What visas do I need for Central Asia and how do I get them?
Generally, citizens of developed countries do not need visas to travel to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
There are two notable exceptions:
- Citizens of the United States need an electronic visa for Uzbekistan, if they are younger than 55.
- Citizens of the United Kingdom need an electronic visa for Tajikistan.
For Turkmenistan, everybody needs a visa and one can get it directly at the border with a pre-approved letter of invitation.
That means you can easily enter all five countries without ever having to contact or visit an Embassy.
Let’s look at each country one by one…
Kazakhstan – visa-free for citizens of most countries
Visa-free regime
For stays of up to 30 days, citizens of the following countries need no visa to enter Kazakhstan: All European Union countries, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Vietnam.
For stays up to 90 days, citizens of these countries need no visa to enter Kazakhstan: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine.
For stays up to 14 days, citizens of these countries/ regions need no visa to enter Kazakhstan: Hong Kong, India, Iran, Macau
Here you can find the official link from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
For those who need a visa:
Citizens of all other countries need to get a visa from the Kazakh diplomatic mission in their country or an electronic visa with an invitation letter if they arrive at Almaty or Astana International Airport.
Kyrgyzstan – visa-free for citizens of most countries
Visa-free regime
Citizens of the following countries do not need a visa to visit Kyrgyzstan for up to 60 days (longer for some nationalities):
European Union citizens, Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Korea, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Vietnam. Citizens of Malaysia and Turkey can also visit Kyrgyzstan visa-free for up to 30 days.
E-Visa
Citizens of all other countries can apply for an electronic visa through the official website.
Tajikistan – visa-free for citizens of most countries; e-visa UK citizens
Visa-free regime
Citizens of the following countries do not need a visa to visit Tajikistan for up to 30 days (even longer for some nationalities):
All European Union member states, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Iceland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Genadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vatican City.
Electronic visa (Evisa)
Citizens of other countries not listed above can apply online for an electronic visa for stays with a duration of up to 60 days (within 90 days period). You need to visit the website www.evisa.tj. There, enter all your personal information, upload a copy of your passport, an invitation letter from your inviting party, flight tickets, hotel booking confirmations. In the end, you need to pay a fee of $30 by credit card via the website. Where you are asked to provide an address in Tajikistan, just enter the address of a hotel you have booked or that you expect to stay at. We recommend uploading all documents as .jpg files. The passport copy should be a scan, and not a photo of the passport.
Turkmenistan – tourist visa on arrival with an invitation letter
Everybody needs a visa for Turkmenistan. You can only apply for a tourist visa if you have booked a guided tour in Turkmenistan. The travel agency will ask you to provide personal information including your nationality, age, gender, marital status plus your field of study and/or occupation. With this information, the travel agency will apply on your behalf for an invitation letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The ministry takes the decision to issue a letter (or not) based on the information that you provide. Three months before you plan to leave Turkmenistan you may start the application process for your invitation letter. It then takes the ministry another three to four weeks to approve the letter. You do not need to apply for a visa at the embassy. If your invitation letter is approved you can just take it with you and get your visa upon arrival at Ashgabat Airport or at an international land border. So you only need to provide the required information to the travel agency, they will issue the invitation letter, which they will then send to you as a PDF document. You then print out the letter, carry it with you to Turkmenistan, and at the border, you can get the actual sticker visa in your passport. You will have to pay approximately 60-100 USD per person (depending on duration, nationality, etc.) in cash at the border to get your visa issued, plus some additional fees of around 50 USD per person.
Until 2019 the rejection rate for the invitation letters was quite high. However, since the country reopened after the pandemic in April 2024, rejection rates are extremely low.
Please check with your travel agency prior to booking flights
Your travel agency can tell you based on the information you provide, how high your chances are to get the invitation letter for a Turkmenistan visa approved, and whether you can proceed and book flights already or wait for the letter first.
Uzbekistan – visa-free for most countries – E-visa for US citizens
Visa-free regime
Citizens of eight CIS countries do not need a visa to visit Uzbekistan for up to 90 days: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine. Citizens of Kyrgyzstan do not need a visa for Uzbekistan for up to 60 days.
Citizens of the following countries do not need a visa for up to 30 days: All European Union citizens, Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican.
Citizens of China and Hong Kong can stay visa-free in Uzbekistan for 7 days, but only if they arrive via air.
E-Visa for other countries – for example, the United States or India
Citizens of other countries that cannot travel to Uzbekistan visa-free can easily get a single entry or multi-entry electronic visa for a stay of up to 30 days for just 20 USD. You can apply for an e-visa at least three days before your planned trip. The visa is valid for 30 days within 90 days period from the day you submitted the form. Just follow the instructions on the official electronic visa portal of Uzbekistan. You can pay by credit card on the website. You will get notified by email, when the visa is ready for download. Just print out the visa and carry it with you on your trip to Uzbekistan.
Please note: if you book a trip with us, you don’t need to worry about the visa – we will get it for you.
List of Uzbek Diplomatic Missions abroad
Here you can find a list of all Uzbek Diplomatic Missions abroad including contact information
For more info – contact us
If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us.
We hope this information was useful and wish you a fantastic trip to Central Asia!
How about exploring the natural and cultural highlights of all five Central Asian countries on one epic tour of 24 days? Or check out all our scheduled group tours to Central Asia. All departures are guaranteed and the maximum group size is 12 people.