How to Get a Turkmenistan Visa (My First-Time Success Story)

From the all-white city of Ashgabat, where giant monuments to eccentric leaders line the streets, to a desert crater that’s been burning for half a century, Turkmenistan is one of the whackiest and most unusual countries in the world. I’ve never been anywhere that comes close to the vibe you get here.

But it’s also known as one of the trickiest countries to get a visa in. As the name of this blog may suggest, I’m trying to visit every country in the world. And I’m in groups where many people with the same goal will claim to have visited 196/197 countries, with one nation that eludes them. Turkmenistan.

There are reasons why it’s so tricky. Rejection rates for the letter of invitation (required for the visa) are high. And I’m going to share with you how to maximise your chances of getting the letter successfully. I got mine first time, but did a ton of research beforehand to ensure I had the best strategy.

Now importantly, I have to say that there is no guarantee of success. Following the tips in this guide will help you improve your odds of a successful application, but I certainly can’t guarantee it.

This guide is on applying for a tourist visa. Transit visas (covered later) are like the Loch Ness Monster. People claim they exist, but in a post-Covid world, there’s been virtually no proof of this. And a guide is mandatory, so this isn’t a great independent travel destination if you wanna trot off on your own.

Anyway, you can read on for the full picture there. The process sounds a little daunting to begin with, but with a decent guide to handle the hard work for you, it will hopefully run smoothly.

What do you Need to Enter Turkmenistan?

This is a tricky country to visit, but everything comes down to the letter of invitation (LOI), without that, the other requirements don’t matter.

The Basic Requirements

To visit the country you need:

• A letter of invitation – This is issued by a local tour company.
• A mandatory tour – Your tour company will apply for the LOI on your behalf.
• A visa – You obtain this fairly easily at the border, but MUST have the LOI to receive it.
• A Covid test – You get this whilst crossing the border. It’s a scam really, they don’t properly test you, and your results will always come out in the clear. They make money from this though…
• Proof of onward travel – Your tour company should arrange where you’ll exit the country before applying for your LOI. You can only leave via Uzbekistan, Iran or Kazakhstan overland, or by air. Taking the ferry to Azerbaijan is not possible, and applications to enter or exit via Afghanistan are rarely approved.

Find a tour company first, get them to arrange the LOI after filling out their own form, and tell them where you plan to enter and exit the country. The visa and Covid test are the easy parts, and they only come after you have the LOI.

How to get a Letter of Invitation

You need to start by contacting an authorised tour guide (see the next section for my recommendation). They should provide you with an itinerary based on the information you’ve given them.

You should tell them your planned entry date, planned exit date, activities you want to cover, and planned entry and exit points. As I said above, you should only attempt to cross land borders with Uzbekistan (I crossed the Dashoguz border), Kazakhstan or Iran. Coming via air is fine too.

Now be careful with Iran. Most Europeans, Americans, Canadians and anyone from Australia or New Zealand requires a mandatory tour there. Iran isn’t easy to visit for westerners right now, and this could have a knock-on impact on your Turkmenistan travel plans. I’d advise against direct travel between Iran and Turkmenistan, just to be on the safe side.

Some travellers have received an LOI with plans to enter from or exit to Afghanistan. Whilst the border is open, I don’t recommend this. I’m aware of the majority of LOI applications being rejected if Afghanistan is your planned entry/exit point. Whilst travel to Afghanistan is amazing, my tip would be to visit Turkmenistan, exit into Uzbekistan, get your Afghan visa in Termez, and enter Afghanistan from there to ensure the logistics go smoothly.

Once you’ve agreed on an itinerary with your tour company, they will give you a form. Most of the boxes ask for personal details (name, date of birth etc.), but there is one section where you need to be careful. The job section. It will ask for both your job role, and the location of your work.

Turkmenistan does not like journalists or anyone with a significant social media presence (YouTubers, bloggers, vloggers, Instagrammers etc.). Put any of these down as your profession, and you face a high chance of rejection.

