Citizens of all countries 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.
Holders of diplomatic, official and service passports of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, 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 each visit. Holders of diplomatic passports of Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States may obtain a free visa on arrival.
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.[5]
Entry and transit is refused to holders of passports of the following jurisdictions:
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Turkmenistan is generally considered one of the most isolationist and least visited countries in the world. In comparison with other countries with strict visa policies, very few foreigners are granted a Turkmenistani visa. Directly after independence, in the 1990s, Turkmenistan was a slightly more open country than it is now, and in 1998, for example, 300,000 foreigners visited the country. Between 2000 and 2013, however, the number of visas issued decreased significantly, due to the enacted isolationism, the Turkmen government's self-professed neutral status and totalitarian regime.[6]
| Year | Visitors | |
|---|---|---|
| 218,000[7] | ||
| 217,000 | ||
| 257,000 | ||
| 300,000 | ||
| 3,256[8] | ||
| 5,200 | ||
| 10,800 | ||
| 8,200 | ||
| 14,800 | ||
| 11,600 | ||
| 5,600 | ||
| 8,177 | ||
| 9,777 | ||
| 7,628 | ||
| 9,631 | ||
| 8,687 | ||
| More 110,000[9] | ||
| More 110,000 | ||
| More 130,000 | ||
| More 130,000 | ||
| More 130,000 | ||
| Total (1995-1998, 2000-2011 and 2014-2018) | More 1,700,000 |
| Country | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 108,288[10] | 105,269[11] | 98,176[12] | 96,604[13] | 77,387[14] | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | ||
| No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | 3,874 | 3,397 | 2,391 | 2,355 | 2,133 | 122 | ||
| No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | 1,143 | 1,277 | 1,392 | 1,576 | 1,338 | 270 | ||
| No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | 531 | 660 | 535 | 663 | 566 | 430 | ||
| No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | 277 | 392 | 412 | 595 | 600 | 340 | ||
| No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | 253 | 388 | 344 | 508 | 537 | 282 | ||
| No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | 245 | 238 | 296 | 439 | 160 | 95 | ||
| No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | 212 | 230 | 315 | 232 | 682 | 650 | ||
| 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 |
| Country | 2021[15] | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,096 | 11,322 | 30,504 | 28,127 | 27,490 | 29,047 | 28,470 | 29,530 | 34,494 | 36,387 | 42,664 | 45,052 |