On 28 April President Serdar Berdymukhammedov signed a decree on extending the validity of international travel passports to allow entry to and exit from Turkmenistan for Turkmen nationals, temporarily or permanently residing abroad, whose passports expire from 1 January 2023 to 30 December 2024.
According to the state-run information agency TDH, this was done “to protect the rights and legal interests of Turkmen nationals who temporarily or permanently reside abroad because of suspended international air service due to the COVID-19 pandemic”.
This is the second extension of passports since the start of the pandemic.In July 2021 the Ministry of Justice reported that Turkmen residents, temporarily or permanently residing abroad, whose passports have expired or will expire from 1 January 2020 to 30 December 2022, can contact Turkmenistan’s Consulate in order to get their passports extended.
A stamp signed by a consul as well as a QR-code was put in passports which expired, pursuant to which passports were valid until the end of 2022. However, according to the news outlet Turkmen News, these passports were not recognized by third countries.
The period of validity of Turkmen passports is five years.Consulates of Turkmenistan do not issue new passports to Turkmen nationals residing abroad.In order to obtain a new ID they must return to Turkmenistan.The post Because of the COVID-19 pandemic Turkmenistan extends the validity of international travel passport until late 2024 first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.