barkerk Posted June 17, 2010 #1 Share Posted June 17, 2010 We are Australians travelling from Barcelona to Istanbul with Oceania in August. Since we are not US or Canadian citizens, we have to organise our own Turkish visas. The Turkish consulate in Australia charges $118 per visa but have informed us there is no problem obtaining a Turkish visa for 15 Euros upon disembarkation in Istanbul. We are also going to Kusadasi but have been told we don't need a visa for this port because we are only there for 6 hours and not staying overnight. Does anyone know where you can get a Turkish visa at the port in Istanbul? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted June 17, 2010 #2 Share Posted June 17, 2010 We are Australians traveling from Barcelona to Istanbul with Oceania in August. Since we are not US or Canadian citizens, we have to organize our own Turkish visas. The Turkish consulate in Australia charges $118 per visa but have informed us there is no problem obtaining a Turkish visa for 15 Euros upon disembarkation in Istanbul. We are also going to Kusadasi but have been told we don't need a visa for this port because we are only there for 6 hours and not staying overnight.Does anyone know where you can get a Turkish visa at the port in Istanbul? You wont need the Visa in Kusadasi. (although no one that I've ever spoken to can explain why). They just never ask for it, there. There is a booth in the Istanbul port building where you will be directed to obtain your Turkish Visa. Getting the Visa is a simple process, but you MUST pay in cash, and wait in a different line than the rest of the passengers. Warning: Do NOT give your Passport to anyone who approaches you, while on line, offering to "get your application process started". The entire Visa process only takes a few seconds to complete, so there is nothing to expedite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supercattonk Posted June 17, 2010 #3 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Hi Barkerk Australian Passport holders no not require a visa to enter Turkey if they are entering as Tourists. This is courtesy of the reciprocal tourist arrangements between Turkey & Oz. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarramar Posted June 17, 2010 #4 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Hi Barkerk Australian Passport holders no not require a visa to enter Turkey if they are entering as Tourists. This is courtesy of the reciprocal tourist arrangements between Turkey & Oz. Cheers Not true. As listed on the Australian Consulate General of Turkey site Australian passport holders ARE required to obtain a visa at entry. http://www.sidney.bk.mfa.gov.tr/ConsularServices.aspx For some odd reason New Zealanders are exempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 17, 2010 #5 Share Posted June 17, 2010 You wont need the Visa in Kusadasi. (although no one that I've ever spoken to can explain why). They just never ask for it, there. in Kusadasi you are not disembarking or Embarking there you are just a day visitor You need the VISA if you are staying overnight, flying into or out of Turkey Cruise stops do not require a visa For cruise passengers: Those cruise passengers coming to a Turkish port of call by a cruise ship and thereafter leave Turkey by the same cruise ship for another country, are exempt from visa for a maximum period of 72 hours (with the permission given by the local security authorities). http://www.konsolosluk.gov.tr/Visa/Visa_Info.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 17, 2010 #6 Share Posted June 17, 2010 I saw someplace on CC that people got a visa in Kusadasi You may want to contact the consulate to see exactly where Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkerk Posted June 17, 2010 Author #7 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Thanks for your replies so far. Australian citizens definitely require a visa for Turkey, but not for the Kusadasi 6 hour stopover. We need to obtain one when we disembark in Istanbul. The Turkish consulate in Australia have not been able to tell me where I can obtain visas at the seaports of Istanbul or Kusadasi. The reply from StanandJim was very informative. Does anyone know if Oceania require passengers to have their Turkish Visa before commencing the cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanandJim Posted June 17, 2010 #8 Share Posted June 17, 2010 Thanks for your replies so far. Australian citizens definitely require a visa for Turkey, but not for the Kusadasi 6 hour stopover. We need to obtain one when we disembark in Istanbul. The Turkish consulate in Australia have not been able to tell me where I can obtain the visa at the seaport in Istanbul.Does anyone know if Oceania require passengers to have their Turkish Visa before commencing the cruise? They don't REQUIRE you to have it, but they PREFER that you have it before the cruise begins because it makes life easier for them. Oceania offers the service of getting the Visa for you on a cost plus basis, and many on Cruise Critic believe that this potential to make a profit is their reason for wanting you to have the Visa beforehand. I, however, believe that Oceania wants you to have it