Uzbekistan - Central Asia - page 218

registration slips upon departure from the
country, you should be in the clear - in theory.
in practice, police often hassle departing tour-
ists over just one or two missing registration
slips. if this happens, stand your ground and ar-
gue forcefully that you were in some towns for
less than three nights, and were not required to
register for those nights.
TELEPHONE
There are two national Uzbek mobile phone
providers: Ucell and Beeline. however, in 2013,
only residents of Uzbekistan were able to pur-
chase SiM cards, though this may change. Call
charges are minuscule and coverage for inter-
net is generally fast and cheap too, so if you're
in the country for any amount of time, it's well
worth investing in one: try asking a local or at
your hotel if an Uzbek citizen will buy a SiM card
on your behalf.
Uzbekistan's antiquated ixed-line system is
creaky but functional. Local calls cost almost
nothing and domestic long-distance calls are
cheap. Post oices and minimarts sell a range
of cards good for discounted long-distance
calls out of Uzbekistan, but it's far cheaper and
easier to use Skype in any internet cafe.
To place a call to a mobile phone, dial % 83
(from a land line) or % +998 (from another
mobile phone), followed by the two-digit code
and the seven-digit number.
To place a call to a land line, dial % 83 (from
either a land line or a mobile phone) followed
by the two-digit city code and the seven-digit
number. if the city code is three digits, drop the
3 and just dial 8.
if dialling from any Tashkent number (mobile
or ixed) to any other Tashkent number, regard-
less of carrier, just dial the seven-digit number
(no code).
To place an international call from a land line,
dial % 8, wait for a tone, then dial % 10.
We have given mobile phone numbers their
full international codes for consistency - even
from a local mobile phone, you can still call
them by using this number.
TRAVEL PERMITS
Border permits are required for all mountain ar-
eas near the Tajik and Kyrgyz borders, including
most of Ugam-Chatkal National Park, the Zarafs-
hon and hissar Mountains, and Zaamin National
Park. Secure these with the help of any travel
agency that arranges tours in these regions.
VISAS FOR ONWARD TRAVEL
Contact David at Stantours (p155) for updated
information and honest advice. if you can avoid
purchasing letter of invitation (Loi) support,
Stantours will tell you. Most embassies require
you to show an onward ticket if you are applying
for a transit visa.

Afghanistan
in 2013 the Afghan embassy in Tashkent (p222)
ceased issuing tourist visas to non-residents
of Uzbekistan. The only exceptions seem to be
business travellers and tourists with a letter
of recommendation from their own embassies
in Tashkent, something that most consulates
are unlikely to give. Until this changes, you're
better of getting your Afghan visa at home or in
another Central Asian country.
Azerbaijan
A 30-day tourist visa from the Azerbaijan em-
bassy (p222) costs US$40 to US$60 depending
on your nationality (though fees were in the
process of being adjusted when we visited). Two
passport photos, a copy of your passport and a
Loi are needed. Five-day transit visas (US$25)
are also available.
China
The Chinese embassy (p222) issues three-
month single-entry visas for US$40 (ive day
wait) or US$80 for same day pick up. You'll
need a copy of your passport and Uzbek visa on
a single page, plus copies of hotel and airline
bookings into and out of China. Proof of employ-
ment (a letter from your company should do) is
also sometimes required.
Iran
First you must apply for an authorisation
through an iranian agent. This costs around
US$50 and takes one to two weeks to arrive,
after which you can apply for a 30-day tourist
visa (valid for entry within three months) at
the iranian embassy you elected for collection.
Assuming that was Tashkent (p222), the visa
processing costs varies from US$50 to US$100.
Kazakhstan
A 30-day tourist visa (US$30) takes ive days
to process at the Kazakhstan embassy (p222),
as does a 60-day double-entry tourist visa
(US$60). An Loi is not needed for either, but
you need to bring a passport photo and a copy
of your passport's photo page. Transit visas
cost US$20 for ive-day processing and do not
require an Loi, but they do require an onward
ticket or visa to a third country.
Kyrgyzstan
Visa-free travel to Kyrgyzstan for most nationali-
ties (see p309) means one less piece of Central
Asian bureaucracy to worry about.
Pakistan
The Pakistani embassy (p222) in Tashkent only
issues tourist visas to residents of Uzbekistan.
Russia
Begin by illing out a visa application form online
(visa.kdmid.ru). You'll need to bring your original
passport and a copy of its photo page, a pass-