Turkey Visa for Cruise Ship Passengers

There is a lot of confusion about whether cruise ship passengers visiting Turkey on a cruise ship and returning home from Istanbul immediately post-cruise need a visa. Here's what Turkey's evisa site says:

 

Do I need an e-Visa if I am on a cruise ship? Go

According to the Law on Foreigners and International Protection which entered into force on 11th April 2014, those foreigners who arrive at sea ports and intend to visit the seaport city or nearby provinces for touristic purpose are exempt from visa provided that their stay does not exceed seventy two (72) hours.

 

I was wondering if anyone who recently returned from Istanbul by plane after a cruise was asked to get a visa when they appeared at the airport to fly home. Turkey's info isn't clear for a number of reasons, but I take it to mean that if you only visit cities on your cruise or "nearby provinces," and spend less than 72 hours from the time you enter Turkey to the he time you fly home, you don't need a visa. Has anyone done this?

Yes, when you get off in Istanbul (not for a stop) but at the end of the cruise you need an e-visa. We were in Istanbul post this writeup and we needed one.

 

And you've always needed one if flying home. E Visa is very simple to get on line.

 

Keith

We cruised from Athens to Istanbul a couple of weeks ago - flew home from Istanbul after an overnight on the ship - and we did need a Turkish visa. As Keith said, it was very easy to obtain online.

The information in the text only applies to people arriving AND DEPARTING Istanbul by cruise ship.

 

If you are flying out of Turkey after a cruise, you NEED an e-visa.

 

If you are flying into Turkey before a cruise, you NEED an e-visa.

 

If you are arriving by cruise ship and leaving by cruise ship, even if you are staying overnight, you DO NOT NEED an e-visa.

We are British and got our visas last week. The info in #4 is definately correct for us.

 

Just some advice about getting the visa. Our cruise company would have got one for us at the princely price of £35. We did our own online and were charged US$20 (@£13). There are websites out there that look like they are the official site, but which will charge you a commission, (and I am not even sure if they get you a bona fida visa). There is a link available on the British FOC site to the correct website to get the visa directly.

 

Prices I gave are per person.

Just to confirm, the official, non rip off site is:

 

https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

 

HTH

This is all very interesting, as someone also pointed me in the direction of one of Rick Steves' book. Steves' take on the visa for cruisers was that anyone embarking on a cruise ship in Istanbul needs one, but not when disembarking if all the person does is go directly to the airport. I suppose Steves means no visa is required as long as the stops in Turkey don't go over the 72 hour period mentioned in one of the FAQs on the e-visa site, but that's a bit unclear.

 

I will be in Turkey for more than 72 hours so I'm assuming I need the visa; however, others will be there on the ship (or sightseeing in Turkey from the ship) for less than 72 hours, disembark from the ship and fly home, spending less than 72 hours in Turkey. So based on what you guys are saying, they will be asked for a visa at the airport, right (despite what Steves says)? Can they buy one there, or go online to get one if they have an ipad or whatever to do that?

 

Sure wish Turkey would clarify the requirements, as they're certainly not clear to me!

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

I guess that's the case. I just used the "Comment" section on the e-visa site to ask about visas, and got a prompt reply from the Turkish Ministry. There was a sentence added to the response that is not part of what's published in their FAQs. It says anyone flying in or out of Turkish airports needs a visa. Wish they'd change the information on that site so all of us cruisers don't have to Cruise Critic forums!

 

I think Steves has an online site that he uses to report recent updates. Not sure what book the person was reading, but guess I'll go online to look for updates.

Edited August 21, 2015 by roothy123

I guess that's the case. I just used the "Comment" section on the e-visa site to ask about visas, and got a prompt reply from the Turkish Ministry. There was a sentence added to the response that is not part of what's published in their FAQs. It says anyone flying in or out of Turkish airports needs a visa. Wish they'd change the information on that site so all of us cruisers don't have to Cruise Critic forums!

 

I think Steves has an online site that he uses to report recent updates. Not sure what book the person was reading, but guess I'll go online to look for updates.

 

I think your question has been more than answered...you have up to date info here from posters...don't always rely on books or R. Steves.

Don't sweat it. I got ours online in five minutes $20.70.

