1. from the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bishkek:
Visa support from the Ministry of Foreign affairs is needed for:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.
If it IS necessary to obtain visa support from the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bishkek, (in the form of a fax/telex message to the appropriate embassy/consulate), then the process is as follows:
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the tour company submits a request to the Consular Department;
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they “process” it – which involves various recording processes and checks;
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if they approve the request – they can refuse, without having to give a reason – then the Ministry send a confirmation to the embassy/consulate in the form of a fax or telex message, together with a reference number;
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they give us the reference number of the message;
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the tout company faxes a copy of the invitation with the reference number to the client;
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the tourist takes the invitation and submits it with a completed application form at the embassy.
The process of registering the invitation with the Ministry normally takes one week (although it may be possible to apply for “express” service by paying an additional fee. We recommend that you allow ten to fifteen days, however, to allow for holidays and communication.)
2. from the Ministry of the Interior
This is required for those whose stated purpose is to visit friends or relatives – the process is quite complex and time consuming.