Registration with OVIR

Contents

• OVIR
• Republican OVIR
• Regional OVIR
• Compliance
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Registration with KGB

OVIR is the office for registration of foreign citizens. If your stay in Tajikistan is longer than 72 hours, you must register with OVIR.

OVIR

Republican OVIR

If you register with Republican OVIR in Dushanbe, this covers you for your whole stay. There is no need to re-register unless your visa is extended. Registration with Republican OVIR must be carried out on your behalf by the organisation who invited you, e.g. the tour company who provided your letter of invitation. You need to provide the following:

• Your passport
• A passport photograph
• Your address in Tajikistan (e.g. address of your hotel or homestay in Dushanbe)
• The registration fee (check with your tour company how much this should be)

If your visa is for longer than three months, you must also provide a certificate to prove that you are not infected with HIV/AIDS.

There has been some discussion about opening an OVIR office in Dushanbe airport, so that you can register on arrival. This would simplify the process.

Regional OVIR

If your journey does not start in Dushanbe, you may have to register with a regional OVIR office. This only covers you for the region in which you register. You will have to re-register when you travel to a new region.

If you enter Tajikistan at Kyzyl-Art Pass, you should register with OVIR in Khorog. If you enter from the north, you should register with OVIR in Khujand.

Compliance

If you fail to register with OVIR within 72 hours of arrival, and you are caught, there is a fine equal to 50 times the minimum wage, plus the cost of registration. At current (2006) rates the fine works out at approx. USD $300.

The OVIR stamp is frequently checked in Dushanbe Airport and in Khorog and Murghab. You must also provide evidence of registration with OVIR if you wish to extend your visa.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

If your letter of invitation was issued by an international NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation), you do not need to register with OVIR. Instead, your organisation should register your visa with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Registration with KGB

It is usually not necessary to register with the KGB, but in some more remote areas, this is required. Usually it just involves a friendly chat with the local KGB officer while he writes down your passport details.

In the Karategin Valley, you should register with the KGB in Jirgital (4 Km from the main road), even if you are not stopping there. At the Tajik/Kirgyz border they will check whether or not you registered.