turkmenistan transit visa?
 

does anyone have any recent information about obtaining one in Dushanbe or Tashkent? I've heard 2nd hand reports of denials due to ferry unreliability

ferry unreliability?? the only sea route into TM is from the caspian, nearest Visa office to the west is in Ankara I think, they seemed pretty good when I went there. Of course the great and good born leader of the Turkmen people is now dead, so it all might have changed. In theory his death should make access easier, but I haven't heard a peep from my friends in Ashgabat for ages.

Try asking Stantours.com for info. Dave (berghof) is based in Almaty and knows goings on in the region and visa stuff very well indeed

StanTours says there have been some problems, nothing specifiic... the problem I heard of (2nd hand report from biker to biker) was in the Westward direction, with people in Turkmenbashi being stuck and overstaying their visas...

suppose that is a risk, but there are boats running pretty frequently and they are usually mostly empty. Visa running out is not the end of the world - just remember that no-one will detain you for being in their country for too long, they just want rid of you! I cried mechanical failure and they happily extended my visa, and even more happily took 80 bucks for the privelege!
TM was my favourite place in Central Asia, can't wait to go back!

turkmenistan transit
 

We have been there in July 2007;
We had a 5 days transit visa and the ferry was 2 days late, so we had only 3 days to cross turkmenistan; I asked the guy in turkmenbashi if I can reset the dates beacause of the ferry - nope, but he told me there is no problem to get a new 5 days transit visa in ashgabat; finally we haven't done this, but was definitely saying its doable in few hours in ashgabat;

those 3 days in turkmenistan were greate, specially Ashgabat and darvaza;

photos from baku->turkmenistan:

MotoSyberia2007

maciek
http://motosyberia.com



maciek

We applied for a Turkmenistan transit visa in Dushanbe about 2 hours ago. Very friendly embassy.

We are told to come back to pick it up in three working days and to bring 31US$ (per person). That is for a 5 day transit visa.

We could also get it in two days for 51US$

That is way faster then we expected and I ever heard from somebody else, so we are a bit curious if this is really true. We'll know for sure in 3 days...

Cheers from Dushanbe

See post below...getting an extension is not a big deal. Be friendly with the guys in Ashgabat, and you'll get another 5 day visa.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...sit-visa-27241

The OVIR office for the extension is next to the US embassy. Ask folk for the US embassy and then ask the guard at the US embassy, where the OVIR office is...

HTH

In Dushanbe
 

Dushanbe is a piece of cake for a turkmenistan transit visa.

Emnbassy is open every day from 9-12 and 14-18.
Requirements:

- 2 pictures
- onward visa (Iran most likely)
- The friendly consul even takes photocopies himself
- You need to supply begin/end date and entry/border

You can keep you passport, three working days later (if you pay extra it is possible in two days) bring in your passport in the morning. At 2pm the same day you can pick up your visa.

Normally he issues 5 days transit visa. But we asked for and got 6 days.

Price: 31US/person (3days processing) or 51US/person express (2days processing)

They moved recently, I'll post the new adress and GPS waypoint later

New address of Turkmenistan consulate in Dushanbe:

Achunbabaeva 10
Tel: 2-24-11-62

If you drive north on Rudaki, near the end it makes a bend to the left (big clock on the crossroads; you would go right here for Salsa restaurant). At this crossroad turn left on Karamov and take the second to the right. After 100m there is a small alley to the left, it's there.

It's close the where Lonely Planet's Central Asia map says the brittish embassy is

GPS: N 38° 36.5439 E 68° 46.9191

PS. On our transit visa no entry or exit points are indicated... I guess we can go wherever we want now :-)

Hi.

Various sources suggest that LOI is required for a Transit Visa. Did you have one?

LOI is not required for a transit visa in Istanbul...as you are not sponsored/invited by a tour company....BUT every embassy for Turkmenistan has the right to interpret the rules their way....welcome to the Stans...

edde

PS...Greet David B(StanTours) for me...he's a great guy and can make things happen for you.

Thanks Edde.

