn]

Hey there!
Got approved!

Applied for transit visa in Tehran on 24th of jan.
Then travelled trough Iran. Today i went to pick up the visa in Mashhad.
Only thing is that i had to change the dates because of national holiday. So now i have to extend the Iran visa and spend more days in north of Iran.. But that's not negative at all!
Feel really lucky that i didn't get refused.

My letter had no word of 'travel' only 'transit'
Many photo's and copies of passport, uzbek and iran visa. Fresh dollar bills. And spoke a little farsi with some nice smiles

Hope these refusals will slowly fade!
Good luck!

[Aleco]

Hi guys, any fresh update about how to cross turkmenistan, even for a transit quick visa?

I'm gonna have an one year trip, and i wanna crosso into turkmenistan from Iran an get in Uzbekistan. I have an Italian passport.

I got that one of the best tips is to get in advance the visa for the next country (means Uzbekistan), so maybe I'll have more chance to be accepted.

But, any other suggestion? About what to write, with yours experience, or what to avoid? I got that the refuse quite random, but just to try...

[steven]

Hi Aleco,

your best tip is not a tip, it is the first requirement. All info I have is on the Turkmen visa page. If it's not there, I don't know.

[Aleco]

Thanks Steven.

I know what you mean, and I got it. Just asking because maybe some of who has been there in the last few months, can maybe write down how was the letter and whaever they wroted... that's it