Turkey visa requirements

[sk99]

I’m getting a contradictory messages about Turkey visa requirements, looking for a help from fellow travelers with personal experience. We are disembarking the ship in Istanbul and staying overnight in the hotel. We are flying out the next day. Do we need to get visas? TIA

[cruisemom42]

Yes if you are flying into or out of Turkey, you need to get the visa. If just there for a day on a port visit, you do not.

Edited June 13, 2022 by cruisemom42

[sk99]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Yes if you are flying into or out of Turkey, you need to get the visa. If just there for a day on a port visit, you do not.

That is what I thought initially, but cruise representative from Ponant confirmed that we do not have to obtain visa, she said that we will be getting Turkey entry stamp in our passports on disembarkation, she sent us an email with link to the following:

- U.S. citizens traveling on cruise ships can enter visa-free for a maximum of 72 hours with permission from authorities at the port of entry.

- Get entry and exit stamps. You must have a Turkish entry stamp to fly domestically. Get an exit stamp in your passport when leaving the country or you may face difficulties re-entering Turkey in the future and  a fine.

 

I’m just trying to confirm if there cruisers with the first hand experience.

Edited June 14, 2022 by sk99

[cruisemom42]

I have first-hand experience, granted it dates to pre-COVID but I don't think things have changed. The wording you cite is confusing but in my opinion refers to leaving by cruise ship, not by plane.

 

See info here:  https://www.visasturkey.com/evisa-for-turkey-on-a-cruise/

 

[okiedrifters]

Cruisemom42….this is not a Turkey question, but a Rome question. I appreciate the information you provide, it has helped me so much with my travel plans, etc. Thank you! 
 

We have been to a Rome previously and did not need a visa. A fellow cruiser on my upcoming cruise next week,  just posted on FB that he tried to check in for his flight to Rome tomorrow (Air France) and it would not let him check in because he didn’t have a Visa. 
 

I thought if we were traveling through a Schengen country, with a valid US passport that doesn’t expire within 6 months and are not staying longer than 90 days we did not need a Visa.   I searched and the way I read it, we still don’t need a visa? 
Would you please clarify? We fly out on Thursday and if things have changed I need to get on the ball! 😂.

 

Thanks so much!
 

EJ 

[cruisemom42]

7 minutes ago, okiedrifters said:

Cruisemom42….this is not a Turkey question, but a Rome question. I appreciate the information you provide, it has helped me so much with my travel plans, etc. Thank you! 
 

We have been to a Rome previously and did not need a visa. A fellow cruiser on my upcoming cruise next week,  just posted on FB that he tried to check in for his flight to Rome tomorrow (Air France) and it would not let him check in because he didn’t have a Visa. 
 

I thought if we were traveling through a Schengen country, with a valid US passport that doesn’t expire within 6 months and are not staying longer than 90 days we did not need a Visa.   I searched and the way I read it, we still don’t need a visa? 
Would you please clarify? We fly out on Thursday and if things have changed I need to get on the ball! 😂.

 

Thanks so much!
 

EJ 

 

Is your fellow passenger not a US citizen?  That's the only thing I can think of. There is certainly no requirement that I am aware of for a US citizen to need a visa to enter Italy unless there are some kind of specific circumstances, e.g., if they have already spent 90 days or more in the previous 180 days in the EU, or if they reside in the US but are not US citizens, or.....

 

What was the precise wording that was used?

[okiedrifters]

12 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Is your fellow passenger not a US citizen?  That's the only thing I can think of. There is certainly no requirement that I am aware of for a US citizen to need a visa to enter Italy unless there are some kind of specific circumstances, e.g., if they have already spent 90 days or more in the previous 180 days in the EU, or if they reside in the US but are not US citizens, or.....

 

What was the precise wording that was used?

Thanks so much!!! 

This is his post…

 

I just attempted to check in for my flight to Rome tomorrow. Flying from the US - switch planes in Paris then off to Rome. I couldn’t check in because I don’t have a Visa for the Schengen Area? I was told by the Airline to call the Italy Consulate in Boston. They are closed now, so I will try tomorrow. Has any other US Residents ran into this problem?

