Getting a Turkmenistan tourist visa is not possible without booking a tour. Getting a transit visa might require a long wait, but you do NOT need to book a tour and do NOT need visa support from a tour company (LOI). A transit visa allows for a visit of up to 5 days (7 days is exceptional, but it happens. Embassy workers in a bad mood might only give you 3 days).
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Post-Covid situation: are transit visas possible?
Turkmenistan reopened its borders in March 2023. Tourist visas were being processed, but transit visas were not being handed out yet. However, since February 2024 transit visas were being reportedly given out in Yerevan, Bishkek and Almaty. However, it’s very on and off. Each embassy has its own rules. Everything can change from one day to the next. It’s worth looking at recent embassy reports as well as this forum thread (positive reports start page 10) following the recent changes. And just try the embassies and see what mood they are in today. You never know.
Rejections
From 2015 to 2018, random rejections for transit visas became common, with an estimated 50% rejection rate. No embassy, nationality or itinerary seemed to be excluded. Tourist visas also got refused, although the rejection rate here was much lower. Young men had the lowest chances, as well as travelers from the US, Middle East and the former Soviet Union.
From 2018 to 2020, reports were overwhelmingly positive. We’ll have to see what the post-Covid period brings, too early to tell.
Generally speaking, 2 especially inauspicious moments to put on your transit visa application are the periods (let’s say 1 week, but could be more) around Independence Day (September 27, formerly in October) and Flag Day (February 19). You have a much higher chance of being rejected. Consulates also tend to take long holidays early May and around New Year and Nowruz.
Russian passports
Getting a tourist or transit visa on a Russian passport is very difficult. Prices are higher (155$ is our latest quote) and rejections are very common.
Applying via post and e-mail
In the past, travelers managed to apply via the post, but nowadays e-mail is also a valid option. It is definitely been done with the embassies of Vienna and New Delhi, Frankfurt and Bucharest. There are likely others who will respond as well.
Your comments are welcome in the Turkmen visa via e-mail thread.
Visa or code? Still date-specific?
In the past, you got your Turkmen visa stuck in your passport at the embassy.
These days, you are most likely to get a code sent to you via e-mail by the embassy, something like “TJ1234”. This is enough to get a visa at the border, but an official letter is better than a code.
Azeri customs once again allow passengers on the Caspian Sea ferry without having the actual visa in their passport, so you can use the e-mail with the code for the boat as well.
Application and pick-up in different embassies
In case you want to keep moving but would still like the visa in your passport in advance, you can apply in one embassy and pick-up your visa in another a few weeks later.
Date-specific or not?
Previously, Turkmen visas were date-specific, meaning a fixed entry and exit date was specified on the visa, and you needed to get in and out on or between those dates. This is no longer the case, most of the time. Most embassies now give visa codes with a validity of 3 months. We have only had 2 reports of a date-specific visa since late 2018 (Tashkent and Rome).
The 3 months start from the day you get your visa code. Once you enter, you get your 5-day transit. We do not know for certain if the 5 days need to fall completely within the window of validity or not.
All questions and info welcome in the date-specific-or-what? forum thread.
Stuck in no man’s land
Some people got stuck at the border in no man’s land for several days, because they were on the last day of their visa from the previous country, and they did not have a visa code in hand. Rather, the embassy just said they could pass at the border, but forgot to send a letter or code. We advise you to have an official piece of paper in hand – mishaps do happen.
FAQ
Most of this is addressed below as well, but it is repeated here for your (and our) convenience.
Can I apply for a transit visa if I fly in or out?
Yes. Doesn’t mean they will accept it, but it has been done in the past.
Can I make a detour from the route between my entry and exit point?
You can try. We have had both negative reports (people being sent back) and positive reports (police at checkpoints did not care). If you drive your own car, there is a chance you will be outfitted with a GPS tracker at the border. It is unclear in how far police follows up on the tracker.
Can I enter / exit from another border than the one printed on my visa?
You can try. Once again, we have had both positive and negative reports. In some cases, a payment was asked.
Can I arrive later and depart earlier than the dates on my visa?
You cannot enter Turkmenistan before the start date or leave after the expiry date of your visa, but you can enter after the start date and leave before the expiry date.
What if I want to take the ferry over the Caspian Sea but it is late and my transit visa runs out?
