By Dan Forteza
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I visited Kyrgyzstan in October 2019 and managed to get my Kyrgyzstan visa on arrival with no issues at Manas International Airport (in Bishkek). The beautiful and hospitable Central Asian country has been growing in popularity for tourists, and the government has made the visa on arrival so simple so more people can visit the country. So without further ado, here is my guide on how to get a visa on arrival for Kyrgyzstan.
Hi there! First of all, I am Daniel–a solo backpacker from the Philippines. If you don’t know my story yet, feel free to read this article where I talked about how I quit my job in order to travel. This article was also featured on TripZilla Philippines.
DO YOU NEED A VISA TO VISIT KYRGYZSTAN?
First things first, do you need a visa to visit Kyrgyzstan? Well, depending on your nationality, you may or may not need a visa. See the information below which category you fall in.
Free-Visa Countries
Holders of passports issued by the following 69 nations are not required to obtain a visa for Kyrgyzstan up to the length of stay mentioned below:
- A. Indefinite stay: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, North Korea, Russia, Tajikistan
- B. 90 days: Mongolia, Serbia, Ukraine
- C. 60 days: European Union citizens (except Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania), Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Iceland, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Qatar, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City
- D. 30 days: Malaysia, Turkey
Visa on arrival
Citizens of the following countries and territories are eligible to obtain a visa on arrival valid for a maximum stay of 30 days at Manas International Airport:
Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Oman, Philippines, Romania, San Marino, South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela
Citizens of the following countries and territories are eligible to obtain a visa on arrival valid for stays longer than 60 days at Manas International Airport:
European Union citizens (except for Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania), Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Iceland, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City
eVisa
From 1 September 2017, citizens of all countries and territories may apply for tourism, business and group tourist types of visas for 30 or 90 days online through the eVisa system.
Electronic visa holders must arrive via:
- Airports: Manas Airport, Osh Airport
- Land Crossings:
- China (at Irkeshtam and Torugart)
- Kazakhstan (at Ak-jol, Ak-Tilek, Chaldybar, Chon-Kapka)
- Tajikistan (at Bor-Dobo, Kulundu, Kyzyl-Bel)
- Uzbekistan (at Dostuk)
As a Philippine passport holder, I am both eligible of Kyrgyzstan e-Visa and Visa on arrival.
However, with my recent rejection of Armenian e-Visa (but had no problem getting approved for Armenian visa-on-arrival), I went for Kyrgyzstan visa-on-arrival without a second thought. Please note that Kyrgyzstan visa-on-arrival is ONLY obtainable at Manas International Airport (in Bishkek). In my case I had to fly from Almaty airport, Kazakhstan to Bishkek airport, Kyrgyzstan.
WHAT YOU NEED TO GET A KYRGYZ VISA ON ARRIVAL (AT MANAS AIRPORT)
There are two things you need to prepare in order to successfully apply for a visa on arrival at Manas International Airport:
- Cash. I had 100 USD with me.
- Take note that they DON’T accept payment by debit or credit cards but only by cash in either USD or KGS. Plus, there are no ATMs within the airside of the airport. So you better bring some cash!
- The cost depends on whether it’s a single or multiple entry visa or one-month or three-month valid. I paid 50 USD for a single-entry, one-month valid visa.
- Confirmed hotel booking. I have only booked my first-night stay in a cheap hostel I found on Booking.com.
- You will need this information (such as your hostel’s address and its contact number) to fill up the visa form. So make sure you have it prepared.
You can book a room at any hotel in Bishkek through Agoda or Booking.com. I usually book my room accommodations through booking.com. Room accommodation ranges from cheap hostels to luxury hotels. Book hostels through booking.com as they have free cancellation or pay-at-the-hotel option.
GET YOUR KYRGYZSTAN VISA ON ARRIVAL IN 4 EASY STEPS
STEP 1: GO TO THE VISA COUNTER
Once you get off the flight, you will walk down the hallway and come across the visa section office directly in front of you in the main hall, it is on the left side. On the right side is the immigration or passport control gate, so make sure you process your visa first before lining up there.
STEP 2: FILL UP THE FORM
Ask the personnel for VOA (visa-on-arrival) and he/she will hand you a form to complete basic information, mostly about your personal details and your room accommodation in Kyrgyzstan.
STEP 3: PAY THE VISA FEE
Once you have the form filled up, just give it to the visa officer together with your passport. You will be asked what type of visa you’re applying for whether it’s a tourist visa or single-entry vs. multiple-entry or one-month vs 3-month valid. The amount of the visa fee you’ll be paying will depend on them.
Then pay your visa fee accordingly. I paid 50 USD for a tourist visa, single-entry, and valid for a month.
STEP 4: GET YOUR PASSPORT WITH VISA STICKER!
Then you’ll have to wait for about 5-10 minutes. Once your name is called, you’re basically done. Get your receipt and pick up your passport with its Kyrgyz visa sticker! Then, you can now proceed and line into immigration.
NOTE: It only took me 15 minutes to finish the whole visa process, I guess it depends on how many people are on queue. During my application, there were only two of us applying.
SUMMARY:
- Visa Type: Tourist Visa
- Visa Validity: 30 Days
- Visa Fee: USD 50.00
Now you’re ready to go and explore Kyrgyzstan. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I did! If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to post your comment below!
RECOMMENDED PACKAGE TOURS
I hope that you find this HOW TO GET A KYRGYZSTAN VISA ON ARRIVAL (TOURIST VISA GUIDE) blog useful! I highly recommend booking tours through Viator:
- A stunning Bishkek city tour
- Bishkek city walking tour
- The perfect day: Ala Archa National Park + Bishkek city tour
- The ancient Burana Tower + Bishkek city tour, 1 day
BOOKING ESSENTIALS
- Hotel / Hostel
- Booking.com. I recommend booking through this link to get 10% of your booking back after your stay.
- Airbnb. Sign up with my link and you will get up to 42 USD (2,200 Php) off your first stay.
- Flights
- KAYAK. Great for finding the cheapest fare rates.
- Travel Insurance
- World Nomads. Highly recommended for medical costs, property loss, and travel emergencies.
Dan Travels 