How to get a Turkmen transit visa in Iran?

Question

I'm in Iran and like to travel through Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan for which I already have a visa. I've heard about three different ways to get the five day Turkmen Transit visa:

• apply for and collect at the embassy or consulate in Tehran or Mashhad
• apply in Tehran but collect in Mashhad a few days later
• get it on the border

Does anybody know whether all three are possible and which one would be the easiest and/or cheapest?

Answer 1

I ended up applying for the visa at the embassy in Tehran and picked it up 7 days later in Mashhad.

A few points:

• it was not ready after six days
• it wasn't even ready on the morning of the 7th day, but after some phone calls from the guy at the consulate to Ashgabat, it was ready in the afternoon of the 7th day.
• You pay when picking up the visa, in my case it was $50 USD
• I've got a 3 day rather than a 5 day transit visa, not sure why, but the nice guy at the consulate was able to change it to 5 days without an additional fee.
• You can not change your entry and exit border crossings when picking up the visa, so make sure you pick the right ones when applying.
• You can apply and collect in both Tehran and Mashhad.
• You don't leave your passport with them between application and collection.
• You can not get any visa at the border crossings.
• The embassy in Tehran is closed on both Turkman and Iranian holidays, even minor ones.
• In Tehran the embassy is open Mondays to Saturdays, in Mashhad the consulate is only open Mondays to Fridays.

Answer 2

refer to Turkmenistan embassy while in Tehran, im not sure about Mash'had, and submit the documents to apply your visa