How to Enter Afghanistan from Tajikistan

Are you planning to visit Afghanistan and have a truly surreal experience by crossing the Shir Khan Bandar border on your own? If so, this guide is here to give you all the information you need to make it happen and I’ll share the mistakes I made along the way!

Before You Go: What You Need to Know

You’re going to enter Afghanistan, not Disneyland. This trip won’t be easy or comfortable. It won’t be 100% safe, and there’s no guarantee you’ll even be able to cross the border. But one thing’s for sure: it will be one of the craziest experiences of your life.

I don’t want to create unnecessary “Hype”, my trip was safe and I enjoyed each moment of the border crossing but… you have to know where you’re going. Check this post and come to your own conclusions.

If you plan to cross the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, you don’t need to arrive there with a visa. You will ask for visa to Taliban at the border by showing your passport. Mandatory documents to bring with you:

• Passport with 6 months of validity at least
• 4 photos, format Passport

If you’re coming from Dushanbe, you probably know there’s an option to request a visa at an office there. I personally didn’t use this option because it seems the Taliban don’t recognize it as a valid visa since it’s not issued by them.

There’s also the possibility to apply for a visa at the consulates in Dubai or Frankfurt, but we’re not Merenderos, right?

So, let’s move on to the other logistics of our trip.

But first. Be aware that the border is CLOSED on Friday, no way to enter in Afghanistan on that day and that it’s opened the other week days from 9 a.m to 6 p.m with a break from 12 p.m to 2 p.m. If you plan to cross on Saturday you probably find some people waiting there from day before.

Very important! In Dushanbe don’t forget to take all the cash you need for your whole trip in Afghanistan. It’s extremely rare (almost impossible) to pay by card there, and ATM isn’t working with international cards. The only option who can save you is Moneygram, but…commissions are high.

Arriving at the Tajikistan border from Dushanbe

If you’re in Dushanbe, you have to organize your trip to arrive in the Tajikistan-Afganistan border.

There’s the opportunity to arrive there by taxi for 60 USD (in total) or by share mini taxi busses (from 4 to 8 people) for no more than 15 USD each.

Whichever of the two options you choose, keep in mind you need to start your journey early in the morning, or else you risk getting stuck at the border. I left my hotel at 6:00 a.m.

Taxis are waiting for customers in Sakhovat Bazaar. From here to the border you will maximum need two hours, so be sure to arrive at border at 8 a.m / 9 a.m.

I have a contact that can bring you there and picking you from your hotel for 60 USD in total. Ask to me for his number 🙂

Before i forgot. Don’t arrive there with the need to go to the bathroom…because this is the bathroom:

Crossing the Tajikistan Border

The driver leaves you right in front of the border and the office usually opens at 9.00 a.m.

Officers will ask for your passport and will be surprised to see you there, for them is strange that a tourist wants to cross that border.

Once the check is completed, you have to wait for enough people to fill a car before moving to the next border office, where you will undergo a second screening.

Once you complete also the second passport control (and bags as well), the same car will finally bring you in front of the “Welcome to Afghanistan” sign.

When I was there i used one word to describe the moment: Magic.

This part of the border is very straightforward, and you shouldn’t encounter any issues. The staff is friendly and welcoming, and the overall process is smooth and uncomplicated.

Crossing the Afghanistan Border

If crossing the Tajikistan side of the border was smooth and easy, be prepared for a loooooong journey ahead when crossing the Afghan side.

You will be directed will all other people to the office number 1. Here a precise bag check will be performed by Taliban officers. Be sure not to carry any prohibited items with you (don’t bring your drone, for example). If you’re in doubt, don’t take the risk. We decided to leave our small saint portraits (very Italian, I know) behind in Tajikistan.

Once completed officers ask if you have a visa or if you need one. As you’ll need one, you’ll be directed to the office number 2 located in the opposite side of the “Welcome to Afghanistan” sign.

Here you will feel for the first time in Afghanistan! Office is protected by an armed Taliban, don’t be scared to see your first AK47…you’re going to see many of them everywhere.

You arrive at the office and tell them you need a visa. Then, you have to leave your passport and four passport-sized photos with the head of the office. After that… you wait.

Here you have to wait until they start you visa process. It can least also 6-8 hours…as in my case.

Here is where I’ve made a HUGE MISTAKE and personally risked my life. You find the story in my post here.

Relax, stay calm and wait…there’s not much to do in there but probably you find other crazy travelers (rare) or locals who speak with.

At some point, someone will call you to the door and hand you a paper with the “bill” that you need to pay at the bank. For only 2 USD per person a car will bring you to the Shir Khan Bandar bank where you can pay (only by cash) your VISA…The cost for an Afghan visa on the border varies by nationality and is typically around 80 to 100 USD.

There’s no need to arrive at the border with Afghan money, the driver of the car will bring you in an “exchange point” before to go to bank. For exchange point I mean a random guy with some Afghan cash 🙂

The bank will give you a receipt, and once the driver takes you back to Office No. 2, you’ll need to hand it over to the Taliban. Then wait.

Wait and relax. In a certain point someone will call you and some other tourists/locals asking to enter in the office. Here it’s not allowed to take pictures but imagine the Afghan visa office as simply unique. It is furnished with vintage-style furniture, carpeted floors, and two desks where an official usually handles the process. It feels like stepping into a different world.

You’ll sit in front of the officer, who will ask you a few random questions about your nationality, travel plans, hotels, and any contacts you might have. Don’t worry, it’s just standard procedure.

I haven’t heard of any tourists having bad experiences there. People are friendly and simply want to understand who you are, it’s about protecting their country, after all.

Then… finally, when all the procedures are complete, they’ll stamp the visa on your passport! Now is time to go again to the office number 1, show your passport and enter in Afghanistan!

!! Don’t forget to take the Iconic picture in front of the sign “Welcome To Afghanistan” !!

Mandatory bureaucracy when entering Afghanistan

You have the Afghan visa stamped on your passport. You’re happy, still a bit scared but satisfied because you think the day is finally complete… but no, the journey isn’t over yet.

When they release the visa to you, you will receive also a paper with some indications, in fact you have to validate your visa (within the next 24 hours) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Once you complete the last controls in office number one, you pass through the Afghan gate from where you can easily find a driver to arrive in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Konduz.

• Kunduz, Afghanistan

Konduz is the closest city to the border, and I suggest you to get the stamp there. The taxi drivers will not charge more than 10 USD to arrive in the city by a shared taxi, but be sure to specify you need to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because it is located far from city center.

After you get your visa stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you must go to the Ministry of Information and Culture. It is mandatory to register your trip and personal information there.

At the Ministry of Information and Culture, officers will ask which provinces you plan to visit in Afghanistan, take your personal information, and request a copy of your passport. The procedure takes no more than 30 minutes, after which you will receive a document that allows you to travel within Afghanistan.

I went to the Ministry of Information and Culture office in Kabul, which is located in the city center.

You will encounter many checkpoints along the road, where Taliban members may ask to see your passport. From that point on, you can show the document issued by the Ministry of Information and Culture instead of your passport.

Now you have everything you need…Let your journey to Afghanistan begin!

With fewer than 700 travelers per year entering through Sher Khan Bandar, your journey to Afghanistan is truly a unique and extraordinary experience!

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