Turkish Visa subject revisted

[JustBill]

I know this has been discussed before and I have read different answers concerning visa requirement if you're on a cruise and it visits a Turkish port. I'm not talking about if you fly into or out of Turkey to get on or off a ship, but to simply take an excursion while in port. Some people said a visa isn't required to get off the ship but the Oceania brochure states you need a visa and doesn't say abnything else and the website for the Turkish Embassy here in the U.S. also said one was needed. The only exception it listed was if you were changing flights in Turkey AND you didn't leave the airport area.

Has anyone visited Kusadasi in the last few months and if so did you need a visa to leave the ship? I see where Oceania would be kind enough to get one a visa for $49, although the actual cost is $26 for U.S. citizens.

If a visa is needed for the one day the ship is in a Turkish port I will try to order one from the Turkish Consulate in Houston before we go.

Thanks

[drwong]

If disembarking for a one-day shore excursion, you do NOT need a visa. But if you're commencing or terminating your cruise at a Turkish port (Istanbul, for example), you WILL need a visa. Actually, it's a little postage stamp-sized sticker that you affix to the inside of your passport.

[JimandStan]

Bill-

We were on the Insignia, Barcelona to Istanbul, last year, with three eighty-something parental units. Our cruise stopped in Ephesus before Istanbul (where we were spending several post cruise days), so, we were very concerned about the Visa issue. As it turned out, it was a non issue.

In Ephesus you don't need a Visa because you fall under the "day tripper" guidlines. In Istanbul, you only need a Visa if you are staying overnight.

As we were spending several extra nights, and what it boiled down to was my bringing all five of our passports over to a desk which was about 20 feet from the foot of the gangplank, and paying the fee in American Dollars. The visa agent never even asked to see the rest of my party. All that they were concerned about was that we had enough Greenbacks to pay with. Honestly, it smacks of Turkey needing an easy way to get some additional foriegn exchange.

In short, I wouldn't bother doing the Visa in the US, or through Oceania, it was VERY VERY easy to do in Istanbul.
Hope this reassured you-
Have a great cruise-;)

[drwong]

Hey Jim & Stan - we tried to follow your advice a few months ago when we sailed into Istanbul. We were surprised to find a letter in our cabin from the ship's purser the day before our arrival in Istanbul, saying that in reviewing the passports (everyone had to turn them in to the Purser's office for the duration of the cruise), ours did not have a visa sticker so we were being assessed $49.00 per passport. We complained and the front desk told us that Turkish Customs now requires the inspection of passports before they'll clear the ship, so we had to have a valid visa before we docked at Istanbul. Maybe things changed in the past year???

If I were Bill, I'd order them in advance from the consulate just to be safe. Either that, or buy them in Ephesus before landing in Istanbul! :)

[JimandStan]

Dr. Wrong-

I'd tend to agree with you. Although I think that the Front office was overstating their authority (what else is new?) to make you buy the Visa onboard. For $26.00, I'd just pay the man the money

[JustBill]

I called Oceania today and was told that you didn't need a Turkish Visa unless you were entering or leaving the country, but not while in port on a cruise ship.

Thank to everyone who responded.

Bill

[Hairy Harry]

We sailed with Oceania in June of 2006 into Kusadasi and Istanbul. We were told by the Turkish Consulate that we could purchase the visas when we arrived in Kusadasi or Istanbul. The ships' purser insisted we buy one for $49 each on board. We did, but when we departed the ship in Kusadasi, we found out that we could, indeed, have purchased one there for $26. They seem to like to keep this a secret. If you are not staying overnight on land, a visa is not even needed, we were told. And if you are stopping in Kusadasi, I would suggest you obtain it there.

[JustBill]

We sailed with Oceania in June of 2006 into Kusadasi and Istanbul. We were told by the Turkish Consulate that we could purchase the visas when we arrived in Kusadasi or Istanbul. The ships' purser insisted we buy one for $49 each on board. We did, but when we departed the ship in Kusadasi, we found out that we could, indeed, have purchased one there for $26. They seem to like to keep this a secret. If you are not staying overnight on land, a visa is not even needed, we were told. And if you are stopping in Kusadasi, I would suggest you obtain it there.


Harry:
Thanks for the reply.
Actually Kusadasi is the only port we go to in Turkey on the cruise. That's why I will not even worry about trying to obtain a visa.

Bill

[drwong]

Actually, if you buy it at the cruise terminal Kusadasi (or upon arrival at Ataturk International Airport), the fee would have been only $20 USD. (they tack on a $6 handling fee if you acquire it here at their embassy or consulate).

I'm surprised you found an Oceania cruise that hits Kusadasi without also hitting Istanbul! We spent two days in Istanbul and loved everything except the taxi drivers!

You'll probably dock at the new EGEPorts facility at Kusadasi (it's a joint venture with Royal Caribbean, who makes hundreds of port calls a year there). Lots of expensive jewelry and souvenir stands there, along with a Burger King to salve a homesick palate. Have you selected your shore excursions yet?

[smeyer418]

Bill-

it smacks of Turkey needing an easy way to get some additional foriegn exchange.

In short, I wouldn't bother doing the Visa in the US, or through Oceania, it was VERY VERY easy to do in Istanbul.
Hope this reassured you-
Have a great cruise-;)

The US charges $100.00 for those countries that have to get visas(and I pretty sure Turkey is one of them)...guess we need the foreign money too...

[drwong]

The US charges $100.00 for those countries that have to get visas(and I pretty sure Turkey is one of them)...guess we need the foreign money too...

Actually, we found Turkey to be quite reasonable about their visa prices. Even though the US charges Turkish citizens $100 for a visa (processing fees, supposedly), Turkey doesn't reciprocate in kind, unlike Russia, who demanded $100 for a visa (to avoid the cost, you can go with a ship's shore excursion or hire a private guide service who provides one as a part of the tour price).

And Americans get by easier than our Canadian compatriots, who have to pay $60 for their Turkish visas. (I wonder if they can get them through Oceania for "only" $49?) :rolleyes: