Central Asia: Five Stans Express

Travel insurance is compulsory on all our trips for those travelling internationally. We require that at a minimum you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. If you are travelling within your home country or region please confirm before travel that you are entitled to access the public medical system easily should an accident occur. We strongly recommend all travellers have a policy that also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage or personal effects. For international trips, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company's 24-hour emergency contact number has been sighted by your group leader or local representative. If you have credit card insurance your group leader or local representative will require details of the participating insurer/underwriter, the level of coverage, policy number, and emergency contact number rather than the bank's name and your credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in-country. For travellers who reside within the European Union, Switzerland or USA the requirement to purchase travel insurance cannot be compulsory. However the purchase of travel insurance is still highly recommended, and travellers from these regions who decline travel insurance when travelling outside of their home region must sign a Travel Insurance Waiver Form at the Group Meeting, recognizing personal responsibility for emergency medical and repatriation costs should they arise. For assistance with travel insurance or other services, please visit the link below: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/booking-resources/our-services

PASSPORT You’ll need a valid passport to travel internationally and most countries require your passport to have a minimum of 6 months validity, so remember to check the expiry date. We need your passport information to get everything ready for your trip so it’s important that the information on your booking matches your passport exactly. Please take care to provide the correct details. We recommend carrying a copy of the photo page of your passport while travelling and leaving a copy at home with family or friends. VISAS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Many countries require a visa and obtaining the correct visa for your trip and any countries you may transit through is your responsibility. We recommend you check your visa requirements as soon as you have booked your trip. This will ensure you have time to prepare your documents and for your visa application to be processed. You can check the entry requirements for your nationality on your government's foreign travel advisories, consular websites or on our page here:  www.intrepidtravel.com/visa-entry-requirements TURKMENISTAN All travellers to Turkmenistan require a visa. A Letter of Invitation (LOI) issued by Turkmenistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also required before you can apply for the visa. Foreign tourists can apply for the visa with the official LOI at the nearest embassy or apply for Visa on arrival at either the Ashgabat airport or the land borders. Our local operator can apply for the LOI on your behalf. The following documents are required: - clear, colour scan of the photo page of your passport - digital copy of a colour passport photo (not a scan of a printed photo) - Turkmen LOI Application form (please contact your booking agent to request the form. The form needs to be completed electronically. No handwritten form will be accepted) After submitting these documents to your booking agent our local partner will apply for your LOI. This service is included in your trip cost. The LOI can only be applied within 3 months prior to your travel and it will be processed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkmenistan and usually take around 6-8 weeks to be processed. We strongly suggest submitting all documents no later than 3 months before arrival in order to allow sufficient time for processing. Please note that you'll only know about your LOI status about 1 month before the trip. Please keep this in mind when booking your flights. Please note that it may be difficult for some professions to get LOI for Turkmenistan, like police, public servants, journalists and those who work in media. NOTES: - Independent travel in Turkmenistan is not permitted and your visa will only be valid for as long as tour services (including accommodation, guides, transport etc) are provided. - Make sure you have a print out of your LOI before boarding your flight or leaving for your trip. - USD is the only acceptable cash for immigration for Turkmenistan, no cards accepted. - Having an LOI doesn't mean you have a visa. You'll be able to get a visa on arrival at the border into Turkmenistan including Ashgabat airport. You will need to pay visa fee which is about 55 USD. You will also need to complete a migration card and pay a US$18 migration fee. This fee could change without notice. There maybe an additional 10 USD processing fee charged. - If you cross land boarder into Turkmenistan, you'll need to prepare some small denominations in case immigration may not have the right change. You will also need to pay for the coach transfer if you are crossing border between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which cost 1USD on each side. You'll need change for this. CUSTOMS: - A number of medications containing tramadol, morphine, opiates or any other similar constituent component are banned in Turkmenistan and are considered narcotic drugs. Do not bring any medications containing these drugs into the country. Covid related Entry Requirements: Turkmenistan still have some Covid related entry requirements in place. This includes: - a copy of your vaccination certificate or a certificate confirming the presence of antibodies to COVID-19 (IgM, IgG). The vaccination document should confirm that the last vaccination dose was provided at least 42 days prior to arrival in