The gate between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Fairly deserted.
Note: I do not recommend taking photos at border crossings. You can get into serious trouble. I only did it because there was absolutely no guards around at the time.
Note: I do not recommend taking photos at border crossings. You can get into serious trouble. I only did it because there was absolutely no guards around at the time.
T plus 56 - Shabat (Uzbekistan) to Dashogus (Turkmenistan)
Ok, so there’s a lot of talk in the forums on how difficult it is to visit Turkmenistan. And it’s true. They really make it tough, and that’s probably why there are fewer tourist arrivals per year in Turkmenistan than North Korea! It’s as if the Turkmen government doesn’t really want you there. And they probably don’t.
Why else would they impose the binding condition for all tourists to be accompanied by a licensed guide throughout their time in the country? Surely this makes things prohibitively expensive. Just to put things into context, arrangements for a 4-5 day Tourist Visa plus “guide” (more like driver) is an eye watering USD700.
The only way to get around this is to use the Transit Visa loophole. And this only costs USD59, all in. AND it allows for unrestricted, unaccompanied travel throughout the country. So why then, one may ask, doesn’t everyone just apply for a transit visa? Well, for starters, it is by no means guaranteed that you’ll receive approval. Many have been rejected, and they don’t tell you why.
I’ll describe below, in detail, the steps I took to get my own transit visa, and the process for the Uzbek-Turkmen border crossing via Shabat/Dashogus.
Process for Transit Visa
1. Go to Turkmen embassy (best to go in the morning). I went to the one in Tashkent, but others have succeeded with embassies in Dushanbe, London, basically anywhere.
2. Bring 1x colour photocopy (not black and white) of your passport, and 2x colour passport photos with you. I didn’t need anything else. They’ll give you a couple of forms to fill out which you can do on the spot.
3. Tell them you want to apply for a transit visa. At this point, consider stating the most popular routes - Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran (and reverse) and Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan (and reverse) seem to be the most common, and most commonly approved. A couple I met had their Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan application rejected, and we think it’s due to the route.
4. Note that you cannot change your entry and exit points once they are fixed. And make sure you come up with a convincing story including where you’ll be staying (city/hotel) throughout your time in Turkmenistan. This will help you to max out the 5 day transit visa. Otherwise you may only get 3 days. I got mine approved for 5 days by stating that I’d spend one night each in Konye-Urgench, Dashogus, Darvaza and two nights in Ashgabat. You’re free to mix this up once you’re in the country, but the entry and exit points must remain the same.
5. Tell them you want to pick-up your visa at your entry point into Turkmenistan. NOT the embassy where you applied. In my case, I picked up my visa at the Shabat/Dashogus crossing even though I applied in Tashkent. A code will be given to you (once your visa is approved) for this purpose.
6. You must have an onward visa for the country you go to after Turkmenistan. In my case, Malaysians do not need a visa for Iran (visa on arrival), and this took a lot of explaining. Not just at the Turkmen Embassy, but at the Uzbek-Turkmen border crossing too.
7. You will be asked to wait 10 days. Make sure you get a phone number from the officer to call to check. It’s a good idea to call after 7 days just to remind them. Mine was approved on the 7th day (actually only 5 working days). You’ll be given a code over the phone. Repeat this back to the officer 3 times to be sure. Mine was UZ2433. The prefix indicates where you applied for the visa – UZ for Uzbekistan.
8. That’s it. Remember, there is no guarantee that the Transit Visa will be approved. Although I was told that it’s possible to re-apply after a rejected application with a different route. So do keep your plans for this leg of the journey as flexible as possible.
[UPDATE]: Malaysians DO need a visa (from Iran) for the Turkmenistan-Iran land border crossing. Apparently Visa-on-Arrival for Iran (for Malaysians) only works for visitors arriving at Tehran International Airport, NOT via land border crossings. I found this out at the last minute and had to take a flight out of Ashgabat. BUT the good news is that the immigration officer at Ashgabat airport didn't ask any questions about my earlier stated route. So it's possible to use a Transit Visa to get into Turkmenistan via a land border, spend up to 5 days in the country, then fly out from Ashgabat airport.
