The Tsar's Worth It, But I Don't Have It....

Ah, the joys of marrying a foreign sweetie. I know them so well.

The endless forms for Immigration, the translation of birth certificates and other documents to get a marriage license, and if you wanted to marry one of the natives in Turkestan, a $50,000 fee to the government for the privilege.....until now.

That's right, until this month, if you fell for a hottie in Turkmenbashi, it was going to cost you (and how!) if you were a foreigner. The government imposed the fee back in 2001. It was revoked without much notice until the new family code was published in the leading newspaper, "Neutral Turkmenistan". The government confirmed that it really was not a typo, but accurate when questioned by the BBC.

Romantic adventurers might still want to pass up the challenge, however. The Turkmenistan government allows very few foreigners to obtain a visa, and closely monitors the visitors and their local contacts.