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Transitvisa Turkmenistan
Hi,
Does anyone have any experience with obtaining a transit visa in Turkey or Iran? Or is the expensive touristvisa the only option? Cheers, Miles MilesToGo |
turkey
My daughter was stationed in Turkey & yes the expensive visa was the only way to get in the country.
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I am not sure if things have changed with the new government, but when we were there two years ago, the transit visa was definitely an option, even though we went on a tourist visa. It usually takes a bit of time (10-14 days?) to get the transit visa and not everyone gets one. But we met several other travelers who managed to get one at the time.
Again, things may have changed with the new government, the borders were closed at one point recently and the transit visa policies may have changed. Contact David at STANTOURS - Central Asia Travel Resources and he can get you the latest information, David is very helpful to motorcycle travelers and we used his agency to get the tourist visa to Turkmenistan. Good luck! |
I wıll be applyıng for a turkmenıstan transıt vısa ın theran, ıran wıthın the next 2 weeks or so... I wıll let u know or remınd me... As I only have a 15day vısa for ıran ım hopıng thıs can be done rarther quıckç the uz vısa ı already have...
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Gozell,
I will follow your development. It seems that since today the fuel ın İran ıs on the ticket. Can you tell me how bad ıt really ıs? Wıll send you a emaıl in two weeks. Cheers, Mıles. |
Check this prior post on the HUBB about Turkmenistan transit visa...
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...sit-visa-27241 Hope this helps... |
Just been to the Turkmenistan Embassy in Tehran, processing time is anywhere between 5 and 10 days so thats going to be tight with a 15day iranian visa.
Go between 9 - 11 and meet the consular (speaks english) bring a fotocopy of first page of passport and a fotocopy of onward visa (eg uzbekistan). As far as I know the costs are 31US. The address Turkmenistan Embassy #5, Batavi Street, Vatanpouv Street Dr LavaSani Ave, Favmanieh Theran Phone 22206731 This would probably make more sense to you: N35 48,279 E51 27,142 suc6! |
Turkmenistan Transit Visa
Just got mail from the Turkmenistan Embassy in Vienna. As of 20th of May they changed their Visa policy. You now need a LOI, even for a transit visa!
I'm on the road at the moment. The idea was to pick up the visa in Vienna next week (they've had my application for 2 weeks now & I thought it was gonna be a no-brainer....) Has anyone got a reliable address in Turkmenistan where I can get a LOI within the next 2-3 weeks? (Including time for sending the money by online banking or something like that). Or does anyone have any RECENT news from the Turkmenistan Embassies in Turkey or Iran? Are they still issuing Transit Visas WITHOUT the need for a LOI? |
I got a transit visa in Turkey in 5 days...see post below.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...sit-visa-27241 The visa rules for a country sometimes vary depending on the location of the embassy or consulate... I picked up a Russian multiple netry business visa within 3 hours of applying in Tashkent...no bribing or paying an expedite charge...just a box of baclava for the cute girl;) HTH |
:)
Well I applied for Turkmen transit visa in Wienna 2 weeks ago, they told me that they need to check the application and that takes 10-15 days.
Thats fine with me but they could told me that before I went in Wieena:thumbdown: Because I checked the day before and then they told me that I can get it the same day. Today I phoned them and now they say that there been a change and for issuing a transit visa I MUST have LOI, thats new. :thumbdown: Turkmenistan visa is "complicated one", I wouldn't leave without that one in my passport. |
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Yes, David usually it is like that.
