Q. What does a South African-passport holder need - and how does one apply - for a visa to visit the Kyrgyz Republic? My letters of inquiry to the Kyrgyzstan embassies in Canada and the UK have had no response. - R Rosenbaum
A. The Kyrgyz Republic - formerly a member state of the Soviet Union - is a small, landlocked country that shares borders with China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Its position on ancient trade routes and at the crossroads of the famous Silk Road between the Far East and the West has ensured a certain cultural richness throughout its 2000-year history.While a love of red tape may be the hallmark of many of the former Soviet states in the region, getting a visa for Kyrgyzstan appears to be relatively painless, with travel website caravanistan.com reckoning that its visa requirements are the "most liberal of Central Asia".According to the official Kyrgyz Republic embassy for the US and Canada website (kgembassy.org), South Africa is one of 20 "facilitated visa countries", whose citizens may apply for one-month visas at any embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic. A single-entry visa costs $40 (about R500) and a multiple-entry visa is $70.
Kyrgyzstan has no embassy in South Africa, but do not despair. Travellers for the listed countries may obtain a visa upon arrival at Manas International Airport, which serves Bishkek, the capital.
The visa will cost "up to $70, depending on the visa category, and is accepted only in cash".
Note, too, that SA doesn't have diplomatic representation in Kyrgyzstan either. But the SA ambassador in Astana, Kazakhstan, is accredited to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, according to the international relations department (dirco.go.za)...