You can apply for a Turkmenistan visa at an Embassy or Consulate, but before that, you have to get a Letter of Invitation (LOI) from the Turkmen State Migration Service. You must have a sponsor in Turkmenistan who can get the LOI for you. Your sponsor can be:

A travel agency, if you intend to visit Turkmenistan as a tourist. Check the website of the Turkmen Embassy in your country to see if they have a list available of travel agencies offering tours to Turkmenistan.

An individual already residing in Turkmenistan, if you are applying for a family or private visa.

A Turkmen organization or company, if you are travelling for business or employment reasons.

An educational institution, if you are applying for a student visa.

So, if you are travelling simply for tourism, then your tour agency will handle a lot of your visa application for you. They will have the necessary information regarding documents and requirements for the Letter of Invitation.

The application for a Letter of Invitation can take up to 20 working days, or about a month overall. However, once you have the Letter of Invitation, the application for the visa is much easier, since the LOI is the most important part of the visa application.

The processing time for a Turkmenistan visa is 10 days from the date the Embassy receives your completed application. However, it can take up to one month for you to receive a Letter of Invitation from the Turkmen State Migration Service.

Therefore, if you intend to visit Turkmenistan, you have to contact a travel agency and start planning your tour well in advance.

Note: Because there is no LOI for a Turkmenistan Transit Visa, it may take several weeks for your visa to be processed.

The duration of a Turkmenistan visa depends on the reason for travelling, the duration of your tour as well as your nationality. They can be issued for single-, double-, or multiple entries and have a duration ranging from 10 days and up to one year.

Although it is not a common practice, you may be able to extend your Turkmen visa for another 3 to 5 days if you apply to the Turkmen State Migration Services. You will need a letter explaining why you seek the extension and payment of the visa extension fee.