Living in Turkmenistan as a French National: Stay, Settling In, Local Laws and Daily Life

France Diplomatie states that the passport must be valid for at least six months after the planned return date. The visa is requested at the Turkmen embassy in Paris before departure, and can also be issued at Ashgabat airport and at the port of Turkmenbashi, on the basis of an invitation letter issued by the State Migration Service at the request of the inviting party (travel agency, individual or company), with a lead time of three to four weeks. An entry tax of USD 12 is paid on arrival, and a tourist tax of USD 2 per hotel night has applied since 1 August 2017. A transit visa is needed to cross the country, with conditions varying by point of entry.

For any stay of more than three working days, registration must be done within three days of arrival (the count starts the next day, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays). It is the responsibility of the employer, the organisation or the person who invites: hotels cannot register foreigners, and travel agencies generally handle it. A traveller who changes location registers at each stage with the State Migration Service; they keep the form in their passport, present it on request and collect it at the exit post, with deregistration on departure. A failure can lead to a heavy fine, expulsion accompanied by a ban on staying of one year or more, or even a prison sentence. Long-term residence permits come under the same State Service; the France Diplomatie page does not detail them, and the status should be confirmed with the employer and the Turkmen embassy in Paris.

The Dashoguz region and all border zones require a special access permit, requested with the visa or after arrival from the State Migration Service, with a lead time of 3 to 10 days; organised tours obtain it through the travel agency. Twenty crossing points are open: three with Uzbekistan, one with Kazakhstan, two maritime ones with Russia and three with Azerbaijan, generally from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. France Diplomatie formally advises against going to Afghanistan and points out that Turkmenistan does not recognise dual nationality: entering or leaving with two different passports can cause difficulties and delay departure.

Customs prohibit the import of weapons, ammunition, narcotics, pornographic material and documents deemed harmful to the country’s interests. Religious literature requires prior authorisation from the Council for Religious Affairs. On export, a special authorisation is required for precious stones, thoroughbred horses, Central Asian shepherd dogs, antique silverware and handicrafts; carpets more than 50 years old cannot leave the country, and others require a permit from the Ashgabat carpet museum. Imported cigarettes are limited, to two packs according to the current page, with a possible fine of up to 200 manat.

Ashgabat concentrates the French embassy, the Institut français of Turkmenistan (69 Aga Garryyev street), the international hotels and most services. France Diplomatie recommends going through a travel agency and staying in a hotel: independent travel and homestays are not common and a visa cannot be obtained for this type of stay. No official rent or price statistics were used for this page.

The exchange rate is fixed: USD 1 is worth 3.50 new manat according to France Diplomatie, and the Central Bank shows 3.5000 manat to the dollar in its list. You should bring dollars in cash, preferably recent and in good condition, as euros are very difficult to change. International cash machines are rare: three points in Ashgabat allow paid withdrawals with a Visa or Mastercard card depending on the bank, and card payments are very limited outside hotels. Hotel rooms and plane tickets are paid for in dollars, the rest in manat, and non-residents pay for entry to museums and historic sites in dollars. Transfers by Western Union are possible. The exchange, inflation and growth benchmarks appear in the “Economic indicators” block of this page.

The AEFE directory (the Agency for French Education Abroad) lists only one school in Turkmenistan, the Bouygues French school, in Ashgabat (Shor-Garadamak living base), which comes under the Mission laïque française: 19 pupils, 13 levels from petite section to terminale, 8 of them accredited (from petite section to CM2, the last year of primary school), the other five (from sixième to terminale) being followed through the CNED (French distance-learning service). The Institut français of Turkmenistan, the embassy’s operator for cultural and educational cooperation, offers French courses and certifications, a media library and cultural activities. No Alliance française was found in the pages consulted.

France Diplomatie places the whole country at heightened vigilance, with the exception of the Afghan border zone, where travel is formally advised against. It reports pickpocketing in provincial markets and in Ashgabat, notably at the Tolkuchka market at weekends; frequent road checks that can lead to requests for money; seismic risk; a terrorist risk that cannot be ruled out in the regional context; and poorly maintained roads, with animals outside the capital and unpredictable drivers. It advises against driving at night outside cities, walking alone in poorly lit areas and displaying outward signs of wealth.

• Narcotics: penalties go up to 20 years in prison, even for small quantities.
• Tobacco: smoking is prohibited in all public places, including airport exits, streets, parks and gardens, as well as indoor spaces and public transport.
• Photography: photographing strategic buildings and their guards (presidential palace, ministries, airports, military or police installations) is strictly prohibited; as a courtesy, ask the police or guards before photographing near official buildings.
• Remarks and gatherings: insulting the president or showing disrespect to national symbols can lead to arrest, trial, expulsion and a ban on return; demonstrations are strictly controlled and religious proselytism is prohibited.
• Morals: prostitution and procuring are severely punished, the notion being interpreted broadly, and relations between people of the same sex are penalised.

The French embassy in Ashgabat answers on +993 12 36 35 50 (outside opening hours: +993 63 42 96 60); it can issue neither an identity document nor a travel document, but can provide an emergency travel document to return to France. The consular section in Baku (+994 50 282 87 89) handles other administrative procedures.

An international driving licence is recommended and the embassy cannot issue it. Third-party liability insurance is compulsory, but it may cover little or nothing in the event of a serious accident. The limits are 60 km/h in town, 110 km/h on expressways and 30 km/h near police posts, with frequent speed checks; the alcohol tolerance when driving is zero. Car rental is only with a driver, and signs are written in Turkmen (Latin alphabet). Official taxis are yellow; unofficial taxis are negotiated.

France Diplomatie judges health infrastructure insufficient and states that, in Turkmen hospitals, care, accommodation, linen, medicines and meals remain the foreign patient’s responsibility. An assistance contract covering all costs and medical repatriation is presented as indispensable, as many international insurances do not cover Turkmenistan. See the pages Turkmenistan’s healthcare system, healthcare reimbursement in Turkmenistan and the page health insurance in Turkmenistan.