Can I get a transit visa for Turkmenistan?
Short answer
Turkmen embassies still list a transit visa, for crossing the country on a set route: 5 days at most. It is not on the new e-visa portal. Embassies describe the application differently, so ask the one where you will apply, and start at least a month before your trip.
- Longest stay on a transit visa
- 5 days
All confirmed by an official source.
Sources for this answer (1)
Longest stay on a transit visa
5 days
Who needs one
A transit visa is for crossing Turkmenistan on the way to another country, for example overland between Uzbekistan and Iran. When you apply, you give your route, your dates and the border points where you will enter and leave.
If you only change planes: No transit visa is needed if you stay in the airport or on the plane.
Sources for this section (1)
Changing planes in Turkmenistan
No transit visa is needed if you stay in the airport or on the plane
How to apply
The e-visa portal (evisa.migration.gov.tm) has these types: Tourist (e-TU), business (e-BS, up to 30 days) and humanitarian (e-HM). There is no transit e-visa, so you apply through a Turkmen embassy or consulate.
Two embassies describe the process differently:
- How to apply: Like a tourist visa: a Turkmen travel agency gets you a letter of invitation from the State Migration Service Sources disagree.
- What the embassy in Bucharest asks for: A letter to the embassy giving your route, dates, and entry and exit points; a visa for the country you go on to; an application form; your passport; 3 photos (3×4 cm).
Get the visa for the country after Turkmenistan first: the embassy asks to see it.
Sources for this section (3)
Types of e-visa
Tourist (e-TU), business (e-BS, up to 30 days) and humanitarian (e-HM)
How to apply (embassy in Belgium)
Like a tourist visa: a Turkmen travel agency gets you a letter of invitation from the State Migration ServiceSources disagree
Two Turkmen embassies describe this differently. The embassy in Belgium says transit visas now follow the tourist-visa route. The embassy in Romania describes an application at the embassy, with a letter giving your route. Ask the embassy where you will apply.
Documents (Turkmen embassy in Romania)
A letter to the embassy giving your route, dates, and entry and exit points; a visa for the country you go on to; an application form; your passport; 3 photos (3×4 cm)
How long it takes
- Processing: Documents are checked in 10–15 days; after approval, the visa takes 10 days, or 3 days if urgent.
- Longest stay: 5 days.
Allow at least a month. Fees depend on your nationality, so ask the embassy.
Sources for this section (2)
Processing time (embassy in Romania)
Documents are checked in 10–15 days; after approval, the visa takes 10 days, or 3 days if urgent
Longest stay on a transit visa
5 days
What we could not verify
- Whether transit visas are still issued now that the e-visa portal has opened (October 2026). Travellers’ reports conflict.
- Which border crossings transit travellers can use.
- The fees for most nationalities. The embassy in Bucharest lists fees for Romanian citizens only.
This is an independent guide, not a government website. Rules change often. Before you travel, check the official source linked next to each fact.
