In a fresh sign that Turkmenistan is trying to break out of its self-created shell, the country’s legislature has approved procedures enabling would-be foreign visitors to obtain e-visas.

The e-visa provision was among a series of acts adopted by the Turkmen Mejlis, a rubber-stamp body subservient to the father-son leadership team of Gurbanguly and Serdar Berdimuhamedov. In reporting on the adoption of e-visa provisions, the official Turkmenistan Today information agency did not specify when the new procedures would go into effect or outline other details such as cost.

“Information systems for accounting, processing and storage of information are created and systematically improved in the migration service of Turkmenistan,” the Turkmenistan Today report stated, adding that the newly adopted statutes include “norms related to the issuance by the authorized state bodies of Turkmenistan to foreign citizens and stateless persons of an electronic visa, issued in the information system and giving the right to enter Turkmenistan, stay in its territory and exit from Turkmenistan, as well as transit through the territory of Turkmenistan.”

If implemented, e-visas could be a game-changer for foreign tourists and prospective dealmakers alike, significantly easing the process of visiting the country. With the country routinely ranked by watchdog groups as one of the most closed and repressive states in the world, obtaining a Turkmen visa at present can be described as a painstaking and whimsical ordeal, requiring an abundance of patience. Many visa applications these days end with a denial for no apparent reason.

Turkmenistan has long been known for its insularity. But Turkmen leaders have sent signals of late that they want to integrate the country into expanding regional trade networks. Ashgabat finally launched a long-negotiated gas-swap agreement with Turkey in March, marking the first time Turkmenistan has sealed a deal to ship some of its abundant reserves westward via a route bypassing Russia. In February, Turkmen officials signalled interest in a four-nation project to develop transit links connecting Central Asia to the European Union. An e-visa regime is seen as a needed element to help with the expansion of Middle Corridor trade ties.

This article first appeared on Eurasianet here.