I explicity told them that I need transit visa, after all they have it on application form. But then they explicity told me that I need LOI. Well, there is nothing else to do, from now on we need LOI and that's all. Like Kyrgistan, one month ago You needed only Your passport to enter, now visa is 65 euro, I payed 130 euro and they issued one on the spot. :( Things are changing. Correction, I need visa, I don't know for other nationalitys |
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If you truly need an LOI, contact David at Stantours as he can most certainly get what you need and he should know the latest regulations also. David is very helpful. Good luck. |
consulate location & PHONE number in Istanbul
Hi
Last year we travelled from Turkey through 'Stans' to Mongolia, visas mostly obtained in Istanbul. Here are links to embassy locations / contact details / costs and my comments. Please note the lady in the Turkmenistan consulate spoke excellent English and was very helpful. We did it using tourist visa but i know motoedde (and others) obtained transit visa from this embassy. At that time (March 2007) no loi was required for transit, I see no logical reason why TKM would change this rule and perhaps it's an issue of European embassy adhering too strictly to guidelines ? without doubt our experience was that consulate staff have a lot of flexibility and different people / offices interpret the rules differently. I suggest telephone the lady at the Turkmenistan Consulate in Istanbul. links : TKM : http://www.travel.uklinux.net/piccie...bul_TURKEY.pdf UZB : http://www.travel.uklinux.net/piccie...l%20TURKEY.pdf KZK : http://www.travel.uklinux.net/piccie...bul_TURKEY.pdf AZER : http://www.travel.uklinux.net/piccie...l%20TURKEY.pdf hope these help. you may also be interested in the text files on my pages with each country actual info for entry, try this link to them : http://www.travel.uklinux.net/finall...-txt-files.rar Phil. www.travel.uklinux.net |
Transit & LOI
Hi everyone,
I've been mailing back and forth with Vienna a little bit. (And I've spoken to them a number of times before, during the trip prep). The guy I've been dealing with has always been very friendly and helpful, and they speak excellent German/English – so no communication problems at all. I triple-checked with Vienna: LOI is DEFINITELY mandatory AND 'possible to get' for a TRANSIT visa. Tour guide is DEFINITELY NOT mandatory. But: All tour operators, including StanTours (who I agree are very helpful) say that they only issue a LOI for a TOURIST visa, which comes with a packaged tour. |
:(
I also checked, as I'm going there in one and a half month.
The problem is that tour agency can offer LOI ONLY for tourist visa, NOT transit which, according to the state law, means that entering Turkmenistan as a tourist a visitor is obliged to book tour services, such as hotel accommodation in Ashgabat, guided sightseeing, guide-escort outside Ashgabat. I contacted more than a few agencys and the answer is the same. :( This is really a problem now, only way to avoid Turkmenistan is via Afghanistan, and that isn't funny at all. :censored: |
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This is true not just with Turkmen but with other consulates. And lastly, please do NOT bribe to acquire a visa on the spot...you will make it more difficult for travellers that follow and that is disrespectful. |
Nixa,
According to Vienna, a LOI is actually possible WITHOUT Tourist visa. So I don't know why tour operators can't issue one. |
Because by the law thay cannot issue LOI without bookings, guide, escort.
All of tour agencys explicitly told me that they cannot issue me LOI without all the extras. I really now start to think that people in Vienna don't know for this rule. I will call in Vienna tomorrow and explain to them what is the problem that this new rule doesn't have much sense. After that, if they still insist on LOI then I'll call other Turkmen embassys (Kiev, Almaty, Bishtek, Toskent) and try to get that visa. Turkmen visa is the last one I need. I cannot close the circle without their visa. |
I'm not sure if you're aware of this about the Turkmen visa...
Whether you choose to get a tourist/transit visa, you MUST pick fixed dates to enter and leave the country. If you don't enter by your entry date, the visa is worthless... Because of this many people prefer to acquire the visa when they get closer to Turkmenistan. Within a month of arriving... HTH |
Yes I'm aware that, as I'm starting on 12.07.2008, somewhere around 10.08.2008 should be OK. I took a few days+ just to be there on time.