[cruisemom42]

9 minutes ago, okiedrifters said:

Thanks so much!!! 

This is his post…

 

I just attempted to check in for my flight to Rome tomorrow. Flying from the US - switch planes in Paris then off to Rome. I couldn’t check in because I don’t have a Visa for the Schengen Area? I was told by the Airline to call the Italy Consulate in Boston. They are closed now, so I will try tomorrow. Has any other US Residents ran into this problem?

 

Looking specifically at Schengen info, I have to wonder if this person is either a) a green card holder or b) if a US citizen, whether they have exceeded -- or will exceed with this trip -- the requirement to not spend more than 90 days in any 180 day period in the Schengen zone. Do they travel alot?

 

See here, for example:  https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/italy-visa/us-citizenship-passport-holders/

 

Edited to add:  I just noted that they said "US Residents" and not "US Citizens" so possibly it is the green card issue rather than the travel days.

Edited June 14, 2022 by cruisemom42

[okiedrifters]

9 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Looking specifically at Schengen info, I have to wonder if this person is either a) a green card holder or b) if a US citizen, whether they have exceeded -- or will exceed with this trip -- the requirement to not spend more than 90 days in any 180 day period in the Schengen zone. Do they travel alot?

 

See here, for example:  https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/italy-visa/us-citizenship-passport-holders/

 

Edited to add:  I just noted that they said "US Residents" and not "US Citizens" so possibly it is the green card issue rather than the travel days.

Thanks so much! 
 

[sk99]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

See info here:  https://www.visasturkey.com/evisa-for-turkey-on-a-cruise/

My apologies, but in that link it only refers to arrival by ship, it has nothing about leaving by plane, am I missing something:

Tourists who arrive in Turkey on a cruise ship do not require an Turkey eVisa if they are only planning to visit the city that their ship docks at and their visit does not exceed 3 days (72 hours). Visitors on longer stays or who intend to travel beyond the port city may need to apply for a visa or an eVisa depending on their nationality.

[cruisemom42]

It's a confusing topic. Turkey doesn't have as many cruise passengers as some other Mediterranean countries; much less those actually disembarking and returning home from Turkey.  somehow it doesn't occur to them to clarify the issue.

 

Here's another thread confirming what I've said:

 

 

[sk99]

Thank you Cruisemom42, I think just to be safe we will get a visa. I will try to remember to report back on this link about our experience. 

[Maverick!]

We just came back from a Celebrity cruise that brought us to Istanbul and Kusadasi - we are Canadian and even for US residents, no VISA required. 

If it were, the cruise line would have advised you. 

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, Maverick! said:

We just came back from a Celebrity cruise that brought us to Istanbul and Kusadasi - we are Canadian and even for US residents, no VISA required. 

If it were, the cruise line would have advised you. 

 

The question is whether a visa is required to fly home from Turkey, not whether one is required to visit there on a port day -- just to be clear.  Did your cruise end in Turkey?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Get that visa!  I messed up the one I did online at home for my spouse (a date, I think), and a Turkish official at the Istanbul airport made my spouse go over to a desk and pay cash to get one!  

 

Visa is easy, but program was quirky when I used it in April - hung up when I tried to pay.  Be sure to give it time, then check to make sure payment went through before starting over. And make sure you don't put a wrong date on it - ouch! 

[sk99]

We got visas, took me 5 minutes, it was harder to get thru to the website. Anyways, no one looked at our visas, but when we arrived to Istanbul the officer asked if we have them. He did not ask to see them. My guess: maybe they have them online when they check.

[Aloha 1]

On 6/14/2022 at 8:04 AM, cruisemom42 said:

It's a confusing topic. Turkey doesn't have as many cruise passengers as some other Mediterranean countries; much less those actually disembarking and returning home from Turkey.  somehow it doesn't occur to them to clarify the issue.

 

Here's another thread confirming what I've said:

 

 

That's 7 years old and the world has changed. here's the current info:

 

Tourists who arrive in Turkey on a cruise ship do not require an Turkey eVisa if they are only planning to visit the city that their ship docks at and their visit does not exceed 3 days(72 hours). Visitors on longer stays or who intend to travel beyond the port city may need to apply for a visa or an eVisa depending on their nationality.

