Central Asia Visa Guide

If you're planning a trip to Central Asia, one of the important pre-departure phases you need to go through is ''getting the VISAs''. The region is somehow infamous for its strict visa regulations and additional paperwork is needed by all means (visa applications, letters of invitation, permits, etc.). Here is a short guide with a quick overview of visa requirements in each country in Central Asia.

Now it is easier more than ever to visit Central Asia. The visa regulations are getting easier day by day, the hardest one still remaining Turkmenistan. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan all offer free visa entry for the citizens of the EU, UK, USA, Australia and Canada.  And for Tajikstan now it is possible to obtain the E-visa online. Only Turkmenistan still remains the hardest one out of the five.

We are trying to keep this page updated but we also encourage you to do your own research on the requirements for your nationality. And though the visa regulations are getting easier every year we recommend starting the research and the process as early as possible.

VISA to Uzbekistan

The visa policy of Uzbekistan was eased a lot between 2018-2019. More countries have a visa-free regime with Uzbeskitan and the system of electronic visas is successfully working.

VISA free for up to 90 days: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia & Ukraine.

VISA free for up to 30 days: All EU countries, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City.

Citizens of 77 countries not included above can apply for an E-VISA on the official website. The cost is $20 and is valid for 30 days.

https://e-visa.gov.uz/main

Further information on the visa regulation of Uzbekistan can be found on the website of the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

VISA to Kazakhstan

VISA free for up to 90 days: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia & Ukraine.

VISA free for up to 30 days: All EU countries, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador,  Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philipines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City & Vietnam.

VISA free for up to 14 days: Hong Kong.

Citizens of 117 countries not included above can apply for an E-VISA on the official website.

VISA to Kyrgyzstan

VISA free indefinitely: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, North Korea, Tajikistan & Vietnam.

VISA free for up to 90 days: Mongolia, Serbia & Ukraine. 

VISA free for up to 60 days: All EU countries, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Iceland, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Qatar, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan & Vatican City.

VISA free for up to 30 days: Malaysia & Turkey.

VISA on arrival for up to 30 days: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Oman, Philipines, Romania, San Marino, South Africa, Thailand & Venezuela.

Citizens of countries not included above can apply for an E-VISA on the official website.

VISA to Tajikstan

VISA free indefinitely: Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova & Russia.

VISA free for up to 90 days: Armenia, Azerbaijan & Ukraine.

Passport holders from a list of 121 countries can obtain an E-VISA online. The cost is $50 and is valid for 45 days. You can apply on the official government website. 

VISA to Turkmenistan

Buckle in folks, as unless you hold a diplomatic passport from one of a handful of countries, then you are going to need to apply for a Turkmenistan VISA. There are 2 types which you can apply for:

Transit VISA

A transit VISA is valid for 5 days and you must enter and exit Turkmenistan at different points. If you are thinking about crossing the Caspian Sea by boat don’t even consider this option as the VISA can easily expire before you even reach Turkmenistan (delays at sea are common).

You must apply to your nearest Turkmen embassy. You can download the forms on the official Turkmen website.

Rejections are common and no reasons are given, but plenty of people HAVE successfully managed to obtain a transit VISA.

Tourist VISA

To obtain a tourist VISA for Turkmenistan you must first get a Letter of Invitation (LOI) which can only be issued by tour companies. Unless you are transiting and have been approved for a transit VISA, you must book a tour for a visit to Turkmenistan. Once you have your LOI you can apply at your local Turkmen embassy.

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