Process for Border Crossing
1. I will describe Shabat (Uzbekkistan) to Dashogus (Turkmenistan) crossing below. This is the most commonly used border crossing between the two countries. The 2nd most popular, the Hojeli crossing near Nukus was closed when I checked. It may re-open in August 2015.
2. Make your way to Urgench, and asked to be dropped at the bazaar. From there, find your way by asking around for the taxi vokzal for Shabat/Turkmenistan. Ask other taxi drivers and eventually you’ll find it. There are 4 sides to the bazaar and taxi stands on every side for different destinations. You’ll just need to find the right side.
3. Pay 4,000 som (USD1) for share-taxi to Shabat. Negotiate if you have to. Prepare to wait. It may be as long as an hour or two depending on volume of people crossing that day and your luck.
4. It’s only a 30-40 min ride to Shabat where you’ll be dropped off in a parking lot. Don’t panic. This is where you transfer to this minivan for the final leg.
5. Pay 2,000 som (USD0.50) at the point. Another 30-60min wait for minivan to fill up.
6. The border crossing is the minivan’s last stop, about 15mins away. At this point, the roads start getting really remote. Again, don’t panic. You’re on the right track.
7. Congratulations! You’ve reached the border crossing. It’s likely going to be very quiet. There were a total of 5 people making the crossing at that point. And it’s supposed to be a busy Sunday (weekend) crowd. I arrive at about 3.30pm. I think they border closes at 5.00pm, but better be there as early as possible. Otherwise you’ll have to go all the way back to Urgench because there isn’t anywhere to stay in Shabat.
8. First checkpoint – Uzbek customs form-filling. There were no English forms when I was there, but the customs officer was kind to find up everything for me in Uzbek. Make sure you produce the duplicate copy of the form you filled in when you entered Uzbekistan.
9. Second check point – Uzbek customs inspection. You may see the guy in front of you having his bag x-rayed 5 times, his money counted bill-by-bill, and his computer being fired up and files and photos being examined. Don’t panic. Say the magic words “I am tourist” and you’ll be waved right through. Apparently they (the Uzbeks) only do this for Turkmen citizens. Poor guy in front of me had every single media file on his computer opened up by the customs officer.
10. Third check point – Uzbek passport control. Ok, here is where things get a bit hairy. Apparently the officers here do not understand that you’re going to collect your Turkmen transit visa on the other side. So they’ll keep asking for it. In Russian. Keep insisting and gesticulating and eventually a guy who speaks English will swing by and let you through.
11. Fourth check point – no man’s land. Owing to the stupidly designed border crossings in the Soviet era, the buildings on the Uzbek and Turkmen sides aren’t connected. You’ll have to walk the 1.5km if there isn’t a taxi there to take you. I was lucky and paid 3,000 som (USD0.75) for the ride. Incidentally, there are two Turkmen guards here who will again give you trouble for not having the Turkmen visa. Repeatedly mention the word “code” and they’ll eventually understand.
12. Fifth checkpoint – Turkmen passport control. Congratulations! You made it out of Uzbekistan. Explain at the first counter that you have a visa code and give it to them. They’ll make a couple of phone calls and all should be well. They’ll ask you to pay USD59 at this point – USD45 for the visa, USD10 for admin fee and USD4 for bank fee. The “bank” is actually a lady cashier in the next counter. This checkpoint should take about 30 mins tops. Make sure you have small change in USD coz the lady may not have any.
13. Sixth and final checkpoint – Turkmen customs – You’ll be asked to fill in a customs form (thankfully there is English translation next to the Turkmen words). They will open your bag and take everything out. Don’t panic. They’re not looking for anything in particular (again declare you are a tourist). In my case, they specifically asked if I was carrying any psychedelic drugs (I wish!) or, randomly, Uzbek carpets.
14. Congratulations! You’re now in Turkmenistan! The whole border crossing took about 2 hours for me. Mainly because I didn’t identify myself as a tourist at the first checkpoint – they’ll cut you to the front. Could have been 30 mins less. At no point was I asked for a bribe, or asked to show the currency I had with me. So in that respect, very smooth and uneventful. The taxi ride to Dashogus town should be about USD2. Negotiate with the taxi guys waiting for you outside. You won’t have any Turkmen Manat at this point, so maybe ask the taxi man to take you to a bank. USD1 = 3.5 Manat. No black market here.
