Turkmenistan has the fastest customs transit processing in Central Asia, with an average clearance time of just 37 minutes, according to a new study conducted by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) between August and October 2025.
The State Customs Service of Turkmenistan released the findings on 4 Dec, highlighting the country’s continuing leadership in border efficiency among the five Central Asian republics.
Average customs transit processing time (August–October 2025):
- Turkmenistan – 37 minutes
- Uzbekistan – 1 hour 10 minutes
- Kazakhstan – 1 hour 30 minutes
- Tajikistan – 1 hour 40 minutes
- Kyrgyzstan – 1 hour 44 minutes
The study also measured queue waiting times before processing, where Turkmenistan again recorded the best performance in the region.
Average queue/waiting time at customs checkpoints:
- Turkmenistan – not exceeding 35 minutes
- Kyrgyzstan – 40 minutes
- Tajikistan – 1 hour 15 minutes
- Uzbekistan – 12 hours 20 minutes
- Kazakhstan – more than 2 days
The research was carried out under GIZ’s regional “Trade Facilitation in Central Asia” programme, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The results underscore Turkmenistan’s sustained improvements in digital customs procedures, risk-based controls, and infrastructure upgrades at key border points in recent years.
Turkmenistan has now ranked first in every GIZ border-monitoring survey since late 2024, with processing times steadily dropping from around 50 minutes to the current 37-minute regional benchmark.
The State Customs Service stated that the achievement reflects the country’s ongoing modernisation efforts and contributes directly to faster trade flows, lower transport costs, and enhanced attractiveness for transit corridors linking Europe, China, South Asia and the Middle East. /// nCa, 6 December 2025