This is no longer a big issue since visas now have a 3-month validity window. Previously, the following was true…
When going from Turkmenbashi to Baku, previously, you could get stamped out by the border guards before your boat had arrived and wait beyond the border if your transit visa has expired. Then there were a few reports of people who could no longer do that and got fined or deported, around 2015-2017.
In 2018, we got a report saying the situation had reversed once again: once you have your ticket you can enter the waiting area of Turkmenbashi port and get stamped out and NOT be deported.
If you arrive late in Turkmenbashi from Baku and your visa is expired, you will be deported back to Azerbaijan and, since you probably are not allowed to enter there either, onwards to Georgia or elsewhere.
How long in advance can I apply? Can I apply again if I got rejected?
3 months in advance is a standard maximum, but earlier is possible too. You can try again if you got rejected the first time. They might grant it to you on the second go. Or they might not. In Tehran, you can only apply 1 month in advance.
How do I apply?
Go to the embassy or (e-)mail them if they accept (e-)mailed applications. Some embassies provide these forms for you when you come, others will not have them at hand, you will need to download and print them yourself in that case.
What does D-YOL and AWTO mean on the application form?
D-YOL means train, AWTO means car. If you are entering by train (very, very, very unlikely), check D-YOL. If you are entering by road, check AWTO.
If you are coming by boat: “Turkmenbashi Deniz Yuk Porty” means “cargo port”, “Turkmenbashi Yolagcy Porty” means “passenger port”. You need passenger port.
I solemnly swear I have read through the whole article (twice!), but I still have a question about Turkmen visas that has been left unanswered.
You are welcome to ask it in this forum topic.
Visa-free
According to Timatic, Georgians can visit Turkmenistan visa-free for up to 90 days per 180-day period. Everybody else needs a visa.
Turkmenistan transit visa
The Turkmenistan transit visa is issued for 3-7 days. How many days you get is essentially up to the whims of the official granting the visa, but 5 days is standard. 7 days is rarely given. We have had positive reports since 2016 of Tehran and Aktau embassies giving 7 days.
Note that it is a transit visa: this means you need to go from one country to another through Turkmenistan. You cannot go back to the same country you came from on a transit visa.
Flying in and out is possible. This does not mean the consul will say you can do it. It simply means people have gotten a transit visa this way in the past.
Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Kazakhstan and Afghanistan – Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan have been accepted and rejected in equal measure. Seeing you don’t have to cross Turkmenistan for these routes, it’s really up to the consul to decide.
To apply for a transit visa, go to a Turkmen embassy with the documents listed under Visa requirements and registration. If you are applying on the road, additionally see Embassy reports.
You cannot enter Turkmenistan before the start date or leave after the expiry date of your visa, but you can enter after the start date and leave before the expiry date.
You need to enter your entry and exit points on the visa application form. When you get back your passport, check which entry/exit point you got, it might be different from what you asked for. Previously, we said you should not enter or exit from a different border crossing than the one stated on your visa. In 2018, we have had several reports of travelers who did exactly that without problems. YMMV.
In 2019, we saw the first visa without an entry point printed on the visa. Only an exit point was printed on the visa. We also read about the first visa without entry or exit points. Wonderful!
Questions and reports on the entry-exit debacle welcome in this forum thread.
Price and processing time
The price is different per nationality. Most people pay 85$, but UK nationals pay 115$. There may be some variation in this. Make sure you have clean, fresh, new dollar bills to pay both at the embassy and at border.
Children need a separate visa, it costs 15$.
Processing times differ from embassy to embassy. Expect anything from 1 to 6 weeks – see embassy reports below.
The best way to apply for your transit visa if you are short on time and want to keep moving is to hand in all documents in one embassy/consulate and wait (perhaps ring to see what’s up) for the consul to send you your visa code via e-mail. As mentioned before, some embassies allow for you to apply via e-mail, so use them!
You can also pick up your Turkmen visa later in another embassy (but you might need the code for that anyway).
You can keep your passport, only a copy of your passport is needed by the embassy.
Turkmenistan tourist visa
Getting a Turkmenistan tourist visa ìs expensive. You need to make a booking for a tour through a tour company. Prices range from 120 to 250 USD per day, including guide, driver, accommodation and food. However, you can cut your costs considerably by sharing with other people or going on a group tour. Perhaps the tour operator will let you do your own thing in Ashgabat without a guide, within limits (there are plenty of cameras and secret police, they know what you are doing). On a tour, you cannot go without a guide outside of Ashgabat (it would no longer be a tour).
