On 1 October 2026 Turkmenistan, one of the hardest countries in the world to visit, launched an electronic visa. Here is what has changed, what has not, and what to expect at the border.
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On 1 October 2026 Turkmenistan, one of the hardest countries in the world to visit, launched an electronic visa. For years, tourists needed a letter of invitation, weeks of waiting and a visa stamped at the airport or the border. Now the application is online.
That is real progress, but it does not mean you can turn up on your own and wander the country. This guide explains what has changed, what has not, and what to expect when you arrive. We checked every rule on 25 October 2026; they can change at short notice, so please check again before you travel.
What changed on 1 October 2026
Turkmenistan's State Migration Service opened its e-visa portal on 1 October 2026, after changes to the migration law signed in April 2025. The portal, reported as evisa.migration.gov.tm, works in English, Russian and Turkmen. It offers three kinds of e-visa:
- e-TU for tourism,
- e-BS for business, which needs an invitation from a Turkmen company,
- e-HM for humanitarian work.
You upload a scan of the photo page of your passport, which must be valid for at least six months after you arrive, and a colour photo on a white background. Processing takes about 7 working days; an urgent service takes 3 working days and a super-urgent one 24 hours. The fee is calculated in US dollars during the application and paid online. No official table of fees had been published by late October 2026.
How it works for tourists, in practice
Here the official description and real life part ways a little. The portal does not list an invitation letter among the documents for a tourist e-visa. But the UK government's travel advice, updated on 21 October 2026, says that tourists cannot apply on their own: a licensed Turkmen tour agency still acts as the sponsor and files the application. Turkmen tour operators say the same.
In other words, the easiest way to visit Turkmenistan is still with a licensed tour, which is how all our Turkmenistan trips work: your e-visa is included and we apply for it for you. We need a scan of your passport and a 3×4 or 4×5 cm photo on a white background, without glasses or a hat. Please book at least four weeks before you travel. Once the application has been submitted, the visa fee cannot be refunded.
Quick facts
| Topic | What to expect (25 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| E-visa | Online since 1 October 2026; tourist visas are filed through a licensed tour operator |
| Processing | About 7 working days; urgent 3 days; super-urgent 24 hours |
| Fee | Paid online in US dollars; no official public fee table yet |
| Passport | Valid at least 6 months after arrival |
| On arrival | Migration fee USD 14 plus a bank fee of about USD 2, and a COVID test of about USD 31–35, in cash |
| Registration | Needed for stays longer than 3 working days; your hotel or tour operator does it |
| Guide | Tourists normally travel with a licensed guide outside Ashgabat; our tours include one |
At the border
You collect the visa itself on arrival, at the airport or the land border, where it is placed in your passport. Then you pay the arrival fees at the border bank, in cash, in clean US dollar notes:
- the migration fee of USD 14, plus a bank charge of about USD 2;
- a COVID test, which Turkmenistan still requires of every arriving traveller: about USD 31–35.
A small tourist tax of about USD 2 a day is usually charged through your hotel bill.
The e-visa portal had not yet published a list of entry points by late October 2026. Our tours cross at the two land borders closest to Uzbekistan's Silk Road cities: Shavat–Dashoguz, about an hour from Khiva, and Alat–Farap, about an hour and a half from Bukhara. Our guide to Uzbekistan's land borders explains how these crossings work.
Money, internet and the rules that surprise visitors
- Money: the official exchange rate has been fixed at 3.5 manat to the dollar since 2015, but the street rate in 2026 is several times higher. Changing money on the street is illegal. Foreign cards rarely work, so bring enough clean US dollars for the whole trip. Notes printed before 2013 may be refused.
- Internet: YouTube, Facebook, X and WhatsApp are blocked, along with thousands of other websites, and VPNs are illegal. Download maps, documents and music before you arrive, and tell your family how to reach you through your guide or hotel.
- Photographs: never photograph government buildings, police, soldiers, airports or border posts. Ask your guide when in doubt.
- Smoking and alcohol: smoking is banned outdoors in public places, and you may bring in only two packs of cigarettes. Drinking alcohol in parks, squares, beaches and stations is illegal.
- Drones and vapes: leave them at home; both are reported to be banned.
- Dress: modest clothes are expected, especially at mosques and mausoleums.
Did you know?
- In 2013 Ashgabat entered the Guinness World Records for having more white marble-clad buildings than any other city: 543 of them.
- The Darvaza gas crater is officially called the "Shining of Karakum". Read our Darvaza travel guide.
- Turkmenistan still requires a COVID test of every arriving traveller, long after most of the world dropped the rule.
What to bring
- A passport valid for at least six months after your trip, with a free page for the visa.
- Clean, recent US dollar notes for the border fees and the whole stay, in small and large denominations.
- A printed copy of your visa approval and your tour details.
- Offline maps, books and music.
- Modest clothes, a sun hat and sunscreen.
Plan it with TravelX
All our Turkmenistan trips include the e-visa, a licensed guide, transport and hotels:
- Khiva to Bukhara through Turkmenistan, 4 days
- Bukhara to Khiva through Turkmenistan, 4 days
- Turkmenistan highlights from Ashgabat, 5 days
- Through the Sands to the Caspian, 9 days for groups
Have a question about your passport or dates? Message us on WhatsApp.
