Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tajikistan was unclear rules for the issuance of visas. At the start of the
1990s, the visa policy was completely paralyzed by the Civil War. Cross-
ing the Tajikistan border during this period depended greatly upon the will
of individual border guards, as well as on the ability of the tourist to nego-
tiate entry without a visa. But as late as 1997, for example, there were no
border controls along most of the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan frontier.
11
Some
Russian embassies also issued visas to Tajikistan (this practice was ac-
cepted by the Tajiki authorities). The visa required that all cities to which
the visitor planned to travel be listed on the visa itself.
Only after the conclusion of the civil war in 1997 did the policy sta-
bilize and at least partially become unified. Based upon experience with
various embassies, it appears that issuance of a visa to Tajikistan depends
to a great degree upon the embassy, or the particular consular employee
doing the job. In submitting a request for a visa to Tajikistan, this author
has been asked to pay a bribe to the consular employee for issuing a visa
to the country without an invitation.
12
On the other hand, some Tajikistan
consulates at the turn of the century issued visas without any further doc-
umentation (traditionally open consulates included those in Vienna and
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan); strict requirements for a letter of invitation were
made in other places (Brussels).
The above-indicated procedure for simplifying Tajikistan visas did
not, however, lead to a complete, clear unification of requirements. The
practical implementation of new measures has run into considerable road-
blocks—the presence of consular employees at the airport was not guar-
anteed with every flight. At the start, it was unclear whether anyone could
obtain the visa (according to a decree by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Tajikistan) or only citizens of countries without direct diplomatic rep-
resentation in Tajikistan (an interpretation of the Commission for Tajiki
Border Control), or whether a letter of invitation would be required upon
arrival (information from IATA). In the latter case, air carriers would theo-
retically not check passengers in who were bound for Tajikistan and do not
possess a visa or letter of invitation. This lack of comprehensive informa-
tion led to very careful use of the Visa on arrival institution and shortly
after this information was published, it seemed this undoubted advantage
11
Interview with Czech journalist working in Tajikistan during the civil war. See also Hannafin, M.,
King, J., Noble, J., Humphreys, A., p. 83.
12
I withhold the consulate, period of issuance and name of the consular employee for security reasons.
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