All major cities of the country are linked by roads, which are being improved. Cars drive on the right-hand side of the road. It is also possible to reach Mashad in Iran by road from Ashgabat in five hours (the distance is 300 km). Khiva in Uzbekistan and Herrat in Afghanistan are also accessible by road.

Turkmenistan has railway links with Iran and Afghanistan. The Trans-Caspian Railway, once of great historical importance, now connects Turkmenbashy with Mary via Ashgabat. All velayats (regional centers) are linked by railroad. The railway station in Ashgabat is located in the city center at Vokzalnaya Ploshad.

Turkmenistan’s waterways link it with the major Iranian ports on the Caspian Sea. There is also a ferry between Baku and Turkmenbashy. The Amu Darya is the country’s principal waterway for domestic transport.

There are visa requirements in Turkmenistan. Everyone raveling to Turkmenistan should obtain a visa from the Turkmenistan Embassy in their country. If there is no embassy, as is the case for some UN personnel, the UN office in Turkmenistan submits a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform emigration authorities, and a visa is issued upon arrival. The submission should be made a minimum of 10 working days before arrival.

Taxis are available at the airport. The journey to the city center takes approximately 10 minutes and should not cost more than 3-5 US dollars. Mostly private owned cars also offer taxi service within the city and are generally safe. Anyone wishing to use this service should simply raise an arm at the roadside and agree to the with the driver. Since most taxi drivers speak only Turkmen and Russian, it is advisable to write down the address of the destination in Cyrillic or Latin script. Private taxis at late hours can be unsafe and are not an advisable means of travel for foreigners.

It is possible to buy cars in Turkmenistan. There is, however, no dependable insurance system. It is not advisable to leave cars unattended in the streets for risk of damage and theft of external parts. Repair and servicing facilities are available, but are not of the best quality. A driver’s license can be obtained from the traffic police after submission of a certified translation of a previous license along with two photos.

Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Kia, Tofas, Renault, Ford, Honda, Skoda and Peugeot have sale outlets in the country. Russian- manufactured cars such as Lada, Zhiguli, Volga, Zaporozhets and Moskvich are also available. In addition to these, all cars can be imported after paying 10 % of the value of the car with a minimum of US $1,000.

The quality of domestic and overseas mail services is poor, with delays and misplacements. Parcel post service, house to house delivery and post box service are all available, but not dependable. Post offices are open from 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Friday. There is a diplomatic pouch service between the Turkmenistan UN Country Office and the United Nations headquarters through DHL.

There is a satellite phone in UN office (registry office) which is used for official purposes and can be used for personal call with the authorization from the senior management. It is also possible to place a call through the international exchange (079). The operator will say exactly how long one has to wait for the return call. For direct dialing within the CIS, dial 8 and wait for the dial tone. Public phone booths, intended for local calls and utilizing special coins available in shops, are often out of order. Most large hotels have fax and telex services. Local calls are free of charge. New Internet facilities/cafes have been opened recently. The approximate price is about 45,000 manats.

The following companies are operating in Ashgabat:
Interdean 744014 Ashgabat, O. Kulieva St. 26a
Tel.: 35-15-69 Fax: 51-16-56

Deugro Ashgabat, Kemine St. 146
Tel.: 35-16-13, 35-71-01 Fax: 35-04-80
Mulitzen and Munch International 744000 Ashgabat, Garashsyzlyk St. 59
Tel.: 39-14-86, 39-11-86 Fax: 51-87-63

Fire arms and ammunition cannot be imported. Domestic pets are allowed to be imported if they have an international veterinary certificate. For exporting a pet, a clearance certificate is required from the Ministry of Environment, the charges for which are US $300 per animal.

The metric system is used in Turkmenistan.