I guess that's the case. I just used the "Comment" section on the e-visa site to ask about visas, and got a prompt reply from the Turkish Ministry. There was a sentence added to the response that is not part of what's published in their FAQs. It says anyone flying in or out of Turkish airports needs a visa. Wish they'd change the information on that site so all of us cruisers don't have to Cruise Critic forums!

 

I think Steves has an online site that he uses to report recent updates. Not sure what book the person was reading, but guess I'll go online to look for updates.

 

It really is the case and it is so very easy to do.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Keith

On the other hand it would be interesting to hear from people who have disembarked in Istanbul after a one-way cruise and tried to fly out without a visa. I wonder what happens then, if it's a major hassle or if it turns out not to be a big deal once you explain that you just arrived by cruise ship.

 

I know what the rule is, and I know that it's easy and relatively cheap for US passport holders to get an e-visa. But for some countries the visa costs a lot more (multiplied by the number of people in your family), so it would be useful to know how strict they are in this situation. Does anyone here have any recent first-hand experience of showing up at the airport without a visa?

So if someone didn't get the visa and somehow made it out you would not get a visa. That is silly.

 

On a related note, some cruise lines (ours did) required that we had the visa to board the ship.

 

Anyway, a visa is required and it is silly to look for someone who somehow broke the rules and got away with it.

 

Keith

Why not just do what the majority of people would do and check with your cruise line, but it seems to me that you have a definative answer from the Turkish Authorites.

 

Our company also mentioned a visa was essential when we booked, but we are flying out to Istanbul so will need it when we leave the UK. If you are just flying back from Turkey then some companies may not make the situation clear until you are onboard the ship and then take the opportunity to charge people something like £35 per person to get the visa's for people who do not have them.

 

I do not see how you can get a better deal by not having the visa, but it could easily cause a lot more expense and hassle if you do not have one. That time will be taken out of you holiday time as well.

Edited August 22, 2015 by tring

So if someone didn't get the visa and somehow made it out you would not get a visa. That is silly.

If lots of people report back saying "We showed them our cruise documents and told them we didn't have visas. They said no problem and let us right through", then yes, I would consider not bothering with a visa. If they say "They got very angry and we were detained for several hours and it ended up costing several thousand dollars and we are now prohibited from entering Turkey for the next 15 years", then I would get the visa…

 

I'm thinking particularly of Canadians and Australians, who have to pay $60 per person, even if they are just transferring from the cruise terminal to the airport… If it turned out that it was not in fact strictly necessary to have visas in this situation, it would be silly to spend the money.

On the other hand it would be interesting to hear from people who have disembarked in Istanbul after a one-way cruise and tried to fly out without a visa. I wonder what happens then, if it's a major hassle or if it turns out not to be a big deal once you explain that you just arrived by cruise ship.

 

I know what the rule is, and I know that it's easy and relatively cheap for US passport holders to get an e-visa. But for some countries the visa costs a lot more (multiplied by the number of people in your family), so it would be useful to know how strict they are in this situation. Does anyone here have any recent first-hand experience of showing up at the airport without a visa?

 

If you somehow managed to cruise to Istanbul & get to the airport for the return flight without a visa (unlikely, its something the cruise lines will probably have checked, and as per Tring's post, they may insist that you buy on the ship, at an inflated cost) the immigration officer at the airport will know this as soon as he scans your passport.

You can still get a visa at the airport (ignore out-of-date web pages that say this was stopped when e-visas were introduced, cos the Turkish govt. changed their minds) but it means you'll be sent back out of the line to get a visa. And in many Turkish airports the manned visa desk has been replaced by e-visa screens so you have to do an on-line application on-the-spot - as well as the unwanted waste of time it costs more to get a visa at the airport than doing it on-line before you travel.

So trying this will be a pointless & unworthy experiment.

 

BTW, Rick Steves is an excellent source of information, but he got it wrong on this one.

Wrong, not just out-of-date.

There's never been a one-way visa-free transfer for cruisers.

 

Up til a couple of years back, Thomson cruise passengers flying or out of regional airports such as Dalaman had a visa-free channel at the airport because they were on chartered aircraft & had Thomson-organised transport direct between airport & ship, so were treated as being "in transit".

This may have been the reason for Rick Steves getting it wrong, although it applied both for flying in and for flying out.

