Marrying and Sponsoring a Turkmen Citizen
Listen to this articleMarriage to a Turkmen Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Turkmen citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.
If you want to bring your Turkmen spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.
Turkmen Marriage Basic Requirements
If you are planning to marry your Turkmen spouse in Turkmenistan and sponsor him or her to Canada, then you have come to the right place. This page provides basic details that as a Canadian you need to know before traveling to Turkmenistan to marry your Turkmen spouse and sponsor him or her for permanent residency
Marriage in Turkmenistan
The Turkmen authorities demand that foreigners must take the following steps in order to be married in Turkmenistan:
- 1. Register your visa: Every foreigner is required by Turkmen law to have his or her visa registered with the local OVIR (Office of Foreign Visa Registration). OVIR for Ashgabat is located at 17, Zhitnikova Street. Tel: 39-84-36.
- 2. Prepare a marriage letter: In the Consular Section at the Canadian Embassy in Turkey you may complete a standard affidavit (svidetel’stvo) in which you swear or affirm to your current marital status and have it notarized. If you complete the form in English you must translate it into Russian or Turkmen and have the translation notarized at Notarial Office #1, 125, Azadi St. (next to the Zoo). Working hours for the notarial office are:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 10:00-20:00
Tuesday and Thursday: 8:00-19:00
Saturday: 9:00-13:00You must present the original and a copy of this affidavit to ZAGS office (Zapis Aktov Grazhdanskogo Sostoyaniya).
- 3. Make photocopies of the data and visa pages of your passport. These copies should be translated and notarized. Present the originals and translations to ZAGS.
- 4. The ZAGS Office: If your fiancé is from Ashgabat, you must submit the documents you have prepared, your passport and Turkmen visa to the Civil Registry office ZAGS, where you will fill out a marriage application. The Ashgabat ZAGS office is located near the Circus. 141, Magtymguli Street, Tel: 24-41-43, 24-20-35
After submitting all necessary documents, you will receive a marriage date at least one month from the date of registration. If your fiancé does not reside in Ashgabat, you should register your marriage at the local ZAGS office in the region where he or she is registered (where your fiancé has a residence permit – propiska). - 5. There is a state duty of 1600 manats which should be paid at the bank on Chekhova Street, and the receipt taken to ZAGS. You must then pay another 5700 manats directly to ZAGS.
Marriages are only performed on Fridays and Saturdays (for Ashgabat). - 6. Three to four days before the wedding you must give your passports to ZAGS. They will return them after the wedding. In the past some foreign Nationals have been told there is an oral decree of the Hakim (Mayor) of Ashgabat forbidding foreigners from marrying Turkmen citizens. Regardless of what you may be told, you can get married and you do not have to pay any “administrative fees” to do so. If you have any difficulties, please contact your embassy.
Family Members
If your Turkmen spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Turkmen Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Turkmen citizen.
How long is the Turkmen Marriage document valid?
The document is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. If you do not marry your Turkmen fiancé within 6 months of the issuance of the Turkmen Marriage document, you must apply again with new supporting documents.
Currency
The Currency of Turkmenistan is the Turkmenistan Manat.
List of Turkmen Consulates in Canada
Canadian Consulate in Turkmenistan
There is no resident Canadian government office in Turkmenistan. You can obtain consular assistance and further consular information from the Embassy of Canada in Ankara, Turkey
Embassy of Canada in TurkeyCinnah Caddesi No.58 Telephone: 90(312)409-2700 E-mail: [email protected] Website: turkey.gc.ca/
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How to Turkmenistan from Canada
Enter the exit code for Canada (001), then the country code for Turkmenistan (993) followed by the local number.
How to call Canada from Turkmenistan
8 (Wait) 10 – 1 – Area Code – TEL #
Follow the dialling format shown above while calling Canada from Turkmenistan.
- (Wait) : Dial 8, wait for the dial tone to change and then dial 10
- 8 (Wait) 10 – Exit code for Turkmenistan, and is needed for making any international call from Turkmenistan
- 1 – ISD Code or Country Code of Canada
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta) 587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC) 236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario) 249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec) 438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
Time difference with Canada
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Turkmenistan is Ahead |
# of Hours during DST |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 13 hours | 12 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunavut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 12 hours | 11 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 12 hours | 12 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario) | 11 hours | 10 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 10 hours | 9 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec | 9 hours | 8 hours |
| Newfoundland | 8.5 hours | 7.5 hours |
Travel Alerts for Turkmenistan
Sponsoring Your Turkmen Spouse to Canada
Sponsorship Review
Immigroup will review your completed spousal sponsorship application. . Immigroup will make sure you have not made any mistakes on your application or in gathering the documentation of your relationship. We will assess your sponsorship letter and give you peace of mind that you are submitting an application with a very good chance of success. Don’t lose sleep at night worrying about whether you’ve done enough. Call us at 1-866-760-2623 for a review.
