Saudi Arabia to Turkmenistan visa requirements

A Saudi Arabian ordinary passport holder needs a visa to enter Turkmenistan. There is no visa-free or working visa-on-arrival channel: you must first obtain a Letter of Invitation (LOI) certified by Turkmenistan's State Migration Service (in practice arranged through a licensed Turkmen travel agency for tourists), then apply for the visa at the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Riyadh or, with an approved LOI in hand, collect it on arrival at Ashgabat Airport. Turkmenistan is one of the most restrictive countries in the world for tourist entry, and Saudi Arabia has no visa-waiver or visa-free agreement with it. Every Saudi ordinary-passport traveler must obtain a visa. The cornerstone requirement is a Letter of Invitation (LOI) that must be certified by the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan and is valid for 3 months from certification; tourists who are not visiting a specific host must obtain this LOI through a licensed Turkmen tour operator. Once the LOI is approved, the visa is issued either by the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Riyadh or on arrival at Ashgabat International Airport (the "visa on arrival" is only a collection point and is impossible without the pre-approved LOI). A 10-day single-entry tourist visa costs about USD 35 at the embassy, plus separate agency/LOI fees of roughly USD 100-300. Note: Turkmenistan passed a law in April 2025 to introduce an electronic visa system that would eliminate the LOI, but as of mid-2026 the e-visa platform is NOT operational and no presidential decree on categories/fees has been published, so the LOI-based process remains the only valid route. Turkmenistan is not in the Schengen area, so the Schengen 90/180 rule and ETIAS do not apply. Plan a 6-8 week lead time.