Rather what I thought. I'll be coming the other way so I'll try Almaty or Tashkent embassies. If they ask for them there are worse places to wait for LOI's - providing you can afford Almaty! Currently David Berghoff is saying he can't help with Transit visas, only organised tours.

Almaty is an expensive place to pick up visas and can be troublesome.
Tashkent may be easier for Turkmen, BUT only is you can't get in Almaty. Camp outside Almaty and come into town for the day...ask Phil Flan(on the HUBB)for GPS coordinates of a good spot...

David is right...he can't get a transit visa for you as you have to apply yourself...it may take a week or so to process, BUT you won't be able to pick it up at the border. UNLESS of course their new president has loosened things since May 2007...which was when I was there.

HTH

gps - almaty
 

Hi edde !
Hi Wrinkly !


Almaty is expensive. But, just few miles out of town is area of woods (towards ski area) with fast flowing river.
We wildcamped there for a week, no problems. Few local late night lovers/revellers but no issues and darn site cheaper than $100 per night hotels.

I have routes and gps co-ords for our whole journey, most should be on my site ( www.travel.uklinux.net ) but if you need more then drop me a line.

Phil.

gps - almaty
 

Hi edde !
Hi Wrinkly !


Almaty is expensive. But, just few miles out of town is area of woods (towards ski area) with fast flowing river.
We wildcamped there for a week, no problems. Few local late night lovers/revellers but no issues and darn site cheaper than $100 per night hotels.

I have routes and gps co-ords for our whole journey, most should be on my site ( www.travel.uklinux.net ) but if you need more then drop me a line.

Phil.

Thanks Edde & Phil

Camping is the preferred option. We stayed in Almaty earlier this year, so - been there, done that, and got the bank balance to prove it!! Couldn't afford the T shirt as well.

Thank you Phil for the good stuff about Turkmentistan. and the rest of all you great people who have helped us in our planning. I am now officially retired. Friday was my last day. I will work for a while longer unofficially (it is against the law for anyone over 65 to work) to push a few more dollars together but this time next year we will be at the Christmas gathering in Ushaia. I don't know how to attach a photo but I would like to put one up of our scotter with all its gear. We made a trial run to Yellowstone this past summer to see how it would handle with all the weight and really couldn't tell any difference except a drop of 2-3 miles a gallon. no load it gets 55mpg and loaded it gets about 52. We go up next week to the clinic to get the rest of our stabs and jabs and will get 170 malarone tabs for the two years we will be in mozzie country. The dream is coming together

congratulations 'Hindu1936'
 

well done on the retirement !!!!

Have fun on the road, enjoy, drive safe, travel far.

Phil.

Unlucky Phil, I managed to find a place for 30 bucks a night. Admittedly it was on the wrong side of the tracks, but I never had any grief! Hope your journeys going well, its driving me nuts not being on the road anymore. In fact enough procrastinating, I'm going to get that triumph going...

Congratulations on retiring Hindu!!

don't know if congratulations are in order. I haven't been out of work since I was 7 years old and it is a strange feeling. I am out of work. Korean law won't let me have a contract job anymore so the only thing I can do is teach private students until spring time when I go back to the states and get the machine ready for traveling. all these years of planning and now it is here. talk about mixed emotions----still, it isn't like I don't have something to do. I have learned languages, memorized maps, we have long lists of places to see and things to do and when the three years of wandering the world are finished, we then have the rest of the States to see and maybe a ride to Alaska. I worked up there 20 years ago on Zarembo Island out of Wrangell and would like to go back up there. bet they don't see many maxi-scooters there. see you down the road somewhere.

I think I managed to get a room in Almaty for even less than that in 2003.
There are guys hanging out in front of hotels offering rooms in apartments. No hot water and we had to find parking on our own, but it beat forking out big bucks for a hotel and everywhere we needed to go was pretty much within walking distance.
However, I don't know if this is still possible, or even if it is/was legal...

not sure
 

what we did is apply for our turkmen visas in dushanbe and pick them up five days later in tashkent, which worked perfectly and saved us the trouble of hanging around in capitals. but at both embassies we were told no more transit visas are issued if you're heading for the ferry; not our problem as we were heading for iran, but that's what they said. several other travellers, with and without bikes, were refused visas on that ground.

good luck

Thanks for that. Guess I must just wait and see what happens.

