Turkey Visa for Cruise Ship Passengers

What Keith said - you have to clear immigration at the cruise terminal.

Again, moral of the story is one needs to get their e-visa prior whether arriving to Turkey by Plane or leaving Turkey by Plane. Very easy to do so.

Keith

roothy121, you are reading a book that is out of date Remember even if the book has a copyright of this year it was written in 2014.

 

We arrived to Istanbul and the next day we disembarked and flew home. We needed the visa.

 

Keith

To any and all. Get Visas...even if you don't want to. We personally have been detained in an Airport Transit Terminal for 5-days, sleeping on a Red Cross cot because we didn't have Authority to leave an Airport. Not fun. A Visa can be your 'Get-out-of-Jail' pass if certain situations change beyond your control. Watch 'The Terminal' starring Tom Hanks if you're still convinced 'stuff won't happen to me'. Locomotiveman Tom

Back in the '50, the Kingston Trio did a song about Charlie and the MTA. If you don't have a visa, make sure you have extra meds.

I came across this comment on a CC cruise news page ("Celebrity Cruises Cancels Call at Istanbul"):

We had issues with the Immigration when we were there in June 2015. When we left the cruise ship we went through immigration and the officer let us in. When we got to the airport, the immigration officials didn't let us through saying that we were illegal as we didn't have a entry stamp in our passport. We had to go through the process of having our fingerprints taken. Now we are barred from entry in Turkey for 3 years.

OK, let's see if I got this right. We will be stopping in Ephesus (arrive 7 am, leave 5 pm same day). Since we will NOT be entering or leaving Turkey through an airport and will not be staying for more than 72 hours, we will NOT need to apply for a visa, even if we get off the ship to walk around. Right or wrong? I found something on the visacentral.com site which indicates that Royal Caribbean will be handling any visas for us if we don't stay in any one port for more than 72 hours, but I wanted to hear from anyone with first-hand knowledge that this is true.

OK, let's see if I got this right. We will be stopping in Ephesus (arrive 7 am, leave 5 pm same day). Since we will NOT be entering or leaving Turkey through an airport and will not be staying for more than 72 hours, we will NOT need to apply for a visa, even if we get off the ship to walk around. Right or wrong? I found something on the visacentral.com site which indicates that Royal Caribbean will be handling any visas for us if we don't stay in any one port for more than 72 hours, but I wanted to hear from anyone with first-hand knowledge that this is true.

There are many guides and unofficial sources of information out there, but I would believe this, from the OFFICIAL Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website:http://www.mfa.gov.tr/frequently-asked-questions.en.mfa

Question: I am taking a Mediterranean boat cruise with my family. Our ship will also visit Kuşadası. Do we need visas to enter Turkey?

Answer: Foreigners who are travelling to Turkey by cruises are allowed to enter Turkey without visa for a maximum period of 72 hours, with the permission given by the local security authorities.

OK, let's see if I got this right. We will be stopping in Ephesus (arrive 7 am, leave 5 pm same day). Since we will NOT be entering or leaving Turkey through an airport and will not be staying for more than 72 hours, we will NOT need to apply for a visa, even if we get off the ship to walk around. Right or wrong? I found something on the visacentral.com site which indicates that Royal Caribbean will be handling any visas for us if we don't stay in any one port for more than 72 hours, but I wanted to hear from anyone with first-hand knowledge that this is true.

That is correct.

I have been to Turkey twice:

-Cruise ship stop in Kusadasi: no visa required.

-Overnight connection flying through IST: visa required. Which we got at the airport on arrival, BTW, so not like it's a difficult process.

You're good to go.

There are many guides and unofficial sources of information out there, but I would believe this, from the OFFICIAL Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website:http://www.mfa.gov.tr/frequently-asked-questions.en.mfa

 

Question: I am taking a Mediterranean boat cruise with my family. Our ship will also visit Kuşadası. Do we need visas to enter Turkey?

Answer: Foreigners who are travelling to Turkey by cruises are allowed to enter Turkey without visa for a maximum period of 72 hours, with the permission given by the local security authorities.

The evisa site says basically the same thing, except it isn't clear about what happens if you fly to or from Turkey in connection with a cruise, or spend extra time in a hotel there. I suppose Royal Caribbean is just saying they'll take care of the port clearance in Turkey since the Ephesus/Kusadasi visit is just a stop with no embarkation/disembarkation/flights to/from Istanbul, hotel stays, etc.

Got mine earlier and am good to go. (We stay over and fly home.) Took 5 minutes and $20.70 per person. Make sure you respond to the email within an hour or you'll have to start over.

Thanks for all the replies. One less thing I need to take care of!