Why you cannot simply apply at an embassy, and where the tour operator comes in.
Turkmenistan is one of the few countries where a tourist visa is not issued on the traveller's own application. It does not begin at an embassy. It begins with a letter of invitation, and only a licensed tour operator inside the country can obtain one.
The order is this. You settle on a route and dates and send the operator a scan of your passport and the application details. The operator files with the State Migration Service and waits for a decision. If the invitation is approved you receive its number — and only with that number do you go to the embassy, or collect the visa on arrival in Ashgabat if that has been agreed in advance.
From which follows the thing most people do not expect: **the visa is tied to the itinerary**. The invitation is issued against a specific programme, with specific cities and dates, and the operator's accompaniment is part of that arrangement rather than an add-on to be declined for economy. A tourist visa does not contemplate travelling the country unaccompanied.
There is also a transit visa — a few days, for travellers crossing from one neighbouring country to another, say Iran to Uzbekistan. It needs no invitation, but it is granted at the consulate's discretion and a refusal is not explained. Planning a trip around one is a risk: if it does not come, there is nothing to replace it with.
Fees and processing times are deliberately not given here. Both change, and the only honest answer is to ask before you file: we will tell you what applies today and how long it is likely to take in your case. One rule holds steady — start well ahead. An invitation is not a formality anybody arranges in a day.
What to have ready: a passport valid for at least six months beyond your intended departure, a scan of its main page, your employment details, and an itinerary you are prepared to commit to. The sooner the scans arrive, the sooner the application goes in.