Turkmenistan: visa and entry rules

Turkmenistan's borders: every crossing point

Turkmenistan's land border crossings, neighbour by neighbour:

With Uzbekistan: Farap near Bukhara, Khazarasp and Shavat on the Khorezm side.
With Iran: Bajgiran on the Ashgabat road, Sarakhs, Inche Burun.
With Kazakhstan: Garabogaz (Bekdash) on the Caspian coast.
With Afghanistan: Serhetabat, Imamnazar.

You can pass through any of them only with a visa obtained in advance. That is the main reason road travellers turn back on the approach: the Kazakhstan - Turkmenistan - Iran route is built around the visa, not around the road.

The crossings work to a timetable, and none of the land ones is open around the clock.

By sea, the Baku - Turkmenbashi ferry crosses the Caspian, but its schedule floats and depends on how full the boat is.

Bringing a car into Turkmenistan

On top of the visa come transport charges. On entry you pay a road fee, a fuel compensation charge and compulsory local insurance - the amounts depend on your route and the length of your stay.

The route is agreed in advance and written into your paperwork: you may not deviate from it.

Fuel for foreign cars is sold at a separate price, different from the domestic one.

A tourist's freedom to travel around the country independently is limited by the terms of the visa.

Plan transit through the country with a margin: a five-day transit visa is only just enough to cross Turkmenistan by road.

Travelling to Turkmenistan with a pet

Bringing an animal in requires prior clearance from the veterinary service - this is not paperwork done at the border but a permit obtained in advance.

The rabies vaccination is compulsory, no later than 21 days before entry.

The veterinary certificate is issued by a state veterinary clinic before the trip.

Travelling to Turkmenistan with an animal is the most complicated option in this section: on top of the usual veterinary requirements comes the same permit-based regime that applies to everything else in the country.

Overstaying your visa in Turkmenistan

An overstay here is treated more harshly than in the neighbouring countries. You will not be able to leave without settling it: border control checks the visa and the registration, and the inquiry starts right at the border.

The host party is liable too - the tour operator that issued your voucher.

An entry ban is imposed as a result of that inquiry, and appealing against it from outside the country is all but impossible.

Going beyond the agreed route is an offence in its own right, unconnected with the term of the visa.