Well the agency turned down our application for Kazakh And Tajik. :thumbdown:

It turns out that Kazakhstan changed the rules and now we need visas for all in and out countries before applying for Kazakh. So we need to get Uzbekistan before. doh

And we need to change some stuff in our application form for Tajik! Damn! Back to the "drawing " board.
Anxious about all those visas and ever changing rules :(

So next week we do Uzbek direct , ie not using an agency. Then back to applying for Kazakh and Tajik in one go! I will be glad when this is over.
Husband gave his resignation.
I am a contractor so I already told my boss a while ago I am not renewing my contract, but may be back in September I hope! Nice team so would not mind!

Situation in Ukraine not looking good. I hope we can still keep to our original plan!

Hi everyone
 

Hi,
I'm Also leaving this summer from sweden to mongolia. I'm think of going Russia, Kazakhstan, Russia and mongolia route and would really like a riding buddy(s) for that part. I have 2 months off work and can take it any time. So I'm quite flexible. Im on a dr 650 and I'm no off-road expert but want to become one on this trip. So if this fits anyone's time scale and route it would be great to hear from you. And is there anyone who can add me to this spreadsheet or send me the link.
Thanks
Neil

Kazak visa: You should of just got a double multi entry tourist visa and thats all as then you dont need entry/exit visas, if you say you are traveling on a bike/car then it gets complex and they want all this

Tajik visa: Can get visa in one day in Istanbul or 1-2 days in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) if you are passing on route

Hi Wesley, nice trip report!
For Kazakh they require plane tickets and hotels booking to issue the visas.... Which we do not have... Hence explanation of our itinerary by bike. But now they want visas from and to other countries .....
We'll see...

Or can you get a double entry tourist without providing plane tickets ?

If you have your Russian visa, just say that this is your from/to country. Booking.com: 430,068 hotels worldwide. 25+ million hotel reviews. allows you to make a hotel booking without paying a deposit. Print your confirmation etc and if you can be bothered cancel it again, or not. In 2012 and 2013 I didn't have a plane ticket and received a Kazakh tourist visa without any difficulty.

I did what chris said for my booking and also write a letter saying i will book plane tickets once i have a visa and i am coming for 30 days and on the form mark double visa as always best to have double if the option is there as you never know what will happen so always best

Also as chris says if you have a russian visa then say you are exiting to kyrgyzstan as no visa needed for this country (but once kyrgyzstan joins the cutoms union with Russia, Kazak & Belarus maybe things will change and visa's will be needed but this is not until next year)

Yes thanks for liking the ride report, just need to find time to finish it as super busy now playing catch up with work)))))))

Фрица монгольский Лето
 

Hi Kids - Welcome to the USSR! When I was getting visas I thought how nice it was when Russia ruled the east. One visa and done!

Damn things are changing fast. So hang loose.

I have my website up and running, but I do not think Horizons Unlimited have linked me yet. I linked them.

Go to www.fritztomongolia.blogspot.com . That tells the tale of my visas. I have no Turkmen visa. I have a plan - wait in Baku Azerbaijan for a visa and a boat. Or I can always turn north and go through Russia.

Welcome Neil! contact Noel to get on the spreadsheet.

Fritz

Neil, the spreadsheet is in post #29 on page 2 of this thread. You can download it, fill it in and email it to me, my email address is in the spreadsheet.

Hi Niel,
We are arriving in Stockholm about 12th May and then we are going to Estonia by ferry. From there we will have some time in St. Petersburg before Moscow, Kazakh and Mongolia.
Would you like to team up?

If you want to send a private message that's fine but my phone is +44 07770745238 and find my email on the spreadsheet on #29 of this thread.

Maria,

That might be more of an agency issue than an embassy issue. I have been issued a Kazakh double entry visa with a route Russia - Kaz - Kyrg - Uzbek - Kaz - Russia (route clearly laid out in letter that accompanied visa application). Whilst I have the Russia visa, I don't have the Uzbek visa and probably won't be able to get it until I'm in Bishkek as you must enter the country within 90 days of the visa being issued and my itinerary sees me depart on the trip more than 90-days from the date we'll enter.

I got mine through the agency Go To Russia.

Having said that, I guess it is possible that they issued the visa anyway because, if the Uzbek visa is declined, we could still re-enter Kaz from Kyrg (for which I don't need a visa) and continue the journey.

Maria, I got a 60 day double entry visa for Kazakhstan through the London Embassy with the help of Stantours.

I booked two nights at a random hotel off bookings.com which I cancelled without payment as soon as the visa was issued.

I nominated a couple of cities I would visit and that I would go into and out of Kyrgyzstan before leaving into Russia. I got the visa without a Russian visa.

I think if you pick the right visa company to help they know the "right" people to speak to?

Yes most probably. This is not a worry really, it was just annoying as they did not tell us!
Anyway, we applied for Uzbek visas direct with the embassy yesterday. Once we get the passports back next week, we will apply direct to Tajik visas and maybe also go after that direct for Kazakh visas. Only prob is that embassies are open only a couple of days at stupid working hours ....

My main concern now is that our planned route via Ukraine is looking real dodgy. Both my Ukrainian and Russian colleagues at work have told me that even if things are quite, the borders (Ukraine into Russia) may be closed.
Time for plan B!

We are also watching the developments in Ukraine closely, as we plan to travel through Ukraine to enter and leave Russia. We still have a month to go before we would enter Ukraine, so the situation could change significantly by then - either way. Our back-up plan, if needed, is to drive through Lithuania and Latvia to enter Russia.

Hi Maria,
We're leaving later than you but it's not looking too good is it?
Our plan B was to go through Poland, Lithuania and Latvia (to avoid get a visa for Belarus) and enter Russia there - if they let us in!!
Fingers crossed that it doesn't escalate further.
Cheers
Paul