Visas: Uzbekistan

So we've finally started the seemingly never ending process of visa applications. Today we received our passports back from the Uzbekistan embassy, having successfully applied for our tourists visas. A bonus of the system: we applied for a 30 day single entry visa, but instead we received a 30 day multiple entry visa! This article will hopefully help you apply for your own by the same method as us. Some quick facts:

• Cost: £70 per person (including postal order fee, signed for postage, and consular fee)
• Visa Duration: 30 days
• Number of Entries: Multiple
• Visa Processing Time: 1 Week
• Place of Application and Nationalities: London and UK Citizens
• Application Date: 16th February 2015 (almost 6 months in advance)

So how did we do it? Firstly here is our little check list of things you will need per person:

• Passport Photos (x2)
• Printed Application Form (x2)
• Cover Letter (x1)
• Photocopy of Every Passport Page (yep EVERY page)

Step 1 - The Application Form

The first step is to head on over to the Uzbekistan Embassy website and click on the e-visa link. This takes you to an online form that you can fill in. Now this isn't actually an e-visa system, it is purely a way to fill out the form that you will eventually print and send to the embassy. You can add extra people on the same application, but we did each instance separately just to avoid confusion.

Above is my completed application form (with all my personal stuff crossed out). For purpose of visit we put: "Auto tourism. Travelling by car for Charity Rally". For inviting party we put: "none". For accompanied persons I put the name of the other person in the car (and vice-versa for their application). I made a point in my cover letter (see step 2) about not knowing what to put in the accompanied persons box. Once you have completed it, you can print it off twice (also I always save a PDF as well, just in case). Sign both forms and date them.

Step 2 - The Cover Letter

Now where do you begin with one of these? Well hopefully you've written a letter before and know the layout, so I won't patronise you with that bit. However, the main points you need to cover are:

• Why you are travelling to Uzbekistan.
• Your itinerary for Uzbekistan (not day by day, merely list a few cities you'll go to).
• The name and address of a hostel or hotel you will stay at (we didn't even bother booking it).

Again, below is the letter we sent (with various personal stuff removed).

Step 3 - Sundries

Make sure you have two passport sized photos available and paper clip these to the application forms (one per application form). Make sure you have photocopied every page of your passport (I didn't bother with the front and back covers). If you are applying for several people at once then it is a good idea to place the application forms and photocopies for each person in a separate plastic wallet.

Step 4 - Payment and Postage

You need to send a special delivery self addressed envelope with the application (so they can send your passports back) and a postal order for the amount needed to pay (in our case, 2x tourist visas at £57 per visa, ie £114 postal order made payable to the "Embassy of Uzbekistan" which incurs a £12.50 transaction fee). Place all these items in a large envelope and post it off down to the embassy in London (we sent it special delivery). In total, for two visas, it cost us £140.80 (which is half of the cost that a well known visa service would charge you). Below is the full breakdown of costs:

• £114 postal order made payable to the embassy.
• £12.50 postal order fee, charged by the Royal Mail.
• £7.15 special delivery to send your passports and documents.
• £7.15 special delivery to have your passports sent back.

Step 5 - Sit Back and Wait

One week later we got our passports back with our shiny new visa sticker.

If this guide has been helpful (and saved you many many pounds compared with using a visa service), and you would like to say thank you then feel free to donate a couple of quid to our charity, Anthony Nolan, through our Just Giving link.