because it makes things easier for them logistically. Passengers without the Visa must be reported to the Turkish Port Authorities on a separate list, and their passports must be handled differently. As you can imagine, every variance generates additional paperwork, and they are naturally trying to avoid that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supercattonk Posted June 18, 2010 #9 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Australia: Ordinary and official passport holders are required to have visa to enter Turkey. Ordinary passport holders can obtain three month-multiple entry visas at the Turkish border gates. If you go to http://www.visalink.com.au you will also find that obtaining a visa for Turkey is not necessary if you hold a valid Australian passport.It states " Immigration at destination to determine number of entries and length of stays" Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkerk Posted June 19, 2010 Author #10 Share Posted June 19, 2010 Thanks again to StanandJim for your informative reply. I guess we will wait until we arrive in Istanbul to get our visa. If Oceania get upset we will simply plead ignorance. I really don't want to pay $118 per visa in Australia when I know we can get the same thing in Istanbul for 15 Euros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarramar Posted June 19, 2010 #11 Share Posted June 19, 2010 Australia: Ordinary and official passport holders are required to have visa to enter Turkey. Ordinary passport holders can obtain three month-multiple entry visas at the Turkish border gates.If you go to www.visalink.com.au you will also find that obtaining a visa for Turkey is not necessary if you hold a valid Australian passport.It states " Immigration at destination to determine number of entries and length of stays" Cheers I went to Visa Link and it said: Visa Required Yes. Please read the important information section on this screen. Important Information – Please Read Carefully Visa issued on arrival for stays of up to 90 days (approximately USD $20). **If entering by ship please check with the cruise company to ensure the port of entry has visa on arrival facilities. If not a visa will need to be obtained prior to entry. Please contact Visalink for more details.** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkerk Posted June 19, 2010 Author #12 Share Posted June 19, 2010 Yarramar, Thanks for taking the time to do some checking of your own on my behalf. Prior to posting on this website I had searched for 4 weeks for information on how to obtain a visa at the port of Istanbul. The Turkish government website only says to get it at the border for 15 Euros or $20US (cash only). The Turkish consulate in Australia says the same thing as the Turkish government website but will not elaborate on where in the port of Istanbul the visa can be obtained. The hotel we are staying at in Istanbul could only tell us to get the visas from the border police. Thanks to StanandJim I now feel more comfortable about waiting until we arrive at Istanbul before obtaining a Turkish visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2003 Posted June 20, 2010 #13 Share Posted June 20, 2010 I would get Oceania to confirm that you will not require the visa upon boarding. It would be ugly to be denied boarding as one doesn't have the paperwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkerk Posted September 4, 2010 Author #14 Share Posted September 4, 2010 I would like to give a quick update on the tourist Turkish visa for non US and Canadian citizens, now that I have arrived back home in Australia. There were 168 Australian passengers (very surprising to me) on our cruise and Oceania organised visas on board Nautica for all of us, costing $59US per visa stamp. Oceania staff said that the ship could not be cleared by customs in Istanbul until all passengers requiring visas had the visa stamps in their passports. When we disembarked in Istanbul we did not see any customs or visa officers anywhere. We did try to obtain our visas in Kusadasi but were told by the visa officer that we had to get them in Istanbul. I hope this clears up any issues for Australian passengers travelling to Istanbul with Oceania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyArf3 Posted September 19, 2010 #15 Share Posted September 19, 2010 Turkey is on their own currency- thr LIRA.... Be veryyyyyyyyyyy careful when u use an ATM anywhere in TURKEY-make sure your BANKS know the dates u will be out of the country and which country u will visit. THEY are CLONING ATM cards in turkey and your bank might shut down your account. JUST use ATMS directly CONNECTED to a PHYSICAL BANK.. When paying for ANYTHING in turkey via a CC or DEBIT card, make sure they bring the CC swiper TO YOU...DO NOT let ur cards out of sight for a minute.. This is from my BANK and a few other people I have spoken to.. ALSO get a 2nd ATM card in case the ATM machine eats ur card -ie. from another bank. TDBank ( from Canada but in the US ) and CAPITOL ONE have NO fees for the ATM. When is ur cruise? we r on the REGATTA OCT.24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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