As a blogger, I was wary of this, and put my job down as “English teacher”, which was kinda true as I had been teaching in South Korea the year before my Turkmenistan trip. I’m also lucky in some ways because I have a common name, so it’s pretty hard to find my social media accounts if you don’t have any leads on me already, therefore it would have been hard for the authorities to carry out background checks.

If you have any boring job that won’t raise alarm bells, put that down. I may or may not have claimed to work at my girlfriend’s language institute on my application… Just make sure that whatever you put in this section is plausible. Authorities will most likely try to verify your claims, but they don’t have the reach of Uncle Sam, who generally knows more about you than you do!

Once you’ve filled out the form, your tour company will handle the rest. You need to wait

I sent off my LOI application on October 6th and a scanned passport copy on October 8th, received my LOI successfully on October 17th, and entered Turkmenistan on October 29th. Therefore it took 11 days to complete the application process, and I applied 23 days before visiting.

Keep this information in mind. Just be aware that delays happen, and allowing at least a month before your trip would be the recommended timeframe.

Which Tour Company Should I use Here?

I’m giving you guys tips on how to get the LOI successfully based on my own experiences here. That means I only have one recommendation on who to go with, and that’s Murad Ovlyakuliyev who was fantastic and as responsive as he could be after I first made contact with him (Turkmenistan has some of the worst internet in the world, so don’t expect super fast replies).

Murad’s WhatsApp number: +993 65 046504

He prefers being contacted on WhatsApp, but you can also message him on Facebook if that’s better for you.

I did a ton of research before deciding on who to go with for my Turkmenistan LOI, and Murad’s name kept coming up with positive reports in “Every Passport Stamp”, a group full of experienced travellers trying to visit every country.

And he didn’t disappoint. Aside from the LOI, he handled the logistics flawlessly. From sending a driver to the border who helped sort our visas out, to booking all 4 beds for me in the overnight train to Turkmenabat (a lovely touch after the hellish train journeys I endured with cabin buddies in Uzbekistan), he always delivered.

I Don’t Want a Tourist Visa, can I get a Transit Visa Instead?

Now tours are expensive. Mine cost $700 for just 3 days in Turkmenistan. Yeah, it’s not cheap. And that’s a pretty standard price to pay. You may be able to knock $100-200 by going elsewhere, but with Turkmenistan, your main aim should be to get the LOI successfully, and that’s why I recommend Murad who has a great track record.

A workaround that tourists used pre-Covid was to get a transit visa. They’d be able to travel freely in the country without a tour for a few days which would save a ton of cash. However, the authorities grew wise to this, and have since cracked down on it.

It is now almost impossible to get a transit visa for Turkmenistan.

They do still exist, but are granted almost exclusively to truck drivers passing through the country. And even then, drivers are expected to take the most direct route from A to B. For example, if heading from Bukhara (Uzbekistan) to Mashhad (Iran), you’d pass through Turkmenabat and Mary, but not go near Ashgabat or Darvaza.

I’ve heard of one tourist who successfully got a transit visa post-Covid. He applied in Yerevan (Armenia). I don’t have all the details, but he’s the only successful tourist I know of who took this route.

The bottom line however: it’s almost impossible now, and you’re almost certainly wasting time by trying to get in this way.

What’s the Cost of Visiting Turkmenistan?

A lot. The good news is that the cost of the tour will cover pretty much all your expenses in the country (accommodation, food and drink, transport, activities etc.). The bad news is that this stuff would be fairly cheap if you could travel independently, and the tour will hammer your budget. You can expect to pay:

• Tour: I was quoted $800 for 3 days as a solo traveller. I joined up with another traveller which reduced the cost to $700 per person for 2 people. Use these numbers as rough benchmark figures.
• Visa: At least US$55 (some nationalities pay more, as a Brit I paid $80) + a $4 payment processing fee.
• Covid test: US$29 + a $4 payment processing fee.
• Registration fee: US$10 + a $4 payment processing fee.
• Sticker: US$5 + a $4 payment processing fee.
• Total: At least $115 in entry costs plus the tour cost.

