Help! Canadian applying for Uzbek visa

Go to Advantour.com (a competitor of Stantours) for some information on VOA. They state that VOA is available for those who are originating their flight to UZ from a country where no UZ embassy exists (ie. Canada) and the connecting flight in a country where UZ embassy does exist (ie. Istanbul, Turkey) does not allow enough time to obtain the visa there.

Avoid any hassle with sending your passport etc. to the US.

I am planning this same route possibly next year (Canadian passport), so it would be great if you can report back, after your trip, on how things went.

Have a great trip.

wdm: The complex rule from Advantour site is outdatet for some years. I'm sure in this. I used to work in Uzbekistan tourism sphere for 8,5 years, retired just 2 months ago.

#11,

The following travel agencies also have the exact same VOA information as I described above;
1. orexca.com
2. sairamtourism.com
3. uzintour.com

Are they also out of date?

I think that since OP is already dealing with Stantours, the question should be directed there.

#12: Yes, they also out of date. And maybe the travel agencies work according to this old rule without even knowing that it has been changed.
Even at the official site of Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs the rule is very old. I'm absolutely sure in my words.

Anyone will definitely obtain a tourist visa in Tashkent airport on arrival if:
1. he/she is a citizen or a permanent resident (with a document confirming residence) in a country that does not have Uzbekistan (Canada, South Africa, the Netherlands and many others).
2. he/she has an approved LOI.

That's it.
I can prove my words by arranging a LOI with obtaining the visa in Tashkent airport to anyone who meets the two rules :-)

Again, thanks for the advice everyone.

An update - received my LOI from Stantours. My sponsor is an agency called Cross Travel based in Tashkent. I am a bit confused however, as there are hotels/guesthouses listed for every city I had planned to visit on the LOI. I never specified any accomodations when I provided my information to Stantours, I was going to book them myself, or use an agency. Are these just "placeholders" so that I have something to put down on the visa app? I sure hope I'm not obligated to stay in these places!

Also re: the initial inquiry, since I now have the LOI, I'm guessing it's too late to change to a VOA. I think it's a non-issue anyway, because I'm not just travelling via Istanbul, I'm staying there for a few days en route. So technically, my flight to UZ would be originating in Turkey, not Canada/US. Therefore, I will probably go ahead and get the visa through Washington, despite the fact it may be more of a hassle. Besides, I'll have it upon arrival.

And yes, wdm, I'd be happy to report on how things go.

#14: It's a very typical practice. StanTours and CrossTravel had to put anything to the 'Place of stay in Uzbekistan' section. And they had to put names of hotels in some cities of Uzbekistan.
So, generally, Uzbek travel agencies put names of reliable and popular hotels there.
It's just a formality, so you don't have to stay in the hotels, mentioned in your LOI by Cross travel. Nobody checks this.

Thanks for confirming 15, that is what Stantours told me as well.

Edited by: tfc123

Thanks again everyone for your input. The visa should be in my hands by Monday, and I'm all set to go next month. I ended up using visaHQ, as the Uzbek embassy in Washington DC never responded to my enquiries. I did find visaHQ to be very prompt and professional.

Just one last thing; if I was to spend an extra day in either Samarkand, Bukhara, or Khiva, which one would you recommend?

#17, having just got back from a central asian trip, I'd choose Khiva or Samarkand myself. Although Khiva is the smallest so probably don't need an extra day.