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Do we need an EU multi entry visa?

Blue Elephant
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Blue Elephant

Blue Elephant

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We are booked on an Emerald Princess cruise in May that starts in Athens, goes to Istanbul and finishes in Civitavecchia in Italy.

 

Do we need a multi entry visa for the EU? Princess seems to think we do, but I have my doubts about this. The visa free conditions for Australians talk about 90 days in a 180 day period. If you only spend 90 days in the EU, you would have to leave the EU.

 

Has anyone had experience with this? We are intending to organise a visa for Turkey as there is one day at Kusadasi and two days in Istanbul.

 

The issue is that there is a lot of documentation and personal attendance (presumably in Sydney) required for the multi entry visa.

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NavCom

NavCom

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We are booked on an Emerald Princess cruise in May that starts in Athens, goes to Istanbul and finishes in Civitavecchia in Italy.

 

Do we need a multi entry visa for the EU? Princess seems to think we do, but I have my doubts about this. The visa free conditions for Australians talk about 90 days in a 180 day period. If you only spend 90 days in the EU, you would have to leave the EU.

 

Has anyone had experience with this? We are intending to organise a visa for Turkey as there is one day at Kusadasi and two days in Istanbul.

 

The issue is that there is a lot of documentation and personal attendance (presumably in Sydney) required for the multi entry visa.

 

A Visa is not required for port visits in Turkey if the visit is under 72 hours. Here is a link to the FAQ for Turkish Visas wherein that very question is asked and answered:

http://www.mfa.gov.tr/frequently-asked-questions.en.mfa

 

Here is the same info as shown on the Celebrity Cruises web site:

http://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/manage-my-booking/important-sailing-information/visa-information/

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kuldalai

kuldalai

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Australian Passport holders do not require any Visas for entering EU countries for tourist purposes . Turkey is not an EU member . For cruise boat day visits or overnight at Turkish ports visas are not required for Australians.

If a cruise starts or finishes in Turkey then Aussies require a tourist visa (single or multiple entry ) available on line . Get your Travel Agent to double check and advise of any visa requirements for your trip, that is what you pay them for .

Edited by kuldalai
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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Thank you all for thinking about this one.

 

 

It's not the money but the administrative inconvenience related to the EU multi entry visa that has caused me concern.

 

I know what you mean, you want to have every thing arranged for a smooth, hassle free vacation.:D

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Blue Elephant

Blue Elephant

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So... My husband rang Princess this morning to check. Reasonable thing to do, given that it was an email from Princess saying that we needed both the Turkish visa and the EU multi entry visa.

 

Husband was told that we need the visa for Turkey, but we don't need an EU multi-entry visa. apparently this info is in the "cruise personaliser" part of the booking info.

 

This answer makes intuitive sense to me.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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So... My husband rang Princess this morning to check. Reasonable thing to do, given that it was an email from Princess saying that we needed both the Turkish visa and the EU multi entry visa.

 

Husband was told that we need the visa for Turkey, but we don't need an EU multi-entry visa. apparently this info is in the "cruise personaliser" part of the booking info.

 

This answer makes intuitive sense to me.

 

It has been confirmed by Princess themselves so I would go on that and get the turkey visa.:D

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molliemoo

molliemoo

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Hi evryone,

 

We got back from a Mediterranean cruise at the end of November. I'd also been concerned about visas, especially for Turkey (we stayed overnight in Istanbul,and stopped 1 day in Kusa Dasi), as our US travel agent told us we would need one. I decided it was better to be safe than sorry and got one online (similar process to the US ESTA). It cost $60 each from memory. As it turned out, no visas were required in any country we visited during our 4 week cruise. No regrets about getting the visa though, it saved me stressing!

 

Mollie

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croydonCruiser

croydonCruiser

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From the FAQ on Turkey's e-Visa website (which agrees with NavCom's comments above), https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/info/

 

"Do I need an e-Visa if I am on a cruise ship?

