Visa policy of Turkmenistan

The visa policy of Turkmenistan is among the most restrictive of any country in the world. Citizens of all countries (except Uzbekistan in certain cases) require a visa to enter Turkmenistan unless they have special passports. To obtain a tourist visa for Turkmenistan, all foreign citizens must supply an invitation letter issued by a travel agency licensed in Turkmenistan.[1] Holders of a letter of invitation issued by a company registered in Turkmenistan with a prior approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may obtain a visa on arrival valid for 10 days, and extendable for another 10 days.[2]

There are plans to introduce electronic visas and abolish the requirement of a letter of invitiation. With the goal of allowing smoother business visits and boosting foreign tourism, President Serdar Berdimuhamedow signed a decree on 18 April 2025 that will introduce these changes. The types of electronic visas that will be available, how they will be issued, and how long they will be valid for have yet to be decided.[3][4][5]

Visa exemption

  • United Nations Laissez-Passer — from 2023, foreign citizens with UN passports were allowed up to 30 calendar days from the date of arrival in Turkmenistan without a visa to come to Turkmenistan, stay in it, travel outside it, cross the border, and cross the territory in transit the territory of Turkmenistan. Foreign citizens who are employees of the United Nations or its specialized agencies accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, as well as members of their families, were exempt from visa issuance during the period of work in Turkmenistan.[6][7][8]
  • Uzbekistan — from November 2025 citizens of Uzbekistan can visit the Shavat-Dashoguz Border Trade Zone without a visa for up to 15 days.[9][10][11][12]

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic, official and service passports of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Japan (90 days), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Malaysia,[13] Romania, Russia, Switzerland,[14] Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and holders of diplomatic passports of Estonia, India, Pakistan and Uzbekistan do not require a visa to visit Turkmenistan for up to 30 days (unless otherwise stated).[2] Holders of diplomatic passports of Canada and the United States may obtain a free visa on arrival.[2]

Special permit

A special permit, issued prior to arrival by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is required if visiting the following places: Kerki, Hazar, Dashoguz, Serakhs and Serhetabat.[15]

Admission restrictions

Entry and transit is refused to holders of passports of the following jurisdictions, even if not leaving the aircraft and proceeding by the same flight:

Visitor statistics

Turkmenistan is among the least visited countries in the world. Very few foreigners are granted a Turkmenistani visa. After gaining its independence in 1991, Turkmenistan was a slightly more open country than it is now. For example, 300,000 foreigners visited the country in 1998. Between 2000 and 2013, however, the number of visas issued decreased significantly, due to isolationist policies and a totalitarian regime.[16]

Year Visitors
1992—1994
No data
1995
 218,000[17]
1996
 217,000[17]
1997
 257,000[17]
1998
 300,000[17]
1999
No data
2000
 3,256[18]
2001
 5,200[17]
2002
 10,800[17]
2003
 8,200[17]
2004
 14,800[17]
2005
 11,600[17]
2006
 5,600[17]
2007
 8,177[18]
2008
 9,777[18]
2009
 7,628[18]
2010
 9,631[18]
2011
 8,687[18]
2012—2013
No data
2014
 More 110,000[19]
2015
 More 110,000[19]
2016
 More 130,000[19]
2017
 More 130,000[19]
2018
 More 130,000[19]
Total (1995-1998, 2000-2011 and 2014-2018) More 1,700,000[19]
Country 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2011[18] 2010[18] 2009[18] 2008[18] 2007[18] 2000[18]
Uzbekistan 108,288[20] 105,269[21] 98,176[22] 96,604[23] 77,387[24] No data No data No data No data No data No data
Iran No data No data No data No data No data 3,874 3,397 2,391 2,355 2,133 122
Germany No data No data No data No data No data 1,143 1,277 1,392 1,576 1,338 270
United States No data No data No data No data No data 531 660 535 663 566 430
Italy No data No data No data No data No data 277 392 412 595 600 340
Japan No data No data No data No data No data 253 388 344 508 537 282
Netherlands No data No data No data No data No data 245 238 296 439 160 95
France No data No data No data No data No data 212 230 315 232 682 650
Other No data No data No data No data No data 2,080 2,799 1,803 3,313 2,081 999
Total No data No data No data No data No data 8,697 9,631 7,628 9,777 8,177 3,256

Citizens of the Russian Federation

Country 2021[25] 2020[25] 2019[25] 2018[25] 2017[25] 2016[25] 2015[25] 2014[25] 2013[25] 2012[25] 2011[25] 2010[25]
Russia 6,096 11,322 30,504 28,127 27,490 29,047 28,470 29,530 34,494 36,387 42,664 45,052

Transit

Passengers transiting through Aşgabat International Airport do not require a visa.[26][27]

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Turkmenistan.

References

  1. ^ "Visa information".
  2. ^ a b c "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  3. ^ turkmenportal (2025-03-29). "Turkmenistan introduces electronic visas for foreigners | Tourism". Turkmenistan, an Internet portal on cultural, business and entertainment life in Turkmenistan. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  4. ^ "One of the world's most closed countries has just made it easier to visit". The Independent. 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  5. ^ "Turkmenistan adopts law to allow electronic visas and make it easier for foreigners to enter". AP News. 2025-04-18. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  6. ^ "The President of Turkmenistan has simplified the visa regime for UN staff | Politics". 8 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Turkmenistan opens visa-free regime for UN staff". March 2021.
  8. ^ "Официальному представителю ООН вручена вербальная нота о безвизовом въезде в Туркменистан | Политика". 8 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Туркмено-узбекский центр приграничной торговли – символ дружбы и сотрудничества".
  10. ^ "До 15 дней без визы: правила пребывания в зоне приграничной торговли «Шават – Дашогуз»".
  11. ^ [1]
  12. ^ "Срок пребывания до 15 дней без визы в зоне Шават – Дашогуз | Туризм".
  13. ^ https://www.kln.gov.my/web/guest/-/joint-statement-between-malaysia-and-turkmenistan-on-the-occasion-of-the-official-visit-of-his-excellency-serdar-berdimuhamedov-president-of-turkmenis. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ Relations between Turkmenistan and the Swiss Confederation are developing
  15. ^ "Archived copy". Retrieved 2016-01-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ^ "В Туркмении сейчас диктатура? А как там живут люди? Можно ли приехать в Ашхабад туристом? Стыдные вопросы про одну из самых закрытых стран в мире". Meduza.io. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "International tourism, number of arrivals: Turkmenistan". data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Statistical Yearbook of Turkmenistan (Page 280)" (PDF). stat.gov.tm. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Approximate numbers
  20. ^ "Распределение по странам числа граждан Республики Узбекистан, выехавших из Республики Узбекистан в 2018 году". stat.uz. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Распределение по странам числа граждан Республики Узбекистан, выехавших из Республики Узбекистан в 2017 году". stat.uz. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Распределение по странам числа граждан Республики Узбекистан, выехавших из Республики Узбекистан в 2016 году". stat.uz. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  23. ^ "Распределение по странам числа граждан Республики Узбекистан, выехавших из Республики Узбекистан в 2015 году". stat.uz. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  24. ^ "Распределение по странам числа граждан Республики Узбекистан, выехавших из Республики Узбекистан в 2014 году". stat.uz. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "fedstat.ru". Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  26. ^ "Ещё больше транзитных рейсов в Таиланд из Казани". Kazan International Airport (in Russian).
  27. ^ Стыковка в Ашхабаде
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