Transportation

Road Conditions and Safety: Travel is difficult and unreliable. Neighboring countries sometimes unilaterally close borders, and some borders are poorly delineated. Armed police or military checkpoints can make road travel outside Dushanbe more difficult.

Drivers with non-Tajik government-issued plates may run into problems crossing the Tajik-Uzbek border.

Only travel by car during the day and on routes you know. Travel in the mountainous region along the Afghan border can be dangerous, even during daylight hours.

Car accidents and erratic driving are common. Pedestrians tend to “jaywalk” or walk along highways without paying attention to traffic.

Public transportation in the city is often overcrowded and not always safe. Bus service between major cities is unreliable. 

The State Traffic Inspectorate (GAI, or in Tajiki, BDA) maintains checkpoints in cities and along highways.  The GAI frequently stops vehicles to inspect vehicles and driver documents. The government will not register vehicles with darkly tinted windows.

Traffic police are notorious for randomly pulling over cars and exacting bribes. In Dushanbe, luxury cars and those with government license plates routinely speed past police, sometimes on the wrong side of the road and through stoplights, while other cars are flagged down for “document checks.”

Winter road travel: Please exercise caution and limit winter travel to Tajikistan’s mountain regions. Avalanches are common. Don’t attempt to travel over closed mountain passes.  Roads are often not well maintained.

Land mines: Land mines and cluster munitions are a hazard along the Afghan-Tajik border and in the Vakhsh and Rasht valleys. Heed land mine warning signs. Do not venture off the road into areas marked off with red and white plastic tape. Never touch anything resembling unexploded munitions.

Please refer to our Road Safety page for more information.

Aviation Safety Oversight: As there is no direct commercial air service to the United States by carriers registered in Tajikistan, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed the government ofTajikistan’s Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. Further information may be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page.