Ok, so there’s a lot of talk in the forums on how difficult it is to visit Turkmenistan. And it’s true. They really make it tough, and that’s probably why there are fewer tourist arrivals per year in Turkmenistan than North Korea! It’s as if the Turkmen government doesn’t really want you there. And they probably don’t.
Why else would they impose the binding condition for all tourists to be accompanied by a licensed guide throughout their time in the country? Surely this makes things prohibitively expensive. Just to put things into context, arrangements for a 4-5 day Tourist Visa plus “guide” (more like driver) is an eye watering USD700.
The only way to get around this is to use the Transit Visa loophole. And this only costs USD59, all in. AND it allows for unrestricted, unaccompanied travel throughout the country. So why then, one may ask, doesn’t everyone just apply for a transit visa? Well, for starters, it is by no means guaranteed that you’ll receive approval. Many have been rejected, and they don’t tell you why.
I’ll describe below, in detail, the steps I took to get my own transit visa, and the process for the Uzbek-Turkmen border crossing via Shabat/Dashogus.
Process for Transit Visa
1. Go to Turkmen embassy (best to go in the morning). I went to the one in Tashkent, but others have succeeded with embassies in Dushanbe, London, basically anywhere.
2. Bring 1x colour photocopy (not black and white) of your passport, and 2x colour passport photos with you. I didn’t need anything else. They’ll give you a couple of forms to fill out which you can do on the spot.
3. Tell them you want to apply for a transit visa. At this point, consider stating the most popular routes - Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran (and reverse) and Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan (and reverse) seem to be the most common, and most commonly approved. A couple I met had their Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan application rejected, and we think it’s due to the route.
4. Note that you cannot change your entry and exit points once they are fixed. And make sure you come up with a convincing story including where you’ll be staying (city/hotel) throughout your time in Turkmenistan. This will help you to max out the 5 day transit visa. Otherwise you may only get 3 days. I got mine approved for 5 days by stating that I’d spend one night each in Konye-Urgench, Dashogus, Darvaza and two nights in Ashgabat. You’re free to mix this up once you’re in the country, but the entry and exit points must remain the same.
5. Tell them you want to pick-up your visa at your entry point into Turkmenistan. NOT the embassy where you applied. In my case, I picked up my visa at the Shabat/Dashogus crossing even though I applied in Tashkent. A code will be given to you (once your visa is approved) for this purpose.
6. You must have an onward visa for the country you go to after Turkmenistan. In my case, Malaysians do not need a visa for Iran (visa on arrival), and this took a lot of explaining. Not just at the Turkmen Embassy, but at the Uzbek-Turkmen border crossing too.
7. You will be asked to wait 10 days. Make sure you get a phone number from the officer to call to check. It’s a good idea to call after 7 days just to remind them. Mine was approved on the 7th day (actually only 5 working days). You’ll be given a code over the phone. Repeat this back to the officer 3 times to be sure. Mine was UZ2433. The prefix indicates where you applied for the visa – UZ for Uzbekistan.
8. That’s it. Remember, there is no guarantee that the Transit Visa will be approved. Although I was told that it’s possible to re-apply after a rejected application with a different route. So do keep your plans for this leg of the journey as flexible as possible.
[UPDATE]: Malaysians DO need a visa (from Iran) for the Turkmenistan-Iran land border crossing. Apparently Visa-on-Arrival for Iran (for Malaysians) only works for visitors arriving at Tehran International Airport, NOT via land border crossings. I found this out at the last minute and had to take a flight out of Ashgabat. BUT the good news is that the immigration officer at Ashgabat airport didn't ask any questions about my earlier stated route. So it's possible to use a Transit Visa to get into Turkmenistan via a land border, spend up to 5 days in the country, then fly out from Ashgabat airport.
Process for Border Crossing
1. I will describe Shabat (Uzbekkistan) to Dashogus (Turkmenistan) crossing below. This is the most commonly used border crossing between the two countries. The 2nd most popular, the Hojeli crossing near Nukus was closed when I checked. It may re-open in August 2015.
