Many of the rail cruises we operate require tourist visas to be obtained prior to travel.
For each of these journeys we have put together a list of visa requirements for our most common passenger nationalities.
Please select a journey from the drop down list below for more information.
Republics of the Silk Road
Uzbekistan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Letter of Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australia | No | No | No | No |
| New Zealand | No | No | No | No |
| British | No | No | No | No |
| Europe | No | No | No | No |
| US | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Canada | No | No | No | No |
Please note, you cannot apply for this visa sooner than 3 months prior to departure. In order to obtain a Uzbek visa invitation, you should provide a colour scan of your passport and passport style photo to visa@getrains.com. The copies should be complete with no corners or edges missing and no blurred images.
Kyrgyzstan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian & New Zealand | No | No | No | No |
| British | No | No | No | No |
| EU | No | No | No | No |
| US & Canada | No | No | No | No |
Tajikistan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian & New Zealand | Yes (e-visa) | No | No | No |
| British | Yes (e-visa) | No | No | No |
| EU | Yes (e-visa) | No | No | No |
| US & Canada | Yes (e-visa) | No | No | No |
Please note, the Tajikistan e-visa is only valid for 90 days once issued, therefore please do not apply any sooner than 90 days before your entry into the country.
Turkmenistan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Letter of Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian & New Zealand | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| British | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Europe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| US & Canada | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Please note, you cannot apply for this visa sooner than 3 months prior to departure. In order to obtain a Turkmen visa invitation, you should provide a colour scan of your passport and passport style photo to visa@getrains.com. The copies should be complete with no corners or edges missing and no blurred images.
Although it very rarely occurs, please be aware that your visa is not guaranteed and your application can be rejected by the State Migration in Turkmenistan. In such a situation, we will offer an alternative touring programme for you, which circumvents the country, at no additional cost.
Kazakhstan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Letter of Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian | No | No | No | No |
| New Zealand | No | No | No | No |
| British | No | No | No | No |
| Europe | No | No | No | No |
| US | No | No | No | No |
| Canada | No | No | No | No |
Treasures of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Letter of Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australia | No | No | No | No |
| New Zealand | No | No | No | No |
| British | No | No | No | No |
| Europe | No | No | No | No |
| USA | No (over 55) | No (over 55) | No | No |
| Canada | No | No | No | No |
Please note, you cannot apply for this visa sooner than 3 months prior to departure. In order to obtain a Uzbek visa invitation, you should provide a colour scan of your passport and passport style photo to visa@getrains.com. The copies should be complete with no corners or edges missing and no blurred images.
Caspian Odyssey
Turkmenistan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Letter of Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian & New Zealand | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| British | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Europe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| US & Canada | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Please note, you cannot apply for this visa sooner than 3 months prior to departure. In order to obtain a Turkmen visa invitation, you should provide a colour scan of your passport and passport style photo to visa@getrains.com. The copies should be complete with no corners or edges missing and no blurred images.
Although it very rarely occurs, please be aware that your visa is not guaranteed and your application can be rejected by the State Migration in Turkmenistan. In such a situation, we will offer an alternative touring programme for you, which circumvents the country, at no additional cost.
Uzbekistan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Letter of Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australia | No | No | No | No |
| New Zealand | No | No | No | No |
| British | No | No | No | No |
| Europe | No | No | No | No |
| US | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Canada | No | No | No | No |
Please note, you cannot apply for this visa sooner than 3 months prior to departure. In order to obtain a Uzbek visa invitation, you should provide a colour scan of your passport and passport style photo to visa@getrains.com. The copies should be complete with no corners or edges missing and no blurred images.
Kazakhstan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Letter of Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian | No | No | No | No |
| New Zealand | No | No | No | No |
| British | No | No | No | No |
| Europe | No | No | No | No |
| US | No | No | No | No |
| Canada | No | No | No | No |
Azerbaijan
| Nationality | Visa Required | Letter of Invitation Required | Passport Scan for e-Visa | Passport Photo for e-Visa |
| Australian & New Zealand | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| British | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Europe | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| US & Canada | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Please note, you cannot apply for this visa sooner than 3 months prior to departure.
Armenia
| Nationality | Visa Required | Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian & New Zealand | No | No | No | No |
| British | No | No | No | No |
| Europe | No | No | No | No |
| US | No | No | No | No |
| Canada | No | No | No | No |
Georgia
| Nationality | Visa Required | Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian & New Zealand | No | No | No | No |
| British | No | No | No | No |
| Europe | No | No | No | No |
| US & Canada | No | No | No | No |
The invitations/authorisations for Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran can only be requested at 3 months prior to entry and will take a minimum of 3 weeks.
Darjeeling Mail
India
| Nationality | Visa Required | Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian & New Zealand | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| British | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Europe | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| US & Canada | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Please note, this is an online application process. You can apply for your Indian visa from 3 months prior to entry. There are a number of options available when applying online, including a 30 day, 1 year and 5 year tourist e-visa. If applying for the 30 day option, your visa will only be valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
Madras Mail
India
| Nationality | Visa Required | Invitation Required | Passport Scan for Invitation | Passport Photo for Invitation |
| Australian & New Zealand | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| British | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Europe | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| US & Canada | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Please note, this is an online application process. You can apply for your Indian visa from 3 months prior to entry. There are a number of options available when applying online, including a 30 day, 1 year and 5 year tourist e-visa. If applying for the 30 day option, your visa will only be valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
If your nationality is not included in the table(s), please contact us at visa@getrains.com for specific information about visa requirements.
Further instructions for all passengers will be provided in our visa update, which you will receive approximately 4 months prior to the tour departure.
Where invitation letters are required, you should provide a scanned copy of your passport, in colour, and a passport-style photograph.
The copies should be complete with no corners or edges missing and no blurred images.