If people in Vienna show no mercy tomorrow I'll try to arrange something in one of the embassys in Central Asia. Bishtek, Toskent or Dusambe one of them should do the job, I hope. My main arguments for tomorrow are: 1. I apllied before this new regulation. When LOI was not needed, they told me that I don' need one. 2. They told me that I will get visa in Viena 2 weeks back, but I didn't, that is very, very unprofessional. I drove 800 km that day for nothing. |
I almost forgot:
3. There is noone who could even issue LOI for transit visa in the first place |
Nixa,
EXACTLY the same situation for me. Though I didn't drive to Vienna, because I found out JUST before heading up there (my travel partner found out...). BTW: Embassies being unprofessional? Are you kidding me? Ha Ha :) I can tell you stories from various other embassies that created just as many problems as the TM one... But I always got there in the end. |
:)
Good news guys! :)
This morning I phoned in Vienna and explained the whole situation to them. They told me to call back later, because they need to check, is LOI really only issued for tourist visa. When I call them back, they told me that everything is okey, and that I can get my visa without LOI. Also, I phoned embassy in Kiev and they don't need LOI for transit visa. Why this whole situation occured ? :confused1: I really don't know but I asume that somebody didn't pay enough attention. I just hope that this is their final answer. |
September 2008
I got my Turkmenistan transit visa in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. That embassy is real pain, probably the worst I have seen. :thumbdown: It is very difficult to get inside as there is live queue (with waiting list) but as they are only open 2 hours per day and process is very slow, not all people who are waiting will get inside by the end of day and must try again the following day. I got inside on 3rd day, as I put my name in the waiting list around midnight. On second day I was number 6 in the list but unfortuanately police stopped me in metro to check documents and as I had 2 passports I had to spend 2 hours in metro police station explaining things and by that time the embassy already closed...
Once inside you give your application and then wait 10 days for approval. After 10 days you'll need some patience again to get inside the embassy to ask if you were approved. As the approval takes so long you can leave your entry/exit dates open on visa application and specify them later, after you are approved. At the end I got my 5-day transit visa, paid $35, but they had written completely different itinerary on visa than I requested (different entry/exit points). I wanted to transit to Iran from near Nukus and exit below Asgabat but they gave me Farap-Artyk-Türkmenbashi, like I was going to Baku. That also means they still issue transit visas for ferry passengers. Without Türkmenbashi the visa would probably be 3-day, not 5 (one Japanese who received the same day, he had only 3 days and no Türkmenbashi marked). On Türkmenistan border at Farap I had to pay $13 fee to enter the country plus $58 for motorbike. Vehicle fee is calculated mainly from distance (low fuel cost compensation), I had Farap-Artyk. Big cargo trucks pay something like $400 for that route. They will issue special transit permit that also includes generic road map of Türkmenistan and your exact route is also marked on the map (in addition to entry/exit point names). I speak Russian and got impression that it may be possible to alter your route slightly at this point. If officials are in good mood and you explain them that you want also to go to Asgabat for few days, they may mark that on your paper (you must talk about this *before* thay are starting to draw this paper). If not, then officially no go. Soon after crossing the border at Farap you need to cross Amu-Darya river and need to pay toll for that (100000 manat + $5 or about $13). Bigger vehicles pay more. In september unofficial exchange rate was about 1$ = 13000 manat, and litre of gasoline did cost 3300 manat. |
Turkmenistan...
few years ago I tried to get a Turkmenistan visa in Tashkent - after lots of waiting finally I was given a 3 month visa valid for 2 1/2 months...
so I asked why? Apparently, I hadn't provided a certificate to prove that I didn't have AIDS, so I could only be given a 2 1/2 month visa, not a 3 month... I asked the embassy staff who had come up with this piece of research? Had someone discovered as the result of long experiment that Turkomen women were able to resist the charms of western men for 10 weeks, but not for 12... he just shrugged and, very apologetically said 'we don't make the rules, you understand how it is...' I sort of felt that it was a challenge, but then the Uzbek - Afghan route opened, so I didn't get the chance to see... ah, regrets! Tony |
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