3.5 Travel documents and external freedom of movement In the USSR, persons recognized de jure as stateless were entitled to receive a Stateless Person’s Certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs that enabled them to leave and re-enter State territory.285 Its cost depended on the applicant’s destination. All five Central Asian states recognise that persons officially registered as stateless have the right to leave and re-enter State territory.286 They also have the right to move freely on State territory in areas that are not closed to foreigners on security grounds.287 Children of stateless persons are listed in their parents’ residence permits and have the same legal rights to travel.288 Stateless persons without documentation, and persons with undetermined nationality do not have these rights. To travel abroad from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, a stateless person needs valid identification – in the form of a Stateless Person’s Certificate or Card – and an exit visa.289 In all three States, it is the Ministry of Internal Affairs that issues Stateless Person’s Certificates or Cards. It also issues exit visas in Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.290 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues them in Tajikistan.291 In Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, stateless persons with permanent residence permission and a Stateless Person’s Card are entitled to leave and re-enter the country without an exit visa.292 In Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, stateless persons and other foreigners permanently resident on State territory, can leave on an exit visa or a re-entry visa.293 Uzbekistan issues a multiple re-entry visa for a maximum of two years. For a fee,294 stateless persons can extend their visa or, where 285 Feldbrugge, van den Berg and Simons, Encyclopedia of Soviet Law, Dordrecht, Boston, 1973. Stamp duty was significantly higher for travel to capitalist countries, outside the COMECON zone. 286 Article 7, 2005 Migration Law of Turkmenistan, as amended in 2011; Article 16, 1996 Regulation No 408 ‘On the Entrance, Exit, Stay and Transit of Foreigners and Persons without Citizenship in the Republic of Uzbekistan’, as amended by Order No 178, 1999; Article 18, 1993 Law No 1296-XII ‘On the Legal Status of Foreigners’ in Kyrgyzstan; Article 25, 1997 Law No 500 ‘On the Legal Status of Foreigners’ in Tajikistan, as amended in 2009; Article 23, 1995 Law No 2337 ‘On the Legal Status of Foreigners’ in Kazakhstan. 287 Article 7, 1996 Regulation No 408 ‘On the Entrance, Exit, Stay and Transit of Foreigners and Persons without Citizenship in the Republic of Uzbekistan’, as amended by Order No 178, 1999; Article 19, 1997 Law No 500 ‘On the Legal Status of Foreigners’ in Tajikistan, as amended in 2009; Article 19, 1993 Law ‘On the Legal Status of Foreigners’ in Turkmenistan, as amended in 2011; Articles 16 and 26, 1995 Law No 2337 ‘On the Legal Status of Foreigners’ in Kazakhstan; Article 18, 1993 Law No 1296–XII ‘On the Legal Status of Foreigners’ in Kyrgyzstan. 288 They are included on their parents’ documents until the age of 18 in Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and until the age of 16 in Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. 289 Article 8, 1999 Law No 218 ‘On the Rules of Stay for Foreigners and Stateless Persons’ in Tajikistan, as amended in 2008; Articles 15 and 16, 1996 Regulation No 408 ‘On the Entrance, Exit, Stay and Transit of Foreigners and Persons without Citizenship in the Republic of Uzbekistan’, as amended by Order No 178, 1999; Article 23, 1995 Law No 2337 ‘On the Legal Status of Foreigners’ in Kazakhstan. A stateless person’s card also serves as internal ID in Kazakhstan. 290 Article 16, 1996 Regulation No 408 ‘On the Entrance, Exit, Stay and Transit of Foreigners and Persons without Citizenship in the Republic of Uzbekistan’, as amended by Order No 178, 1999; Article 6, 2000 Rules No 136 ‘On the Entry and Stay of Foreigners in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and also their Exit from the Republic of Kazakhstan’; Article 1.6(c), 2009 Rules No 122 ‘On the Issue of Visas of the Tajik Republic to Foreigners and Stateless Persons’. 291 Article 16, 1996 Regulation No 408 ‘On the Entrance, Exit, Stay and Transit of Foreigners and Persons without Citizenship in the Republic of Uzbekistan’, as amended by Order No 178, 1999; Article 6, 2000 Rules No 136 ‘On the Entry and Stay of Foreigners in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and also their Exit from the Republic of Kazakhstan’; Article 1.6.c, 2009 Rules No 122 ‘On the Issue of Visas of the Tajik Republic to Foreigners and Stateless Persons’. 292 Article 1, 2002 Regulation No 5833 ‘On the Procedure for Granting Permanent Residence Permits in Turkmenistan’; Article 15, 2000 Law No 61 ‘On External Migration’ of Kyrgyzstan. 293 Article 2(a), 2009 Rules No 122 ‘On Visa Issue for Foreigners and Stateless Persons’ in Tajikistan; Article 14, 2003 Regulation No 6135 ‘On the Entry and Exit of Foreigners’ in Turkmenistan; Article 16, 1996 Regulation No 408 ‘On the Entrance, Exit, Stay and Transit of Foreigners and Persons without Citizenship in the Republic of Uzbekistan’, as amended by Order No 178, 1999; Article 6, 2000 Rules No 136 ‘On the Entry and Stay of Foreigners in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and also their Exit from the Republic of Kazakhstan’. 294 Stateless persons from Uzbekistan can extend their visa for seven days for 40 US Dollars and up to one year for 160 US Dollars, Article 8, 1996 Order No 486 ‘On Entry and Exit of Foreigners in Uzbekistan’, as amended by Order No 178 of April 1999. Extension of a Tajik visa costs the average minimum wage, Article 7, 2009 Rules No 122 ‘On Visa Issue for Foreigners and Stateless Persons’ in Tajikistan. In Kazakhstan visa extension is the joint decision of the Foreign and Interior Ministries, with the Committee for National Security, according to Article 10, 2000 Rules No 136 ‘On the Entry and Stay of Foreigners in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and also their Exit from the Republic of Kazakhstan’. Extension of a Kyrgyz exit ~ 43 ~