Turkish Visa clarification

[Hamwen3839]

Needing help from any Australians who has disembarked  FROM CRUISE SHIP in Istanbul and gone straight to airport to fly out—- did you need a Turkish e-visa? The only advice I can see on line is that if you are staying less than 72 hrs in Istanbul  and only going to areas near city you do not need an E Visa. Even the Turkish Consulate in Sydney does not seem to know definitely, they just quote the 72 hr rule.

Appreciate any instances in recent times .

[Aus Traveller]

I have not disembarked from a cruise ship in Turkey so I cannot answer your question from personal experience. However, from what you say (less than 72 hrs and only going to areas near the city), you will not need an e-visa. If the Consulate quotes the 72-hour rule, that sounds as if you will be OK.

 

China has a similar provision to their tourist visas.

[Hamwen3839]

Have received further response for clarification from Turkish Consulate .It appears that when you leave the ship for excursions you have to hand over your passport and you receive a “pass” to tour .When you return to the ship you get your passport back. So it would appear( but was not specifically answered) that if you leave the ship for any other reason e.g. to go to airport you would ? need a Visa.

Given that the Visas are not cheap ( I think $60 US each) it would be great to hear from anyone else who disembarked in Istanbul and went straight to airport.

[Aus Traveller]

6 minutes ago, Hamwen3839 said:

Have received further response for clarification from Turkish Consulate .It appears that when you leave the ship for excursions you have to hand over your passport and you receive a “pass” to tour .When you return to the ship you get your passport back. So it would appear( but was not specifically answered) that if you leave the ship for any other reason e.g. to go to airport you would ? need a Visa.

Given that the Visas are not cheap ( I think $60 US each) it would be great to hear from anyone else who disembarked in Istanbul and went straight to airport.

I suggest you enquire on the main (that is USA) section of this forum. There will probably be people there who have done exactly what you plan to do.

[Hamwen3839]

Thanks for suggestion. I do know USA citizens don’t need a Visa at all in Turkey but Australian citizens do ( for certain things ) so that is why I stuck to Australian forum.

Just trying to find an Australian who did disembark and went straight to airport.

[Aus Traveller]

23 minutes ago, Hamwen3839 said:

Thanks for suggestion. I do know USA citizens don’t need a Visa at all in Turkey but Australian citizens do ( for certain things ) so that is why I stuck to Australian forum.

Just trying to find an Australian who did disembark and went straight to airport.

I thought about that, but didn't take the time to check if Americans need a visa.

[Big Kev]

2 hours ago, Hamwen3839 said:

Thanks for suggestion. I do know USA citizens don’t need a Visa at all in Turkey but Australian citizens do ( for certain things ) so that is why I stuck to Australian forum.

Just trying to find an Australian who did disembark and went straight to airport.

Have visied Turkey by ship several times, and as you said, Visa not required, permit issued and passport held.  However, last visit was during back to back, and where we were to disembark Istanbul and fly home after second cruise...   Obviously needed passports in hand to leave ship for good, so applied  to Turkish Govt, paid, and visa issued before we left Australia.

[Hamwen3839]

Perfect, thank you so much.That is what we will have to do too as we are back to back and disembarking in Istanbul to fly home.I think we can do an E Visa on line.Really appreciate you taking the time to answer.

[Aus Traveller]

You won't be in Turkey for more than 72 hours and you won't be touring the countryside. I still feel that the exemption from having a visa (less than 72 hours and only staying near the city) could mean that an e visa isn't required. However, confirmation would be required.

 

On the similar situation in China - many passengers paid for a visa even though it wasn't required in circumstances similar to Turkey.

[MicCanberra]

I would advise getting information  from the Turkish embassy directly  for the best advice.

[Hamwen3839]

Thanks everyone for your advice. We have been e mailing Turkish Consulate back and forth and keep getting the same answer— if you are there less than 72 hrs and returning to the ship after each outing you do not need a Visa. However our specific question was about leaving the ship to go to airport and they do not address that.

As they retain your passport each time you go out I think it is clear that we will need a Visa when we leave as we obviously need our passport with us to fly.

[Aus Traveller]

11 hours ago, Hamwen3839 said:

Thanks everyone for your advice. We have been e mailing Turkish Consulate back and forth and keep getting the same answer— if you are there less than 72 hrs and returning to the ship after each outing you do not need a Visa. However our specific question was about leaving the ship to go to airport and they do not address that.

As they retain your passport each time you go out I think it is clear that we will need a Visa when we leave as we obviously need our passport with us to fly.

A couple of times you mention 'they retain your passport'. This would most likely be the ship. This has always been my experience. If this is the end of your cruise, you would take your passport with you. The ship may operate transfers directly to the airport.

 

I hope you can get more clarification on whether you need the e-visa. I note that one website has the following for transit passsengers:

Do I need a visa if I’m only in transit?

In that case, you don’t need a Turkey visa. If you stay within the international transit area at the airport, a visa is not necessary. If you visit Turkey while on a cruise, you get 72 hours to visit around without a visa. Comply with these parameters, so you don’t have problems with Turkish immigration.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Aus Traveller

[Hamwen3839]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Turkish Consulate have confirmed that port authorities (not the ship )do retain your passport when you leave ship until you return. So once we leave for good apparently we would need a Visa.?

In transit only refers to the airport I.e.you land but do not leave airport, just transit to another place.

It is a fairly simple question but cannot get a definite answer from Consulate.

Hoping that an Australian has done exactly what we are doing so they can tell us.

[gbenjo]

33 minutes ago, Hamwen3839 said:

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Turkish Consulate have confirmed that port authorities (not the ship )do retain your passport when you leave ship until you return. So once we leave for good apparently we would need a Visa.?

In transit only refers to the airport I.e.you land but do not leave airport, just transit to another place.

It is a fairly simple question but cannot get a definite answer from Consulate.

Hoping that an Australian has done exactly what we are doing so they can tell us.

If you are finishing your cruise and debarking the ship, port authorities would have no reason to  hold your passport ( and you would clear customs at the terminal ) and as you say, you have 72 hours to “visit”  and if  you go straight to the airport I cannot see why you would need a visa. Your cruise line should be able to advise you as I would assume they would have done this cruise before.

[Aus Traveller]

31 minutes ago, gbenjo said:

If you are finishing your cruise and debarking the ship, port authorities would have no reason to  hold your passport ( and you would clear customs at the terminal ) and as you say, you have 72 hours to “visit”  and if  you go straight to the airport I cannot see why you would need a visa. Your cruise line should be able to advise you as I would assume they would have done this cruise before.

I also believe that a visa isn't required, but I would not rely on an accurate answer from the cruise line.🙂

 

Maybe some people from the UK have done a cruise to Turkey since cruising re-started after COVID. Someone on another section of the forum might be able to advise, but, even so, an official answer from the Turkish Embassy would be better.

[Hamwen3839]

That all makes sense, just cannot get an answer from Consulate as to exact question of leaving ship and going straight to airport. Will contact travel agent after Easter. Just want to be sure so we don’t end up missing flight home.

[Hamwen3839]

UK citizens do not require a Visa to go to Turkey but Australians do ( I suspect this is because we require Turkish citizens to have a Visa so tit for tat)

 

[Aus Traveller]

42 minutes ago, Hamwen3839 said:

That all makes sense, just cannot get an answer from Consulate as to exact question of leaving ship and going straight to airport. Will contact travel agent after Easter. Just want to be sure so we don’t end up missing flight home.

You have to be sure. If in doubt, (sorry to say) it would be best to get the visa.