Being in Tashkent, the easiest way how to cross the borders to Kazakhstan is overland to Shymkent through Chernayevka to Zhibek Zholy border crossing. The whole journey is straightforward and doesn’t take longer than 4 hours. Read further to know how to do it without any hassle. 

Overland border crossing is our favourite way of crossing the borders. Why skip the excitement of entering a new country on foot by taking a plane? In this post, we will tell you how exactly you can cross the overland borders between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on the route between Tashkent and Shymkent. 

Before you go: Have you visited all the top places in Uzbekistan?

Visa & Documents 

First, make sure you have all the necessary documents for your border crossing. It includes visas if you need them. Both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan offer 30-day free visas on arrival for most nationalities. If you’re leaving Uzbekistan, make sure you have registration payslips for every night of your stay in Uzbekistan. When we crossed this border, nobody wanted to see it, but you never know. Regarding Covid 19, both countries scrapped all the restrictions, so your vaccination status doesn’t matter; they are open without any restrictions. 

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Crossing the borders from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan (Tashkent to Shymkent)

We crossed this border in June 2022. The best is to get your bus ticket a day in advance just to ensure space on the bus. However, in our experience we travelled on a big bus at 7am that was half empty. The border is open 24 hours every day.

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Where to buy the bus tickets in Tashkent

The bus company has an office in Tashkent central bus station (Sabira Rakhimova). You can get there by metro, as Olmazar metro station is right next to the bus stop. Or take Yandex, which shouldn’t cost more than UZS 15000 ($1.4). 

The ticket price rose, like everything else in Uzbekistan after the pandemic. The ticket costs UZS 80000 ($7.5). 

The bus goes every day, three times per day. 7am, 12pm and 6pm and the journey takes 4 hours. 

This bus follows so-called green lines, which means it doesn’t wait long at the borders. Making it the fastest way possible how you can cross borders between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. We did extensive research as we didn’t want to be stuck at the borders for several hours, like when we crossed the borders from Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey. 

TIP: In Tashkent, stay in the Art Hostel, where all travellers meet!

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The bus journey 

Crossing borders between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is really easy; no officer made any trouble for us. And as mentioned, they didn’t even check our hotel registration payslips, our bags, or anything else. 

Get into the station in Tashkent half an hour before the bus departure. We had been the only foreigners on the bus, and the driver and other locals who had been crossing the borders took care of us the whole time, ensuring we knew where to go. It was a nice experience making it one of the easiest border crossings we ever did. 

Basically, the bus drops you off first on the Uzbek side, where you take all your luggage through customs and passport checks. Then you get back to the bus to drive to the second check on the Kazakh side, where you do the same. Send your luggage through an x-ray check and show your passport to get a stamp. Voilá, welcome to Kazakhstan! Very easy. 

The journey is only 130 km, but it takes time for all passengers to go through the passport & luggage checks; in total, it was 4 hours until we reached Shymkent. 2 hours of drive and 2 hours at the borders. 

Once we crossed the border into Kazakhstan, a guy with a bag of money entered the bus, offering to exchange Uzbek Som for Kazakhstan Tenge. The exchange rate was quite good, and most people exchanged the money with him. So don’t worry if you didn’t manage to spend all Uzbek Som in Uzbekistan. 

Uzbekistan tip: Make the most of the epic train journeys in Uzbekistan

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Travel insurance 

When we travelled in Uzbekistan, we visited some off the beaten path places in remote locations such as Monyaq and the Aral Sea, or we took endless train rides between the cities. It is always a good idea to be protected with proper travel insurance. IATI Insurance is a perfect option for travelling across Central Asia. It also covers a wide range of activities, including higher altitude trekking and horse riding, but it also covers expenses regarding Covid 19. In addition, readers of Broken Navigation get an exclusive 5% discount. 

Get your 5% discount with IATI Insurance here

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Arrival in Kazakhstan, Shymkent 

The advantage of taking the early bus is that you are in Shymkent around 11am and can have a whole day to explore. The bus drops you off at Bekzhan bus station. If you arrived without any local currency (Kazakhstan tenge), good news! There are ATMs that accept foreign cards inside the bus station, where the waiting zone is. 

You can hop on bus number 12, 12b, or 138 that takes you to the centre. The price per one ride is KZT 100 ($0.2). You can check the bus timetable here. 

Read more: Aksu Zhabagly Natural Reserve is the perfect trip from Shymkent

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Where to stay in Shymkent 

Budget I Art House Sweet Home – We wanted to stay here, but it was unfortunately full. Cool, quiet little hostel with a friendly owner. They serve breakfast and have a cute garden to chill in. 

Budget I Bereke Hostel – ugly hostel from the outside, but surprisingly ok inside if you get a double room with a window, that costs $12 per night. There is a bus stop in front of the hostel with frequent buses going to the city centre. There is fast internet and a kitchen to be used. We stayed two nights and enjoyed the fastest internet we had in a long time. 

Mid – Range I City Hostel Shymkent – the first night we spend here. It’s a cool hostel with dorms only and breakfast included. The location couldn’t be better. It’s right in the city centre with a bus stop in front of it. 

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Visit Kazakhstan’s toP places 

How to visit Charyn Canyon from Almaty

Detailed travel guide to Kolsai Lakes

Top 8 incredible day and multi-day trips from Almaty

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More from central asia

Uzbekistan

Visit ship cemetery in Moynaq and Aral sea

Travelling by train in Uzbekistan & Need to know

2 weeks itinerary for Uzbekistan

25 things to know before you go to Uzbekistan

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