According to the Law on Foreigners and International Protection which entered into force on 11th April 2014, those foreigners who arrive at sea ports and intend to visit the seaport city or nearby provinces for touristic purpose are exempt from visa provided that their stay does not exceed seventy two (72) hours."

 

My husband, 2 kids and myself are cruising on the Nieuw Amsterdam in April. We'll be visiting Istanbul and Kusadasi, for a total of about 37 hours. Based on the advice above, I won't be getting visas. It will save us $240 USD, so I'm happy with that. :D

Edited by croydonCruiser
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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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From the FAQ on Turkey's e-Visa website (which agrees with NavCom's comments above), https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/info/

 

"Do I need an e-Visa if I am on a cruise ship?

According to the Law on Foreigners and International Protection which entered into force on 11th April 2014, those foreigners who arrive at sea ports and intend to visit the seaport city or nearby provinces for touristic purpose are exempt from visa provided that their stay does not exceed seventy two (72) hours."

 

My husband, 2 kids and myself are cruising on the Nieuw Amsterdam in April. We'll be visiting Istanbul and Kusadasi, for a total of about 37 hours. Based on the advice above, I won't be getting visas. It will save us $240 USD, so I'm happy with that. :D

 

Thanks, I will not need a visa using this information. I think I will wait until it is a lot closer for my visit (not til 2016) and investigate further then to see if the rules haven't changed again.:D

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silverwillow

silverwillow

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Hi Blue Elephant we are on the same cruise and did not receive an email from Princess saying we needed a visa for Turkey. I was under the impression we did not need one. It sounds like the Princess admin staff speaking to your husband was being cautious (most likely butt covering) by saying you needed one. I am going to investigate further because now I am thinking what if.... :eek:

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Cruiseline saying one thing and the Turkish website saying another, I would like to believe the Turkish website first. However what if? MMMMM, what to do? :confused: Lucky I do not need to know until 2016, by then this matter may be cleared up.

Edited by MicCanberra
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Blue Elephant

Blue Elephant

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Silverwillow

 

Have a look at the Cruise Personaliser part of your booking under Boarding pass and docs/Travel summary. See if it says you need the Turkey visa. I suspect that this is appearing because we booked the Athens / Istanbul and the Istanbul /Rome leg separately, so I will be monte rested to find out if you have the same notification on your booking.

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silverwillow

silverwillow

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Hi Blue Elephant I looked right through the cruise personaliser and it says nothing about specifically getting a visa for Turkey. It has the general visa note as follows in several places but nothing specific.

 

TRAVEL DOCUMENT, VISA AND VACCINATION DISCLAIMER

This information is provided as general guidance. Because governmental and medical vaccination requirements and recommendations change periodically you must check with your travel agent, government authorities for the countries you will visit and/or medical professionals to determine or verify the actual requirements and recommendations at the time of sailing. Princess assumes no liability for the passenger's failure to do so.Failure to present required travel documents, visas, or vaccination certificates at cruise cruise check-in will result in denial of boarding without refund of the cruise or cruisetour fare.

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silverwillow

silverwillow

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This is strange.

 

I asked the travel agent we booked through if I need a visa for the cruise. He put me onto this link which you can check on for every port. http://www.visalink.com.au/

 

I put Turkey in and I don't need a visa. I hold a NZ passport. I thought I would try an Australian passport and it showed yes need a visa. I tried as a tourist then I thought maybe there is an exemption for shorter visits so I tried transit but that is only applicable for transit up to 24 hours so if you are on the ship for the overnight stop in Istanbul this wouldn't apply. No wonder everyone is so confused as I am sure I also read that cruise ship passengers have an exemption. I would play on the safe side and get one in your position.

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Pushka

Pushka

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We ended in Istanbul and needed a visa. I wonder if the time between arriving into Istanbul then later arriving into Kusadasi combined is more than 72 hours?

 

I don't think NZ passport holders need a visa.

Edited by Pushka
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