Tajikistan - Getting In

Although Tajikistan is officially part of Russia, you need specific permission on your visa to enter. These days travelers are allowed in, but it is still more of a journo spot. In the United States, visas for Tajikistan are issued by the Russian Embassy, Consular Division, 1825 Phelps Place NW, Washington, DC 20008, Tel.: (202) 939-8907, or the Russian Consulates in New York, San Francisco or Seattle. For information about the country, you might also try the Tajik Mission to the UN, East 67th Street, New York, NY 10021; Tel.: (212) 472-7645; Fax: (212) 628-0252. Tajik visas granted by these offices are valid for a stay of five days. These visas are also valid in other Commonwealth of Independent States for five days, except in Uzbekistan, where they are valid for three days only for transiting to another country. Visas are required when you check in at a hotel. If travelers plan a longer stay, they may apply at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a longer visa. If you want to stay longer than 90 days you will need an AIDS test or supply a medical certificate. The Gorno-Badakhshan border requires a special advance permission. You can apply for a longer stay once in country. If you are bouncing back and forth between Uzbekistan, remember to get a double or multiple entrance Russian visa.

Also, you will need an exit visa to leave Tajikistan so whatever you said (or paid) to the nice immigration person may come back to haunt you on your way out. Worst case, there is the OVIR (immigration) office in Dushanbe that can try to iron things out. Road rats can try getting a visa at the Tajik embassy in Almaty in Kazakstan at Ulista Emeleva 70, Tel.: [7] (3272) 611760, Fax: 610225.

When airlines are going into Dushanbe you can take the six hour flight directly from London to Dushanbe via Tajikistan Airlines (TIA, 154 Horn Lane, London, W3 6PG Tel.: (0181) 993-8885, Fax: 993-7504) on Sunday and from Moscow about every second day. There is also a 1.5 hour flight to Delhi. You can also go once a week on the two hour Karachi-Dushanbe flight. If you find yourself in one of these places, sit back and enjoy the retro feeling of a creaky '60s-era Boeing 707 maintained by post Soviet-era mechanics. Aeroflot won't guarantee it, but they list a four hour flight from Moscow for about $300 one way. Because of frequent aid flights there are a variety of charter flights from Dushanbe with outbound space. Just head to the airport and beg or haggle. There is also a crime ridden but more reliable train from Moscow and a daily bus from Samarkand. Internal flights are often cancelled or delayed by lack of fuel, passengers or whatever.

Due to a lack of fuel, there are not many taxis. Taxis can be called in Dushanbe by dialing 24-66-29 or catching one at the Hotel Tajikistan. Negotiate and agree to a fare first. Take the bus into and around town. There are private buses that cruise Dushanbe. DP recommends hiring a private driver and car for about $30-$50 a day. A DP reader in Belgium tells us that he used a Kyrgz visa and used the "72 hour rule" which gives you 72 hours to get a visa for the FSR you are entering. Make sure you get clearance from the police in Osh to cross at Sary Tash.