Turkmenistan. This will be checked on entry into the country, ie Ashgabat airport or border crossing checkpoints. - PCR test is charged at the border at about 35 USD, although the test may not be taken. The Covid related entry requirement may change. So please make sure you monitor your government’s travel advice and consult with your nearest Turkmenistan embassy on possible changes prior to your travel. UZBEKISTAN VISAS Many nationalities no longer require a visa for stays of up to 90 days, including most European countries, Great Britain, Australia & Canada.You can check if you are eligible for the visa free scheme here: https://e-visa.gov.uz/main E-VISAS For nationalities not included in the visa exemption list, including US citizens, an e-visa is available. The e-visa is issued for a period of stay in the territory of Uzbekistan up to 30 days with a single entry and is valid for 90 days from the date of issue. Travellers must submit an online application for a visa at least three working days before the planned date of travel to Uzbekistan. The consular fee for processing and issuing an e-visa is US$20 to be paid online. Please check if you are eligible for an e-visa and apply here: https://e-visa.gov.uz/main INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR E-VISA APPLICATION - Address of your joining point hotel (or if visiting Uzbekistan mid-trip, use: Central Palace Halal Hotel 2 Afrosiyob ko'chasi, Tashkent) - You will need to have a scanned PDF copy of your passport to upload for your application - You will need to upload a passport photo within the required parameters - Your passport will need to be valid for at least three months after you’ve entered Uzbekistan to obtain a visa. South African passport holders: A paper visa is required for Uzbekistan. Intrepid may be able to provide supporting documents at an extra expense depending on what's required. Please inquire with your booking agent for getting such supporting documents.We advise South African passport holders to start applying at least 3 months in advance. You may need to arrive early in Bishkek to apply in the Uzbekistan embassy in Bishkek. REGISTRATION IN UZBEKISTAN All visitors to Uzbekistan must register with the local department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 3 working days after arrival. When staying at a hotel, you will be registered automatically. Please ensure you keep any registration documents issued by the hotel until you exit the country. TAJIKISTAN Tajikistan has a visa exemption policy for a lot of countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States of America, Germany etc, for up to 30-day stay. To check if you'll need a visa for Tajikistan, please check below link: https://www.consular.tj/visa-system-with-foreign-countries.aspx British nationals and other nationalities not eligible for visa exemption will need to apply for an Evisa through below link: https://www.evisa.tj/ (Please note that you do not need a Gorno-Badakshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) permit for this trip). We advise you to start the application at least 2 months in advance to allow enough time for your evisa to be issued. If you need to apply for an e-visa, a Letter of Invitation (LOI) arranged by a Tajikistan tour company, may be required. Intrepid can assist with this arrangement through our local agent. A scan colour copy of your passport is required along with payment for the fee to issue the LOI. The fee is payable at the time of requesting the LOI. Once requested, the LOI can take a minimum of 5 working days to process. Once received this will be sent to you by email for you to update or submit your e-visa application. We recommend you start the visa process at least 2 months ahead of departure. The Letter of Invitation is no guarantee of a e-visa being granted. Once your e-visa has been issued we recommend you print out your e-visa and take a copy with you when travelling. Below is the information required for filling out the application form: GBAO Permit - No Purpose of visit type - Tourism Purpose of visit - Tourism sightseeing or Tourism vacation Group identifier - leave blank Date of arrival - See border crossing day on the itinerary Address in Tajikistan - Rohat Hotel, Rudaki 24, 734025 Dushanbe, Tajikistan, +992 372 21 10 50 Instances of harassment by officials at Dushanbe International Airport have been reported. This typically involves requests for payment for allegedly incorrect documentation or other offences. Some reports state that airport officials have acted in an intimidating manner. You should ensure that your documentation and papers are in order before passing through border control at the airport. If you suffer harassment or intimidation at the airport you should report this to your travel agent and/or the consular bureau at the airport. KAZAKHSTAN VISA Many nationalities, including Australia, Germany, USA, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand do not require a visa for stays of up to 30 days. Please check with your local consulate for the most up to date requirements. If you may require a visa for Kazakhstan, you will need a Letter of Invitation issued by their government. Our local team can support this. Please contact your booking agent if you need it. It'll take approximately 10 working days for the government to process and cost 70 USD per application. Please note that the issuance of the LOI will be entirely up to the discretion of the Kazakhstan Foreign Affairs office. KYRGYZSTAN Most nationalities do not require a visa to travel to Kyrgyzstan for up to 60 days, including Australia, Belgium, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, USA and Switzerland. Other nationalities can check this website first about applying for an E-visa: https://www.evisa.e-gov.kg Otherwise, please check with your nearest embassy and obtain a visa in advance if required. Please contact us should you need any supporting documents for your visa application.