Visas are required for travel to Tajikistan; in addition a special permit is required for travel to the Pamirs (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast - GBAO) and other border areas. Additional permits are required for travel to Zorkul in the Great Pamir and to Lake Sarez.

BAD NEWS! 15 April 2010

Until today, I included here what I thought was the current situation following the Presidential Decree Number 122 of 27 February 2009, namely that for nationals of a large number of countries no Letter of invitation/Visa Support Letter (LOI/VSL) was required. The updated website of the Vienna Embassy now says that a Visa Support Letter is required - Cara Anna reports that the same information is given by the Consulate in Beijing.

The Berlin Consulate website, however, says quite clearly that this is not the case - see here. Contact Sohibnazar Gayratshoev at:

Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Berlin
Perleberger Str. 43,
D-10559 Berlin
Germany
Tel : +49 (0)30 347 9300
Fax : +49 (0)30 347 93029
Email : info(at)botschaft-tadschikistan.de

The Brussels Consulate also confirms that it requires no LOI/VSL - see here. The Consul, Anzor Tanibekov has promised to handle all tourist visa applications expeditiously. Contact:

Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Brussels
Boulevard General Jacques 16
1050 Ixelles
Bruxelles
Belgium
Tel : +32 (2) 640 6933
Fax : +32 (2) 649 0195
Email : taj-emb(at)dpnet.be

Nir Rotem reports from Tashkent that the Tajik Consulate there is now issuing a 45 days visa in one working day and that no invitation letter is required.

There is also much variation in consular fees. It seems that in London the GBAO permit costs GBP 50 whereas in Berlin and Brussels it costs only Euro 20.

Martin Freckman reports from Islamabad that a 30-day visa and GBAO permit are issued there for $110.

I am trying to find out more, BUT IN THE ABSENCE OF CLARIFICATION FROM THE AUTHORITIES IN DUSHANBE AND THE VARIOUS EMBASSIES WHOSE INFORMATION IS CONTRADICTORY, I HAVE WITHDRAWN THE INFORMATION THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY ON THIS PAGE. IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT, YOU WILL FIND IT ON THE VERSION FOR PRINT (click on the link to the left "version for printer").

The Tourism Minister, Lochin Faizulloev, stated in a recent communication that
"1. In accordance to the current legislation of Tajikistan (Government Degree No.122, from April 2009) citizens of 87 stable countries can obtain individual single- and double-entry tourist visas on arrival at Dushanbe airport. [N.B. It seems that for double entry proof of itinerary is required, which may not always be easy for individual tourists.]
2. The cost of a tourist visa is 25 $ even for double-entry.
3. The GBAO permit can be obtained in Dushanbe at the registration office (known as OVIR) and should take only 2-3 hours." [Many thanks to Chris O'Hanlon for this information.]

I welcome first-hand accounts by travellers of how this works in practice but my best current advice is nevertheless to send your visa application to Brussels or Berlin in good time before your departure, asking for the GBAO permit at the same time. I understand that in Berlin they provide it without extra charge.

A list of Tajik Embassies and their addresses can be found on http://www.tjus.org/embassies.htm

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR BUSINESS TRAVELLERS:
Although the requirement for registration with the local police (OVIR) has been abolished for tourists, it is still in principle required for all other visas. Again, I am trying to get clarification on this and am pressing for this stupid requirement to be dropped for all travellers to Tajikistan.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR TOURISTS:
Tourists should note that there are corrupt officials at Dushanbe airport who will try to extort money from you when leaving the country because you don't have OVIR registration. If they have been in the country for thirty days or less, tourists are NOT required to register with OVIR. Claiming a fine from tourists on these grounds is therefore illegal and should be vigorously refused, threatening if necessary to report the official concerned to the head of airport immigration or to the Tourism Minister Lochin Faizulloev (see http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1924824 ).

Mr. Faizulloev's message on the Thorntree blog gives a list of contact telephone numbers that don't seem to work at present. Again I am trying to get clarification, but the the mere fact that you know the name of the Tourism Minister may impress corrupt officials!

PLEASE NOTE that the information contained on the Great Game Travel Company's website and on www.traveltajikistan.com is very out of date. I am trying to get them to take it down.

