T plus 43 - Shymkent (Kazakhstan) to Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
Ok, so I must admit I was a bit nervous about this border crossing after reading so many horror stories which ranged from having to pay a small bribe to outright extortion.
Happily, I can report that it was completely uneventful for me. The whole process took less than an hour and there are even English-translated custom forms for you at the Uzbek side. Maybe times have changed, but someone has certainly cleaned things up really well.
Here is the process:
1. Get on a minibus from Shymkent's Autovokzal (bus station) Samal (Bus 69 from town centre). 600 Tenge (USD3.50). Ask for Chernyaevka (Jibek Joly / Gisht Kuprik). Repeat "Uzbekistan" 3 times to be doubly sure.
2. It's a 3 hour ride, slightly less if traffic conditions are good. But the roads are pretty dire. Prepare to be bounced around.
3. Drop-off is right in front of the Kazakh immigration building. Get through a couple of cursory checks. Make sure you have registered yourself with the migration police if you've crossed into Kazakhstan via a land border and have stayed for more than 5 days. I have an earlier post on this.
4. Walk over to Uzbek side - 50m, covered all the way.
5. It's a short line (maybe 10 people per counter) at Uzbek passport control.
6. Proceed to customs check in the next room. Ask for English (Angliska) customs form. You'll be given 2 (two) copies. Make sure you fill in both with identical information. One is for your exit from the country.
7. The customs checkpoint is supposed to be where all the hassle is, but I was waved through the X-ray machine without even being asked to open my bag.
8. Walk out of the building and you're in Uzbekistan! Like I said, less than an hour (it was 1.00pm when I entered the Kazakh-side). Note, you can change USD or Tenge into Som at this point. The going street rate is 4,300 Som to 1USD, and you'd probably get 4,200 to 1 which isn't terrible.
9. Either grab a shared taxi (5,000 Som (USD1.20) to town) or hop on a bus which takes you 1km down the road (600 Som) where you can negotiate for a cheaper shared taxi to town (3,000 Som).
10. And that's it! This is assuming of course that you have your Uzbek visa and documents in order.
A friend went the reverse way i.e. Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan across the same border crossing a week back and he reported that it was pretty much hassle free too. Looks like it's becoming much easier for travelers these days.
Ok, so I must admit I was a bit nervous about this border crossing after reading so many horror stories which ranged from having to pay a small bribe to outright extortion.
Happily, I can report that it was completely uneventful for me. The whole process took less than an hour and there are even English-translated custom forms for you at the Uzbek side. Maybe times have changed, but someone has certainly cleaned things up really well.
Here is the process:
1. Get on a minibus from Shymkent's Autovokzal (bus station) Samal (Bus 69 from town centre). 600 Tenge (USD3.50). Ask for Chernyaevka (Jibek Joly / Gisht Kuprik). Repeat "Uzbekistan" 3 times to be doubly sure.
2. It's a 3 hour ride, slightly less if traffic conditions are good. But the roads are pretty dire. Prepare to be bounced around.
3. Drop-off is right in front of the Kazakh immigration building. Get through a couple of cursory checks. Make sure you have registered yourself with the migration police if you've crossed into Kazakhstan via a land border and have stayed for more than 5 days. I have an earlier post on this.
4. Walk over to Uzbek side - 50m, covered all the way.
5. It's a short line (maybe 10 people per counter) at Uzbek passport control.
6. Proceed to customs check in the next room. Ask for English (Angliska) customs form. You'll be given 2 (two) copies. Make sure you fill in both with identical information. One is for your exit from the country.
7. The customs checkpoint is supposed to be where all the hassle is, but I was waved through the X-ray machine without even being asked to open my bag.
8. Walk out of the building and you're in Uzbekistan! Like I said, less than an hour (it was 1.00pm when I entered the Kazakh-side). Note, you can change USD or Tenge into Som at this point. The going street rate is 4,300 Som to 1USD, and you'd probably get 4,200 to 1 which isn't terrible.
9. Either grab a shared taxi (5,000 Som (USD1.20) to town) or hop on a bus which takes you 1km down the road (600 Som) where you can negotiate for a cheaper shared taxi to town (3,000 Som).
10. And that's it! This is assuming of course that you have your Uzbek visa and documents in order.
A friend went the reverse way i.e. Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan across the same border crossing a week back and he reported that it was pretty much hassle free too. Looks like it's becoming much easier for travelers these days.
