Gathering information

It is advisable to talk to people who have made business trips to Turkmenistan and to study travel guides. Some of the main guides listed in subsequent sections are now available in the travel departments of European bookshops. It is worth contacting the chamber of commerce in your city or the relevant government department or embassy to see if they have some useful materials about living and working in the country. Turkmenistan has four embassies in the European Union:

Getting a visa

Visa can be obtained upon arrival at the Ashgabat Airport upon presentation of a letter of invitation which can be prepared by the CU upon request.

Booking airline tickets

There are direct flights to Ashgabat from some European countries. Turkmenistan Airlines (Birmingham, London, Moscow, Kiev, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Delhi, Tashkent), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul), Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Baku), Pakistan Airlines (Karachi, Baku), Iranian Airlines (Teheran), Kazakstan Airlines (Almaty), Uzbekistan Airlines (Tashkent), Tajikistan Airlines (Dushanbe), Armenian Airlines (Yerevan), Azerbaijan Airlines (Baku) and Aerosweet (Kiev, Almaty) fly to and from Ashgabat. Direct flights are quicker but are usually more expensive. It is worth checking what offers are available if you have a limited budget. Many foreign visitors keep an open return ticket as a precaution. This is a point you may wish to bear in mind when booking your outward ticket. Tickets with CIS carriers can only with difficulty be purchased in Ashgabat.

Hotel reservation

You can arrange hotel accommodation either through your Turkmenistan partner or directly if you prefer. The CU in Ashgabat also can make a hotel reservation upon request. If you book a room independently, always obtain written confirmation or a reservation number. It is best to book a Ashgabat hotel as far in advance as possible because the reputable hotels can fill quickly if there are a number of business events running at the same time. When making a reservation mention that you are from the European Union’s Tacis Programme as the Coordinating Unit has negotiated a favourable Tacis corporate rate with the main hotels. A list of reliable hotels in Turkmenistan can be found in part five of this section under ‘information on key cities’.

There are two main types of hotel in Turkmenistan.

• Firstly, joint venture hotels in which foreign partners have a financial and management interest. Joint venture hotels have been renovated and offer a high level of service and often provide a good range of business facilities, such as secretarial and language support, meeting rooms and also a high level of security.
• Secondly, the Turkmenistan state-owned hotels which have less facilities, can be less secure and invariably offer a lower quality of service. However, some international organisations prefer the latter option because of the reduced cost.

Arranging transport

Finding reliable means of public transport is a big problem for foreign visitors to Turkmenistan. It is not easy to find your way around in Ashgabat or any of the other cities in Turkmenistan, especially if you are not a Russian or Turkmen speaker. If you are coming to Ashgabat at the start of your project, it is well worth trying to arrange transport for the first few days through the CU (car with driver who picks you up from the airport).

Medical check-up

If you are going for a long stay you should consider having a full medical check-up before your departure, including a visit to the dentist. Update your immunisations before you leave - your doctor will advise you which vaccinations are currently recommended for Turkmenistan ( refer to the ‘Healthcare’ information in part three of this section for further information).