There may have been other similar arrangements at other regional airports for other cruise lines but the only other Turkish turnarounds I know of are all at Istanbul, where that concession has never been offered.

But that concession at regional airports has now been cancelled & those Thomson passengers now have to buy a visa, which simplifies the situation.

 

As others have said, you need a visa to enter or leave Turkey by any means other than your cruise ship.

No visa is required for any mid-cruise Turkish port-of-call visit for up to 72 hours as long as you overnite on the ship. Or in the gutter :D. But not if you choose to overnite in a hotel rather than on the ship.

 

E-visas are very quick & easy, and pretty painless on the pocket for Brits and Americans (though yes, a hefty $60 for Canadians). Don't buy too far ahead, they have limited duration & the clock starts from when you apply.

 

Are you really taking a one-way cruise to Istanbul & then heading straight to the airport?????

Sorry, but I think you're robbing yourself of a day or two in a fascinating city.

 

JB :)

Edited August 22, 2015 by John Bull

We traveled to Istanbul after the eVisa site opened but before they stopped selling visas at the airport. Having an eVisa saved a lot of time because there were two lines, one to purchase the visa and one for immigration. I would think that standing in line only to be told you need a visa could make that a total of three lines to stand in. If memory serves, the immigration line in Istanbul was long.

We traveled to Istanbul after the eVisa site opened but before they stopped selling visas at the airport. Having an eVisa saved a lot of time because there were two lines, one to purchase the visa and one for immigration. I would think that standing in line only to be told you need a visa could make that a total of three lines to stand in. If memory serves, the immigration line in Istanbul was long.

 

I have to agree. Having seen the lines last fall at the airport, I'd prefer NOT to have to build in extra time. It's generally stressful enough getting to the airport and checking in for the flight without wondering whether I need to stand in an extra line and how much additional time to allow for that....

 

I can't quite understand the OP's hesitation, having been now told by several experienced cruisers AND having heard from the Ministry -- all saying a visa is needed. :rolleyes:

This is very silly.

 

As stated an e-visa is required.

 

If someone doesn't want to get it or advises others not to, just be aware you need it. So, just get it and let's move on.

 

Keith

If lots of people report back saying "We showed them our cruise documents and told them we didn't have visas. They said no problem and let us right through", then yes, I would consider not bothering with a visa. If they say "They got very angry and we were detained for several hours and it ended up costing several thousand dollars and we are now prohibited from entering Turkey for the next 15 years", then I would get the visa…

 

I'm thinking particularly of Canadians and Australians, who have to pay $60 per person, even if they are just transferring from the cruise terminal to the airport… If it turned out that it was not in fact strictly necessary to have visas in this situation, it would be silly to spend the money.

 

The E Visa is required.

 

It's that simple.

 

Have you been on a cruise since it was rolled out.

 

I have.

 

Keith

 

I can't quite understand the OP's hesitation, having been now told by several experienced cruisers AND having heard from the Ministry -- all saying a visa is needed. :rolleyes:

 

 

Actually the OP has not posted since yesterday when he/she posted to say they had got a response from the Turkish Ministry. The more 'wild' questions have been asked today by someone called hawkeyetlse who only started posting this morning. I did not realise this until after I had posted at #15 above.

 

I am not sure of this person's intention, but suspect it is someone who just likes to 'play' with this site to wind people up - or thinks that is what they are doing. Looks like time to let it lie.

Edited August 22, 2015 by tring

Even if the cruise lines ask to see a Turkish visa when you check-in, they have no way to verify if the document you show them is valid or not. I am sure that cruise ship passengers occasionally find themselves at IST airport without the required visa, for whatever reason. I am simply curious to know what happens in that case. I am not encouraging anyone to try it for themselves, at least not until it is established what the consequences are.

 

Like I said, I know what the rule is: You are supposed to get a visa to fly out of Istanbul. What I am asking is: What if you don't? Those of you who find this question wild, very silly, and unworthy, that's fine, go ahead and think the worst of me. But I am still hoping that someone out there actually knows the answer.

You have to have the visa to leave the ship.

 

And they checked our visa when we got off the ship in Istanbul at the time we went through local immigration at the cruise ship terminal.

 

Keith

What Keith said - you have to clear immigration at the cruise terminal. If you don't do that, going to the airport doesn't happen.