Eager2Travel Posted September 15, 2015 #1 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Can any of the recent travelers to Istanbul tell me if there was any difficulty going through Immigration in Istanbul. I have heard that the lines can be very bad. Is an expedited meeting service warranted? We would appreciate any info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Caroldoll Posted September 16, 2015 #2 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I am going again Thursday and we got the expedited services, and they are well worth it. My opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Rumor Posted September 16, 2015 #3 Share Posted September 16, 2015 We went through Istanbul Airport Pasaport Kontrol yesterday at about 6 p.m. There were hundreds in front of us, but the line moved fast with many officers procsssing. I think we spent about 20 minutes in line. A good experience for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted September 16, 2015 #4 Share Posted September 16, 2015 We went through at 5 pm yesterday as well. Huge lines, but there is a special line for Turkish airlines business class and there was no one at all in it. So we zipped right through. Had to wait quite a while for our luggage since we got through customs so fast. Btw, there are kiosks to get your electronic visa right there in the airport if someone has failed to get it in advance. I had already gotten ours online, but there is a possibility to get it at the airport. I really think they just want the $, as they customs guy just glanced at the visa forms I had printed off. Of course, you do have to have it to get in the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossie009 Posted September 16, 2015 #5 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Following our cruise earlier this month we found long lines departing Turkey via Istanbul airport - security, airline check-in, passport control then another security check However, although the lines looked daunting they had plenty of staff and the lines kept moving at a reasonable pace. It was reassuring to see the level of security checking carried out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted September 16, 2015 #6 Share Posted September 16, 2015 We went through at 1:00 a.m.. - no big deal if you are traveling Business Class as you are put in a separate line. Not sure how it was for others. Do not know what "expedited services" are as we saw nothing to indicate that (except for the "fast track" that is used for "Business" and "First" Class. Note: Although I cannot use the word on CC, all the the hype about Istanbul is bull....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eager2Travel Posted September 16, 2015 Author #7 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Thank you everyone for the replies. It is greatly appreciated. As we are flying Biz class on Turkish air I guess we are all set. Also appreciated Rachel's comments about their flight on Turkish Air Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay23 Posted September 24, 2015 #8 Share Posted September 24, 2015 It wasn't the Immigration lines that caused us problems in Istanbul, that flowed along quite well. It was the one hour and a half wait for the baggage to appear on the carousel that created the difficulty. Our booked taxi had left the airport without us, assuming, erroneously, that we weren't coming!!! There were literally hundreds of meeters and greeters and taxi companies waiting in the arrivals hall, but no taxi for us. If you are so delayed, phone the taxi people and tell them of the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eager2Travel Posted September 24, 2015 Author #9 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Thanks for the info Jay. I will make sure to have the phone number with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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