 

Travel via Osh

For travellers intending to go to the Pamirs through Osh: a recent traveller reported (May 2009) that the Tajik Consulate in Bishkek issues not only visas but also the GBAO permit.

Kulma Pass to or from China

There is no official confirmation that it is possible for foreign tourists to cross the Kulma pass into or from China. (If anyone has done so successfully, please send me an e-mail via the link on the Home Page)

Ed Hannam, an intrepid Australian traveller, tried and failed to cross in 2008 coming from Tashkurgan. He reported, however, that the Tajik Embassy in Beijing and local officials in Tashkurgan were courteous and helpful (N.B. the former was unable to deliver a GBAO permit).

However, Professor Hermann Kreutzmann, reports (July 2010): "The crossing of Kulma into China was successful although time-consuming. We waited two hours before the respective parties understood that all permissions had been granted - on the Chinese side it took four hours to clear all group members. The rumour was spread that from next year onwards third-party travellers are permitted as well to use the road."

Note that Hermann had all the permissions - probably because of the academic credentials of his mission - that tourists may find difficult to obtain.

Kalmyk Pass crossing from the Alai (Kyrgyzstan) to Rasht valley (Tajikistan)

It is almost impossible to get any information about the Kalmyk Pass (Daroot Kurgan) crossing into the upper Rasht (Garm) valley in Tajikistan. Ed Hannam (see above) tried it and reported that the Kyrgyz border guards were not interested in him and that he was able to cross into Tajikistan - concerned about controls on the Tajik side, however, he turned back and then the Kyrgyz needed an "incentive" to let him back into Kyrgyzstan. The frontier is porous here and it is indeed possible to get into and out of Tajik territory without being checked but the potential frustration of travelling all the way to the end of the Alai just to be turned back is such that this route is not recommended - the penalties for being caught on the Tajik side without proper documentation also make this a risky choice. Again, if anyone has relevant personal experience, please send me an e-mail via the link on the Home Page.

Lake Sarez

If you wish to trek to Lake Sarez, you will need yet another permission (propusk), this time from the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defence of the Government of Tajikistan, Lakhuti Str. 26, 734013 Dushanbe, tel: + 992 37 221 1331. Your letter can be addressed to Mr. M. Zokirov, Chairman of this Committee, and should indicate: full names and nationality of the persons and an explanation of the reasons for the visit. The application should be submitted at least ten days in advance of the date of intended travel. Expect the actual issuing procedure to take at least one full day. Without the propusk you will not be allowed to proceed beyond Barchadev, the last village before the lake on the approach from the Bartang Valley. Documents are checked in Barchadev village, and, for those trekking in from Murghab and Shughnan districts, at Usoi dam at the downstream end of the lake. The tour agencies members of the Pamirs Eco-Tourism Association (see section Help for Tourists) may be able to help but will need considerable advance notice.

In addition, the Department of Tourism may request you to take (and pay for) one of their vehicles and driver/guides, but you can overcome this by providing them with the driver name and registration number of a private vehicle in which you intend to travel. A seat in a Russian jeep for the 530 km from Dushanbe to Khorog will cost $20 (slightly more for the longer (620 km) route in winter, when you should allow 2 days), though it may be better and more comfortable to hire the whole vehicle for $140. A ticket in an overcrowded minibus (marshrutka) will cost $20, and approximately $220 for the hire of the whole vehicle (about ten seats). Jeeps and marshrutkas depart Dushanbe early in the morning from Avtobaza 2929, Ahmadi Donish Street, just before the airport - you would be advised to organise this the day before you wish to travel.

Registration with OVIR (office for registration of foreign citizens)

Once in GBAO, if their stay exceeds 30 days, individual tourists must register with the "OVIR" in Khorog (N.B. at all costs don't go by mistake to the "KGB"). If your GBAO permit mentions all border areas - see above - no further permissions should be necessary.

Zorkul and Great Pamir

However, travel to Zorkul in the Great Pamir from the Khargush turn-off on the road from Langar in the Wakhan requires a permit from the Tajik border guards in Khorog. I do not know whether permission can be obtained in Murghab for travel to the Great Pamir. Again, if anyone has relevant personal experience, please send me an e-mail via the link on the Home Page.

Links:
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/tajikistan.htm
 

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All text and photographs (c) Robert Middleton 2002

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