kyrgiz visa rip off

[Tenere99]

Hello, I,ve just applied for a kyrgiz visa in Almaty and despite paying the express fee $90 to get it in one day I,ve been told that it will in fact take 3 days! Can anyone tell me why this should be the case? Is it that they just don,t like my face or something?

[petefromberkeley]

You can talk to David at STANTOURS - Central Asia Travel Resources He is in Almaty and personally knows the guys at the embassy. I think the Kyrgyz visa is a ripoff in general. I crossed the border near Karakol and they didn't even look at the visa, nor did they stamp my passport. Not having a stamp didn't matter when I left. But David will know what's going on.

[Rebaseonu]

When I went to pick my express up next day I was told I need visa support letter!

Not required for all nationalities, though...

[Tenere99]

apparently its the case 4 all I.ve just found out.

[Nath]

Let us know how you get on, I was planning on picking up Tajikistan and Kyrgzistan visas in Almaty very soon.

[MotoEdde]

If you're travelling through Tashkent or Ashgabat, try there.


I got mine within an hour in Tashkent as nobody goes to that consulate! The popularity of picking up the Kyrg visa in Almaty comes with a price

[petefromberkeley]

That sounds like good advice

[Henn]

I found the Almaty Kyrgyz consulate to be a total pain in the arse. Taking rudeness, disinterest and unhelpfulness to new heights. Though after jumping through the appropriate hoops I did get my visa in the end.

Ben

[MotoEdde]

Why do people seem surprised?

Its the London/Ne York of Central Asia...in terms of Financial capital...

With so much money flowing from foreigners doing business there, why do you think you'd get visas without paying through the nose or at least with a bit of hassle?

Don't hate the player...hate the game...

[Henn]

On the flip side of that Edde, the guy in the Tajik consulate was the nicest guy I've ever dealt with in an official situation. He even gave us his aunt's address on the Pamir so we could visit when we rode through. And the Uzbek guys were great, my girlfriend got my visa without me there. And the Iranian guy we dealt with was as helpful as he could possibly be too.

Just the Kyrgyz lady who caused pain.

Ben

[Nathan90]

Hi guys,

Sorry to detour the thread for a minute but I'm desperately trying to find a route back from India to the Uk without an Iranian visa and having just looked at the map wondered about flying north to Kazakhstan then coming down through the other Stans.

It's been mentioned on here that it can take months to get visas for the Stans, but this thread suggests it's all rather possible in a few days. So, in theory, could I get a Kazakhstan visa, fly in, get visas for the others and then carry on my way in a matter of weeks?

[Pumbaa]

Originally Posted by Nath

Let us know how you get on, I was planning on picking up Tajikistan and Kyrgzistan visas in Almaty very soon.

Have a look at the visa section on our website for details of visa application in Almaty. Might be helpful...

[vincek100]

Similar problem in Astana, though. The consul does not speak a word of english. And fast visa is three days... Normal? Maybe ten...

[Nathan90]

For anyone going the other way, the Kyrgiz visa is 3000 R for a four day service and 5100 Rupees for a one day service here in Delhi.

That's about 45 pounds and 65 pounds, so yeah, damn expensive. Easy to get though and friendly chap at the consulate.

[Nath]

I'm picking up my visa either Monday or Tuesday after handing in my passport and application on Thursday. (they said monday but I think it's a national holiday?)

That's here in Almaty. $90 which seems to be for most nationalities (certainly Brit, US, Aussie, Dutch and S Korean). They ask for a photo but if you say you haven't got one then it isn't a problem. Paying involves wandering off to a specific bank and filling out a giro form as prompted by the bank staff.