Application for Turkmenistan Tourist Visa

You can apply for a tourist visa when you plan to enter Turkmenistan for leisure or site-seeing purposes. However, you should know that the process of getting a tourist visa is lengthy. Sometimes, the Letter of Invitation takes up to a month to be processed, approved, and emailed to your account from the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan. Again, once you lodge your application, the process is referred to Ashgabat for the final decision -- which may take up to 20 days (although the standard time is 10 business days approximately). So, plan in advance and apply for a tourist visa at least 6 weeks prior to your intended entry date into Turkmenistan.

Your tourist visa will come with the following major details: visa validity, visa issue date, passport number, and purpose of entry to Turkmenistan (type of Turkmen visa). Moreover, permits are needed to visit all national parks. Hence, confirm that your visa is endorsed to permit travel in various border zones, Therefore, it is very important that you know your itinerary before you begin your visa application process.At the entry point, you need to pay an additional fee to obtain an entry card which will contain your exit point in Turkmenistan.

We would not say that visa on arrival is issued at Turkmen entry points. However, if you have a Letter of Invitation, you can get a visa stamped on your passport at the Ashgabat airport and at certain border crossings, after paying a certain fee. This visa is valid only for 10 days. For visas with longer validity, you must get it from the Turkmen Embassy in London before you travel to the country. If you land in Turkmenistan via ferry from Azerbaijan, you can get a visa on arrival in Turkmenbashi (after arranging it with the consul, who has to be present there). But again, Azeri authorities do not allow anyone to board the boat at Baku without a valid Turkmenistan visa. Moreover, these approval times can vary according to occasions in the country, such as Independence Day, when the time required is much longer. Therefore, under all circumstances, it is in your best interests if you get a visa approved from the Turkmen Embassy in London prior to your travel dates.

Tourist visas allow you to enter Turkmenistan and embark on tours, only under the condition that you are accompanied by an accredited tour guide, who will meet you at the border and remain with you throughout your trip. Yes, this is a legal requirement in the country.Additionally, your visa will contain a list of all restricted border regions you are planning to visit. Hence, it is essential that you clearly know which places you will visit before you begin your application process. Travel permits are required to travel to the border regions of Turkmenistan and most of the tourist destinations -- barring Ashgabat, Mary, Merv, Turkmenabat and Balkanabat. Hence ensure that any area part from the above are listed on your visa, so that you have the permission to go there.