 

The OP will only be in  Istanbul and less than 3 days.

[cruisemom42]

44 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

That's 7 years old and the world has changed. here's the current info:

 

Tourists who arrive in Turkey on a cruise ship do not require an Turkey eVisa if they are only planning to visit the city that their ship docks at and their visit does not exceed 3 days(72 hours). Visitors on longer stays or who intend to travel beyond the port city may need to apply for a visa or an eVisa depending on their nationality.

 

The OP will only be in  Istanbul and less than 3 days.

 

 

Sigh. 

 

I fully agree that cruisers do NOT need the eVisa if they are arriving AND leaving by ship and are not in port for longer than three days.

 

The OP, however, is disembarking from Turkey and flying home. That is a different kettle of fish. And if you read the full thread, you'll see at the end that the OP came back and reported that they were asked if they had the visa at the airport.

 

Unfortunately most official sites omit calling out this not-so-trivial detail, presumably because not that many cruises end (or begin) in Turkey. However, as we've learned during COVID, requirements for entering or leaving a country can vary depending on whether you are leaving by car, plane or ship.

 

If you can find something stating that the requirement has changed and that US (or most other nationality) cruisers seeking to fly home from Turkey do NOT require a visa, I might believe it.

 

Edited to add:  I did a bit more searching -- I did find this on the Royal Caribbean website stating this: "Turkey - Intransit cruise guests do not require a visa for Turkey.  Guests flying into Turkey to embark a vessel may obtain a visa upon arrival at the airport. Guests disembarking in Turkey will be able to secure a visa on board the vessel." 

 

(This to me suggests that one is needed. Whether one wants to depend on getting one onboard ship is another matter.)

 

UK citizens are subject to the same eVisa as US citizens. Here's what their website has to say:  "British nationals need to have a visa to travel to Turkey (except for cruise ship passengers with ‘British Citizen’ passports entering the country for a day trip, remaining in the port of embarkation and returning to the ship the same day)."

 

(The wording, to me at least, clarifies that returning to and leaving by cruise ship is part of the deal. Thus, if disembarking and leaving by plane, this special stipulation does not apply.)

 

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Turkey's evisa site is pretty clear; see the FAQs section.  But if you not a U.S. citizen, you may not need a visa at all.  I've read posts that imply that some countries have reciprocity.  In any case, we were told by our cruise line that we would need one to visit 3 Turkish ports, embarking in Istanbul.  That wasn't what Turkiye's evisa site says for cruising only, but we WERE flying in early (on our own) so we needed visas. The Turkish authorities DID check the visas at the airport.  There was a mistake on one date on my husband's and he had to somewhere, do another one, and fork out another $20.   

 

I had trouble using the evisa site because it got to the point when I authorized my payment and froze up.  But I found that if I went in at a different time, the site worked well.  Maybe by now it works better, but note that they warn you not to enter info/pay twice.  Also note there's an email address if you have trouble.  I emailed the day after their system froze on me and they looked up my info and told me the payment had not gone through.    But if it works well, the process only takes about 15 minutes and if all is well, you can print it out almost immediately.

 

[Aloha 1]

22 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

Sigh. 

 

I fully agree that cruisers do NOT need the eVisa if they are arriving AND leaving by ship and are not in port for longer than three days.

 

The OP, however, is disembarking from Turkey and flying home. That is a different kettle of fish. And if you read the full thread, you'll see at the end that the OP came back and reported that they were asked if they had the visa at the airport.

 

Unfortunately most official sites omit calling out this not-so-trivial detail, presumably because not that many cruises end (or begin) in Turkey. However, as we've learned during COVID, requirements for entering or leaving a country can vary depending on whether you are leaving by car, plane or ship.

 

If you can find something stating that the requirement has changed and that US (or most other nationality) cruisers seeking to fly home from Turkey do NOT require a visa, I might believe it.