To receive your visa, follow the instructions of your tour company. These days, you will usually get an invitation letter with a code e-mailed to you. This will then be converted into a real visa on your arrival at the border, where your guide is waiting for you to facilitate the process.
Turkmenistan visa on arrival
It is possible to get a Turkmenistan tourist visa on arrival in the airport of Ashgabat, as well as on the land borders. You will need a letter of invitation from a tourist agency, which means a booking with them. The Turkmenistan visa on arrival is valid for 10 days, with extensions possible based on the duration of the booking.
Transit visas are not available at Ashgabat airport, however, there is a transit area in the airport for passengers in transit for which no special visa is required.
Of course, as you read before, you can get your transit visa on the border if you previously applied at the embassy and received an invitation letter with authorisation code.
Turkmenistan letter of invitation (LOI)
Looking for the letter of invitation to lengthen your stay in Turkmenistan? Seeing how many requests we get from people who still want to get an LOI without booking a tour, I feel the need to repeat myself: if you want to get an LOI to stay more than 5 days in Turkmenistan, you need to book a tour! Sorry, not my rule. If you are a budget traveler, you will have to get the transit visa.
Turkmenistan visa requirements
Visa requirements for transit visa application:
- 1 filled out Turkmenistan visa application form – download from Turkmen migration site
- 1 passport-sized photo in color
- A copy of a Covid-19 vaccination certificate. Neither the date of vaccination nor the vaccine used plays a role, only the fact of vaccination is important.
- 1 passport with minimum 6 months validity after the expiry of the Turkmen visa and 2 empty pages
- 1 letter from yourself stating your purpose of transit and route
- photocopies of your main passport page (color) and of visas of the two countries to be traveled to/from (some embassies may not require the visa for the country you are traveling from, only the visa of the country you are traveling to) if applicable
- photocopies of your airline ticket, if applicable
- You do NOT need an LOI for a transit visa
If you do not need a visa for the countries you are going to next, explain that to the embassy staff and they will understand.
Registration in Turkmenistan
Travelers on a Turkmen tourist visa need to be registered with OVIR, but this will be handled by the tour company who is arranging your visit.
Travelers on a transit visa do not need to be registered with Migration Police (OVIR), unless they have a 7-day visa. In this case, the procedure is as follows:
First, you need to stay at a hotel to have a valid address. Having settled in, the registrations stamp is obtained easily and for free at OVIR on Gogol Street in Ashgabat. They just need a copy of your passport (main page and visa of the country you are traveling to next) and a passport picture. A copy service can be found inside the building.
Registration in other cities should be possible too, but we have no info so far.
Visa extension and overstaying
What happens if you don’t make the deadline and end up overstaying your visa? Traveler reports indicate that first a big fine will be asked (300$ is the latest), and if you don’t pay you will be deported, which means you cannot enter the country for 1 year.
Can you get your transit visa extended if you get stuck on the boat for too long? A report tells of the following scenario:
It is early on a weekday, Ashgabat central immigration ministry is working and they are in a good mood. They offer you a visa extension (3 to 5 days) where you write a letter to the head of the relevant ministry requesting an “exit visa” of a few more days. If it is accepted you pay for visa again ($55) and are cleared to carry on. From a blog it seems this may also happen if your visa has run out before entry.
One more success story we heard was of a traveler who bribed a hospital doctor for 15$ to write him a note saying he was very sick. With this note, an extension was possible.
Embassy reports
Be sure to bring fresh, crisp dollar bills if paying in cash. Embassy reports are collected in the forum threads linked to below.
Cities without a link are waiting for your first report!
- Abu Dhabi
- Aktau
- Almaty
- Ankara
- Astrakhan
- Baku
- Beijing
- Berlin
- Bishkek
- Brussels
- Bucharest
- Dubai
- Dushanbe
- Frankfurt
- Istanbul
- Kuala Lumpur
- Mashad
- Minsk
- New Delhi
- Astana
- Paris
- Tashkent
- Tbilisi
- Tehran
- Tokyo
- Vienna
- Washington, D.C.
- Yerevan
