Visiting Turkmenistan is a unique experience, but its visa and entry fees are often misunderstood. Many travel blogs and even official sources get the details wrong, leaving travellers confused about how much cash to bring and what to expect at the border.
Entering Turkmenistan involves navigating a series of mandatory fees. Unlike many countries where visa costs are straightforward, Turkmenistan's system includes layered charges that apply to all travellers.
To clear up the misinformation, here’s an accurate, up-to-date breakdown of the fees you’ll actually pay when entering Turkmenistan. The same fees apply whether you are arriving in Turkmenistan by air (Ashgabat Airport) or by one of the multiple land border crossings (Farap, Shavat, Sarahks, or Howdan).
These fees do not include the cost of a tour or your personal expenses.
Before you arrive
Before you arrive in Turkmenistan there is one compulsory fee that is required and that is the Letter of Invitation (LOI) fee.
In most cases this fee will be included in your tour price and you won’t see it as a separate item on your invoice.
Letter of Invitation Fee:
When you LOI is approved by the State Migration Service, the company who invited you is required to pay $50 for the privilege. This fee is not required if the LOI is rejected. Most companies will charge between $100 and $150 to submit the LOI for you, as they also need to complete the paperwork and physically submit the application.
The Letter of Invitation typically takes between 2 and 4 weeks to be processed. The LOI is the most important document you will receive for Turkmenistan. Without the LOI you cannot enter the country.?
Want to know more about what is an LOI? Check out
our blog here
which explains all about it.
On arrival
When you arrive in Turkmenistan you will need to pay multiple fees. These can usually only be paid on arrival and cannot be pre-paid. There is a bank window at the Airport, as well as at all permissible land border crossings. This is where these fees need to be paid. All fees need to be paid in US dollars.
Visa:
Depending on your Nationality and the length of your LOI, the cost for the visa when arriving ranges from $85USD (this is the most common fee) up to $150USD (very rare and only for long visas or expensive western passports). This is effectively just an arrival tax, as your permission to enter Turkmenistan has already been granted by virtue of your approved LOI.
Your visa fee can be paid at an Embassy or Consulate, however, it’s very unusual to do this, as it is time consuming and difficult, compared to arriving at the border/airport. You will also still need to make sure way to the bank desk, as you will need to pay the migration tax, bank tax and PCR test fee there.
If you want to know more about the different types of visas in Turkmenistan then
click here
.
Migration tax:
Everyone crossing a land border or arriving in Turkmenistan, including Turkmenistan nationals must pay this fee. At the time of writing (July 2025) the Migration Tax is $14USD.
Bank fee:
For the privilege of paying the first two fees, the visa fee and migration tax, you are required to pay a bank fee for facilitating the transaction. The current bank fee is $2USD
PCR Test:
As of writing, Turkmenistan still require all travellers to undergo a PCR test when arriving in the country. The PCR test is $35USD. This fee along with the others must be paid before you can get your passport stamped.
Inside Turkmenistan
There is only one fee you will be required to pay inside Turkmenistan and that is the Tourist Tax, a per night fee levied on each tourist.
Tourist tax:
Every night that you stay in Turkmenistan, in accommodation, you are required to pay a tourist tax directly to the hotel. The Tourist Tax is currently $2USD per person, per night. This fee is only levied in hotels, so if you are staying in a homestay or camping at the Gates of Hell, for example, you are not required to pay the Tourist Tax for these nights.
Each hotel will collect the Tourist Tax directly on behalf of the Turkmenistan government.
Hotels will often not have change, so make sure you bring some smaller bank notes to pay for this fee.
Advice on paying Turkmenistan fees
- All fees must be paid in crisp, undamaged US dollar notes. Credit/Debit cards and other currencies are not accepted for these official payments. Your US dollar notes also need to be relatively new, with older series often not being accepted.
- There is no compulsory medical or travel insurance when entering Turkmenistan despite some reports online.
- Make sure you have some smaller bank notes, as the bank teller at the border/airport will often claim to not have change.
- Make sure you always have extra cash, as fees can change at any time.
If you want to come and explore Turkmenistan with us, check out our numerous tours we have each year on
our webiste here.
To join us in Turkmenistan or to have a private tour, send us an email to [email protected].
