Ashgabat - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
Nope. Turkmenistan is a very safe country to visit and to travel, even as a single woman. There are some counterintelligence concerns, but mostly, nobody will bother you if you follow the local laws. - Jan 2024
I never felt safer. Seriously. I mean, sure I was 30 miles from Iran, but they would never allow anything to happen to us either. My husband once dropped his wallet on the street with more than $600 in it. A local found the wallet and brought it to the Embassy to return it, with everything inside. - Dec 2020
None. - Mar 2019
Turkmenistan has a very low crime rate. I feel like you could walk around at night anywhere and be safe. This is due to strict law enforcement and harsh penalties. - Jun 2018
This is literally going to be the safest place you will ever live in your life. There is police or military presence on every other corner and crime is not tolerated. Crime against expats is 99.9% unheard of. Guns (except shotguns for hunting) are not allowed in country. - Feb 2016
Turkmenistan shares a 1,000-mile (porous) border with Afghanistan and Iran. It is, however, a police state, with unarmed police officers standing on nearly every street corner and traffic police everywhere tracking vehicles. Cameras are everywhere around Ashgabat. The government tracks the activities of foreigners closely. - Jul 2014
Absolutely. Turkmenistan is located between Iran and Afghanistan. Read between the lines! Also, crime statistics are a state secret, but there is plenty of crime, ranging from murders to pickpockets. There were also rumors about kidnappings of kids for their internal organs, since the black market pays a very good price and most citizens are poor and without work. The government wouldn’t confirm this story, but embassy personnel claimed it was true. AIDS is also rampant in Turkmenistan due to prostitution, high drug usage, and the sharing of needles. - Oct 2012
Things are pretty orderly in Turkmenistan. - Mar 2012
