• Bring some properly packed print copies of the LOI, to be handed over to the visa authorities at the point where you intend to collect your visa on arrival. Or:
• Determine several possible locations on your way to Turkmenistan where you can access your email and print the Turkmenistan LOI, prior to your arrival at the land border where you intend to collect your visa and enter Turkmenistan
• Bring a head torch, flip-flops and a small towel for camp nights. A mirror and/or an inside sleeping sack (thin, silk) is recommended, too.
• Bring a scarf for accessing local mosques (women)
• Bring a medium- to long-sleeved shirt and trousers for accessing mosques (for men)
• Do not bring and wear tank-tops outside hotels (sleeveless shirts are fine)
• Do not bring and wear shorts outside hotels (knee-long trousers are fine)
• Bring appropriate (light but sturdy) footwear for travel in mountains, canyons and desert areas
• Bring your doctor’s prescription for any personal medication that you require and plan to bring with you
• Bring glasses as alternative to contact lenses, in case the desert sand irritates your eyes

Visa

To enter Turkmenistan all leisure travelers are required to have a transit or tourist visa. The tourist visas are delivered on the basis of an approved visa support letter, also referred to as a Letter of Invitation (LOI). OWADAN Tourism is a licensed tourism travel agency in Turkmenistan that can provide you with the Letter of Invitation. The LOI requires usually 10-15 working days to process. Once the LOI is has been issued/approved, we will send a scanned copy of it to you by email.

With an approved LOI you can apply for your visa at a Turkmen embassy or consulate abroad, or obtain it directly at the Turkmen land border at Gaudan (Bajgiran/Mashhad, Iran), Serags (Sarakhs, Iran), Farab (Bukhara, Uzbekistan), Shavat (Khiva, Uzbekistan), Khojeyli (Nukus, Uzbekistan), Turkmenbashi harbor (by ferry arrival from Baku) or at the international airport in Ashgabat upon arrival. Please kindly note that Garabogaz border post (Temirbaba, Kazakhstan) is temporarily closed and the only possibility to enter Turkmenistan from Kazakhstan is using a flight from Almaty to Ashgabat (3 times a week).

Next to the LOI, an Entry Travel Pass and country registration is automatically required. OWADAN Tourism provides you automatically with these services if you order a tour, or if you book as a minimum all transport and accommodation services through our agency for the full duration of your stay in Turkmenistan.

For information about obtaining the LOI, see the Section “Visa Support” under Services.

As we submit the LOI documentation in advance of your arrival we need this information preferably 8 weeks, but at least 4 weeks prior to your arrival date in Turkmenistan. This extended period allows us time to complete your itinerary and site visits, and to determine your type of transport and accommodation en route. If we do not have this information by this time we will not be able to supply you with the LOI for your visa.

You do not need to wait at home for the mail to arrive with your LOI; we will send you a scanned copy to your email address, so all you need is a place with access to Internet and a printer, in order to arrive at the Turkmen border with a printed LOI copy.

Transit visas are issued only directly at Turkmen embassies abroad. Please contact the relevant embassy directly for detailed information about prices and procedures.

Turkmenistan embassies abroad

Turkmen Embassies can be found in Armenia, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Germany, Georgia, France, China, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkey.

Check the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan for the most recent information, and contact the embassies prior to arriving there to collect your Turkmen visa, as there may be differences between various embassies in terms of visa cost and duration, and processing requirements and their duration.

Tourists coming from Nukus, Khiva, Bukhara or northern Iran can reach Turkmenistan over land: from Khiva to Dashoguz (Shavat crossing), from Nukus to Kunya Urgench (Khojeyli crossing), from Bukhara to Turkmenabad (Farab crossing), and from Mashhad to Ashgabat (Gaudan/Bajgiran crossing) or Serags (Sarakhs crossing). 

Turkmenbashi port is the sea gate to Central Asia. Tourists coming from Baku in Azerbaijan can reach Turkmenistan by crossing the Caspian Sea by ferry. The drawback of the ferry is that it has an irregular timetable, so you will have to have a flexible travel itinerary and spare time built in.