I paid $140 in entry costs + $700 for the tour, meaning $840 for a 3-day tour. Easily the most expensive country I’ve been to when dividing the cost by the number of days in the country. North Korea and Bhutan will surely stake claims for this title in the future though… Mandatory tour requirements make cheap countries expensive.

What you Should NOT do if you Want to Successfully Visit Turkmenistan (Common Rejection Factors)

As I said, I cannot guarantee that you will successfully receive your LOI. This guide is designed to improve your chances of doing so, but I’m not a Turkmen immigration official, and they’re the ones with the final say. Officially, they’ll never tell you why an application is unsuccessful. Unofficially, it may be one of these reasons:

• You have a significant social media presence: Anyone with a big following online is viewed with suspicion, and banded in the “journalist” category, even if they’re just a cat blogger with 10,000 Insta followers. Keep your social media private, and try hiding it between sending off your LOI application, then (hopefully) entering the country.
• You’re travelling to or from Afghanistan: Whilst a handful of LOI applications are accepted, you face a much higher rejection rate if you plan to enter Turkmenistan from, or exit to Afghanistan.
• You have no proof of onward travel: A reputable tour company should take care of this, but you need to prove to the authorities that you will leave the country when you say you will, and have either flight tickets out of Turkmenistan, or a specific land border mentioned on your LOI application.
• You use a bad tour company: I used Murad because he is THE guy to go to for a high success rate. Even if his tours cost a little more, I suggest going with him as most tourists are successful with him. Not all though.
• You make an error in your application form: If any of the details don’t match up with your ID, then you may face rejection for this reason. Proof read everything before sending it off.

Step-by-Step: My Exact Turkmenistan Visa Timeline

I first contacted Murad on Facebook in August, asking about rough costs for visiting Ashgabat and Darvaza Gas Crater. At this point, Turkmenistan was still very much a “maybe” on my itinerary, and I was just gathering information.

On October 3rd, I messaged him again, having decided to go ahead with a trip planned to begin on October 31st (I later changed this and entered the country on the 29th).

Within 5 hours, he had come up with an itinerary for me, covering 3 days, detailing the places I’d visit, breaking down costs and explaining what is or is not included.

On October 4th, he sent me the LOI application form, and requested a scanned passport copy in colour alongside a passport-style photo.

On October 6th I sent him the photo of myself with a white background which was accepted, but the “scan” was rejected because I sent a picture of my passport to save on time/hassle/money. It turned out it does have to be a literal scan you send off. I also sent my LOI application form.

On October 8th, I sent the scan to Murad, and it was approved.

On October 17th, I received my LOI successfully, just 9 days after sending the last of the documents off, and 11 days after returning the LOI form.

I’d allow more time than this. Murad says it takes 2 weeks to get the LOI. Elsewhere I’d heard 1 month, but from my own experience it’s 2 weeks (or less).

He did tell me it’s possible to get an urgent LOI in just 5 days for an additional $25.

Upon receiving the LOI, Murad said I had to check for any incorrect information, print a copy to show at the border (he didn’t specify if colour was necessary, but I got a colour copy just to be safe), and have two blank passport pages. The visa sticker takes up a whole page on its own.

On October 24th, he sent me train tickets for the journey I’d take from Ashgabat to Turkmenabat on the way out of the country. He sent me 4 tickets, meaning I had the entire carriage to myself. I was able to lock the door overnight, and not be disturbed by unruly kids, as had been the case many times on Uzbek trains. Ahhh, I don’t miss those…

On October 28th I crossed the Dashoguz border, which opens at 9am, and met Murad’s colleague Roman (my driver) who helped go through the visa and Covid test processes, before meeting Selbi (the guide).

The border crossing took under 2 hours, starting with getting stamped out of Uzbekistan, before taking a bus to the Turkmen side, and going through everything there.

Then we were in! From there, it was time to explore Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most fascinating and mysterious countries.

More Posts on Turkmenistan

• How To Get A Turkmenistan Visa (My First-Time Success Story)
• How To Get From Uzbekistan To Turkmenistan (Dashoguz Border)