When was this?
Did your transit visa in your passport specify your port of entry AND exit?

Mine didn't so when I arrived in Turkmenbashi(May 2007), I was asked there...where my port of exit was. Make sure you purchase insurance for twice your transit visa length of stay OR else you will have to buy it twice...not sure if that's possible.
You can extend your transit visa in Ashgabat...

exit not entry
 

This was october 2007. And no, the visa doesn't specify entry or exit, but you have to fill out both points on the form with the little map on the entering border, as they use it to calculate your road tax.

there's no problem if you enter via the port + ferry, only if you want to exit that way.

g&t

Just to clarify...do NOT specify your ENTRY or EXIT when applying for your visa...as it may not be necessary AND my give them an excuse to deny you a visa.

You will be asked at the port of entry(whether Ashgabat airport or Turmenbashi ferry port) your exit...

On occassion, embassy and border control folks seem to operate on different interpretations.

visa
 

we applied for our turkmen transit visa in dushanbe and pick it up in tashkent. easy and no hassle. but we were told everywhere that you cannot get one if you want to exit with the ferry. we were heading for iran, but saw several travellers refused a visa for that reason. the embassy in dushanbe is friendly, but hard to find. i don't remember the adress, but it is close to the great game travel logde which is in the new lonely planet, and close to the geran embassy - we spent 3 hours looking for it, so check first.

[QUOTE=trui_gaea;171310]the embassy in dushanbe is friendly, but hard to find[QUOTE]

it's here: N 38° 36,544 E 68° 46,919

I'll be coming the other way so I'll try Almaty or Tashkent embassies. If they ask for them there are worse places to wait for LOI's - providing you can afford Almaty! Currently David Berghoff is saying he can't help with Transit visas, only organised tours.[/quote]

We are planning to cross Turkmenistan (from Uzbekistan) and want to get visas in Almaty or Tashkent - prefer to get a transit visa. Were you able to succeed?

tashkent
 

you should be able to get a visa in tashkent. the embassy is correct but show up in time -hours before it opens- and put your name on the waiting list, or you'll never get in. then spend three hours waiting -don't leave or you won't get in- and fill out the forms. come back afterwards for same procedure.

and the embassies now ask for your ongoing visa, so even if your exit-entry points are not on the form they don't give you a transit visum without iranian visa.

g&t

Almaty- free accomodation
 

Dear HUBB readers.
I realise this thread is old, but I'm reading it now in Feb 09 so this info might be useful...

I am from UK, but currently live in Almaty and expect I'll be here until summer 2010 or even 2011.

I am currently planning a trip from UK to Almaty in Summer 09 so am going to be on here a lot from now on.

Anyway, I thought I would offer somewhere to stay. We have a nice house, loads of space and it's just out of town so pretty safe for bikes overnight.

Contact me at wideboyracer {aatt} hotmail {do-tt} com (A New Zealand Motorcycle Adventure: 2006-2007) and I'd be glad to help. Even if I am not around for some reason, I can link you up with a load of other contacts. Kazakh mobile (texts only please!) is +7701 221 7670

Cheers
Dan

see you in summer 09?
 

hi KazakDan

my husband and I will be traveling through Kazak this year - sometime in Aug. We have been on the road 6 years now - http://www.2ridetheworld.com but this will be the first time in the 'Stans.

Do you have any other way of contacting you other than mobile (we dont have one) or HUBB. My personal email is lisathomas@2ridetheworld.com

We would love to meet up with you and maybe take up the offer of room for a night...
:thumbup1:
I am in the process of organising visas etc for the Stans and its proving to be a real headache for Turkmenistan - any advice? We have contacted David from StanTours.

look forward to hearing from you - if you can email me its much better.....
regards