2. Make your way to Urgench, and asked to be dropped at the bazaar. From there, find your way by asking around for the taxi vokzal for Shabat/Turkmenistan. Ask other taxi drivers and eventually you’ll find it. There are 4 sides to the bazaar and taxi stands on every side for different destinations. You’ll just need to find the right side.
3. Pay 4,000 som (USD1) for share-taxi to Shabat. Negotiate if you have to. Prepare to wait. It may be as long as an hour or two depending on volume of people crossing that day and your luck.
4. It’s only a 30-40 min ride to Shabat where you’ll be dropped off in a parking lot. Don’t panic. This is where you transfer to this minivan for the final leg.
5. Pay 2,000 som (USD0.50) at the point. Another 30-60min wait for minivan to fill up.
6. The border crossing is the minivan’s last stop, about 15mins away. At this point, the roads start getting really remote. Again, don’t panic. You’re on the right track.
7. Congratulations! You’ve reached the border crossing. It’s likely going to be very quiet. There were a total of 5 people making the crossing at that point. And it’s supposed to be a busy Sunday (weekend) crowd. I arrive at about 3.30pm. I think they border closes at 5.00pm, but better be there as early as possible. Otherwise you’ll have to go all the way back to Urgench because there isn’t anywhere to stay in Shabat.
8. First checkpoint – Uzbek customs form-filling. There were no English forms when I was there, but the customs officer was kind to find up everything for me in Uzbek. Make sure you produce the duplicate copy of the form you filled in when you entered Uzbekistan.
9. Second check point – Uzbek customs inspection. You may see the guy in front of you having his bag x-rayed 5 times, his money counted bill-by-bill, and his computer being fired up and files and photos being examined. Don’t panic. Say the magic words “I am tourist” and you’ll be waved right through. Apparently they (the Uzbeks) only do this for Turkmen citizens. Poor guy in front of me had every single media file on his computer opened up by the customs officer.
10. Third check point – Uzbek passport control. Ok, here is where things get a bit hairy. Apparently the officers here do not understand that you’re going to collect your Turkmen transit visa on the other side. So they’ll keep asking for it. In Russian. Keep insisting and gesticulating and eventually a guy who speaks English will swing by and let you through.
11. Fourth check point – no man’s land. Owing to the stupidly designed border crossings in the Soviet era, the buildings on the Uzbek and Turkmen sides aren’t connected. You’ll have to walk the 1.5km if there isn’t a taxi there to take you. I was lucky and paid 3,000 som (USD0.75) for the ride. Incidentally, there are two Turkmen guards here who will again give you trouble for not having the Turkmen visa. Repeatedly mention the word “code” and they’ll eventually understand.
12. Fifth checkpoint – Turkmen passport control. Congratulations! You made it out of Uzbekistan. Explain at the first counter that you have a visa code and give it to them. They’ll make a couple of phone calls and all should be well. They’ll ask you to pay USD59 at this point – USD45 for the visa, USD10 for admin fee and USD4 for bank fee. The “bank” is actually a lady cashier in the next counter. This checkpoint should take about 30 mins tops. Make sure you have small change in USD coz the lady may not have any.
13. Sixth and final checkpoint – Turkmen customs – You’ll be asked to fill in a customs form (thankfully there is English translation next to the Turkmen words). They will open your bag and take everything out. Don’t panic. They’re not looking for anything in particular (again declare you are a tourist). In my case, they specifically asked if I was carrying any psychedelic drugs (I wish!) or, randomly, Uzbek carpets.
14. Congratulations! You’re now in Turkmenistan! The whole border crossing took about 2 hours for me. Mainly because I didn’t identify myself as a tourist at the first checkpoint – they’ll cut you to the front. Could have been 30 mins less. At no point was I asked for a bribe, or asked to show the currency I had with me. So in that respect, very smooth and uneventful. The taxi ride to Dashogus town should be about USD2. Negotiate with the taxi guys waiting for you outside. You won’t have any Turkmen Manat at this point, so maybe ask the taxi man to take you to a bank. USD1 = 3.5 Manat. No black market here.
You will be greeted by the smiling face of President Berdymukhamedov upon stepping onto Turkmen soil.