 

Edited to add:  I did a bit more searching -- I did find this on the Royal Caribbean website stating this: "Turkey - Intransit cruise guests do not require a visa for Turkey.  Guests flying into Turkey to embark a vessel may obtain a visa upon arrival at the airport. Guests disembarking in Turkey will be able to secure a visa on board the vessel." 

 

(This to me suggests that one is needed. Whether one wants to depend on getting one onboard ship is another matter.)

 

UK citizens are subject to the same eVisa as US citizens. Here's what their website has to say:  "British nationals need to have a visa to travel to Turkey (except for cruise ship passengers with ‘British Citizen’ passports entering the country for a day trip, remaining in the port of embarkation and returning to the ship the same day)."

 

(The wording, to me at least, clarifies that returning to and leaving by cruise ship is part of the deal. Thus, if disembarking and leaving by plane, this special stipulation does not apply.)

 

 

I will stand corrected.

[Aloha 1]

19 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Turkey's evisa site is pretty clear; see the FAQs section.  But if you not a U.S. citizen, you may not need a visa at all.  I've read posts that imply that some countries have reciprocity.  In any case, we were told by our cruise line that we would need one to visit 3 Turkish ports, embarking in Istanbul.  That wasn't what Turkiye's evisa site says for cruising only, but we WERE flying in early (on our own) so we needed visas. The Turkish authorities DID check the visas at the airport.  There was a mistake on one date on my husband's and he had to somewhere, do another one, and fork out another $20.   

 

I had trouble using the evisa site because it got to the point when I authorized my payment and froze up.  But I found that if I went in at a different time, the site worked well.  Maybe by now it works better, but note that they warn you not to enter info/pay twice.  Also note there's an email address if you have trouble.  I emailed the day after their system froze on me and they looked up my info and told me the payment had not gone through.    But if it works well, the process only takes about 15 minutes and if all is well, you can print it out almost immediately.

 

Just had that happen to me. Payment shows as pending on my account but no email as of 48 hours.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 8/17/2022 at 1:17 PM, Aloha 1 said:

Just had that happen to me. Payment shows as pending on my account but no email as of 48 hours.

You've probably gotten it straightend out by now, but for future readers:  Look for email address at bottom of evisa site and contact them.  I did that and they responded next morning, looked up/told me status.  I started over, going in early morning or late night in case that helped.  (It did.)  But you can get a visa at the airport if necessary.  It only added about 15 minutes when we discovered I had goofed on one date and they wanted us to re-do one visa.  They took spouse over to a special counter and helped him correct it.  Charged less than the original amount we paid; let him pay cash. 

Edited August 30, 2022 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea
typos

[Aloha 1]

6 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

You've probably gotten it straightend out by now, but for future readers:  Look for email address at bottom of evisa site and contact them.  I did that and they responded next morning, looked up/told me status.  I started over, going in early morning or late night in case that helped.  (It did.)  But you can get a visa at the airport if necessary.  It only added about 15 minutes when we discovered I had goofed on one date and they wanted us to re-do one visa.  They took spouse over to a special counter and helped him correct it.  Charged less than the original amount we paid; let him pay cash. 

Yep. Emailed and within 5 minutes I had my visas.

[coloradocruiselover88]

On 6/13/2022 at 8:20 PM, okiedrifters said:

Cruisemom42….this is not a Turkey question, but a Rome question. I appreciate the information you provide, it has helped me so much with my travel plans, etc. Thank you! 
 

We have been to a Rome previously and did not need a visa. A fellow cruiser on my upcoming cruise next week,  just posted on FB that he tried to check in for his flight to Rome tomorrow (Air France) and it would not let him check in because he didn’t have a Visa. 
 

I thought if we were traveling through a Schengen country, with a valid US passport that doesn’t expire within 6 months and are not staying longer than 90 days we did not need a Visa.   I searched and the way I read it, we still don’t need a visa? 
Would you please clarify? We fly out on Thursday and if things have changed I need to get on the ball! 😂.

 

Thanks so much!
 

EJ 

A lot of international flights are limited to airport check in lately because documents may need to be reviewed.  Key word MAY.  He should call the airline to see why he can't check in on line.