Kazakhstan Turkmenistan
Kazakhstan 
TurkmenistanLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in Turkmenistan
- Drive on the right.
- Zero-tolerance alcohol policy.
- Checkpoints between regions.
- Carry passport, IDP and home licence.
Once you're driving in Turkmenistan
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Foreign visitors may drive on a national licence plus an International Driving Permit, but in practice self-drive car hire is effectively unavailable - tour operators describe self-drive as forbidden, so most visitors are required to take a car with a local driver. Renters who do drive must be at least 21 with one year's experience.
Tolls & road charges
There is no public toll or vignette system on Turkmenistan's roads; the new Ashgabat-Turkmenabat motorway is the main controlled-access highway. Foreign-registered vehicles entering the country instead pay border fees, fuel taxes and compulsory-insurance charges in hard currency.
Parking in the cities
Parking in central Ashgabat is tightly controlled around its white-marble government district, where stopping near ministries and monuments is restricted and enforced by abundant traffic police; use designated lots and avoid photographing official buildings while parked.
Fines & camera enforcement
Traffic police are numerous and stop drivers readily; on-the-spot cash fines for speeding, seatbelt and phone offences are common, and a dirty or non-white car in Ashgabat can itself draw a fine. Always request an official receipt.
If you have an accident
Call 03 for ambulance and the traffic police (102) for any crash; reporting is mandatory, you must not move the vehicles until police document the scene, and foreigners should expect detailed paperwork. Retain the official report for insurance.
Driving in the capital
Ashgabat enforces an unwritten rule that cars must be white, and police stop or fine owners of darker or even dirty vehicles - rentals are kept white and clean to avoid trouble in the capital.
Sources: internationaldriversassociation.com · driverabroad.com · saigatours.com · rferl.org