Istanbul..July 2015..Visa Requirement

Could somebody help clear the air of whether or not the Visa requirement would be handled by SilverSea or myself, prior to departure.

Thanks

While I do not know the answer for sure, each time we have visited Istanbul (on Regent), we were responsible for our own visa. Turkish visas are now available online. Here is a link to the government online application area https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ . They only charge $20 for U.S. citizens. If you use one of the many, many, visa services, they add a fee of $50-60 so be careful.

Could somebody help clear the air of whether or not the Visa requirement would be handled by SilverSea or myself, prior to departure.

 

Thanks

In 2012 Silversea handled our visa in Istanbul. Our cruise actually terminated in Istanbul but we were staying on a couple of days to tour before we flew home. The fee for the visa was added to our on-board account and the stamp was in our passports when we disembarked. If you're flying in to Istanbul on your own then you'll have to arrange your own visa. Appears you can now do that on line or at the airport when you arrive.

This is the quote from the SS invoice for our cruise beginning in Istanbul October 2015:

"Effective April 10, 2014, Turkey will no longer issue visas on arrival. Guests must obtain an electronic visa online at http://www.evisa.gov.tr. The e-visa confirmation must be printed and in your possession upon arrival in Turkey. The e-visa is applicable to the following nationals: US, Canadian, Mexico, Spain, UK, Australia, Norway, Belgium, Austria and approximately 91 other nationals. For a full list please go to the Official Turkish Government Website at http://www.evisa.gov.tr. "

This is the quote from the SS invoice for our cruise beginning in Istanbul October 2015:

"Effective April 10, 2014, Turkey will no longer issue visas on arrival. Guests must obtain an electronic visa online at http://www.evisa.gov.tr. The e-visa confirmation must be printed and in your possession upon arrival in Turkey. The e-visa is applicable to the following nationals: US, Canadian, Mexico, Spain, UK, Australia, Norway, Belgium, Austria and approximately 91 other nationals. For a full list please go to the Official Turkish Government Website at http://www.evisa.gov.tr. "

More better information than I had but I can't edit or remove my earlier post. Thanks for the update.

We got ours online last year as we were flying directly in to Istanbul. $20 and very easy. After filing, received Visa in minutes. Be sure that you bracket your days, like earliest arrival date and latest departure date. We just did ours for 30 days to be covered. No additional costs.

Yes, we used the online system last year. Worked pretty well. After I'd already completed two separate applications (one for me, one for Chris) and paid twice, I found the link for a family application where I could have lumped both applications together and paid once. For some reason that wasn't intuitively obvious...

Interestingly, no one ever asked to see the printout of our e-visa - even though the instructions clearly said to print it out and show it to customs on arrival. They obviously had us in the system because they let us in without an issue.

Thanks for the tip on the family application! As soon as George's new passport arrives, we need to get the visas. I knew it was online now. That beats waiting in line at the airport after a long flight.

I believe they are not being issued at the airport on arrival anymore. SS has informed us, for a cruise this fall, that if you are in-transit through Istanbul, the visa is not necessary. Sounds good to me.

Hi, duct tape! The quote I posted earlier in this thread did not include the sentences about not needing a visa if you are just in transit on a cruise. Only need it if you begin in Turkey. Which cruise will you be on? We will be beginning a cruise on the Spirit on October 7. It would be great to see you again!

I believe that if you are arriving and departing the same day you do not need a Visa. We will be applying for a Visa soon as we will be staying 4 extra nights in Istanbul. Should we have the beginning date the day we stop in Kusadesi and ending perhaps a couple days after our departure from Istanbul airport (in case of flight cancelations)?

Unless things have changed since last year, you don't have to choose an end date. You just specify your anticipated arrival date, and they issue a multiple entry visa good for 180 days from that date My visa from last October is still valid for another two weeks. :) Weekend getaway?

This is the quote from the SS invoice for our cruise beginning in Istanbul October 2015:

"Effective April 10, 2014, Turkey will no longer issue visas on arrival. Guests must obtain an electronic visa online at http://www.evisa.gov.tr. The e-visa confirmation must be printed and in your possession upon arrival in Turkey. The e-visa is applicable to the following nationals: US, Canadian, Mexico, Spain, UK, Australia, Norway, Belgium, Austria and approximately 91 other nationals. For a full list please go to the Official Turkish Government Website at http://www.evisa.gov.tr. "

This is correct.

We were in Istanbul in May of 2014 and needed to follow this process.

It is very similar to getting an Australia ETA.

You just fill out the information on line and pay via credit card and you will get a confirmation that you will print out. Very easy.

Keith

We got our multiple entry visas after 3 minutes and $20.40 each. Couldn't be any easier!

Wellseasoned, I think we are on the Spirit then and would totally enjoy an evening with you and your bride!