Turkey visa

[FeelingCruisy]

Have an upcoming cruise that includes 2 ports and the 3rd is an overnight that ends in Istanbul.  I'm pretty sure we will need a Turkey visa.  Under manage my booking, it says Oceania can -

Visas

You have not purchased any visas

Oceania Cruises is pleased to offer an assortment of options and information to our guests to assist them in obtaining the many varied visas that are required to visit some of our more exotic destinations.

Can we get our visa on our own or do we have to go through Oceania to get these visa?  Any advantage/disadvantage using Oceania to do so?  As for Turkey, if my memory serves me correctly, it's simply going online, making a fee and getting the visa, quite simple.  

Thanks.

Edited May 4, 2023 by FeelingCruisy

[LHT28]

You probably  can use the E Visa 

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

https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/info/what-is-an-e-visa/

[FeelingCruisy]

I don't need to go through Oceania to get it right?

[jonthomas]

On one of our cruises we stop in two Turkish ports, Bodrun and Antalya...not overnight, just for a few hours.

 

Are visas needed for that as well?

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, FeelingCruisy said:

I don't need to go through Oceania to get it right?

you can if you want or just do it online yourself

Read the FQA at the bottom of the page  so you make sure you are getting the right  E Visa & other important info

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

On one of our cruises we stop in two Turkish ports, Bodrun and Antalya...not overnight, just for a few hours.

 

Are visas needed for that as well?

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

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. However, if you arrive in/depart from our country by air for your cruise tour, you must obtain a visa.

[jonthomas]

Thank you for that.

[pinotlover]

Easily obtained on line for our upcoming June cruise Embarking there. Easily done.

[Sthrngary]

First thank you to the author for the question.  Second, I am interested in this topic because I will be in Turkey for and overnight on our upcoming Oceania Cruise. Third, the moment I read the topic name and comments, I went online to research.  

 

I love CruiseCritic.com.  Especially when you want to select a new cruise brand or go to places you have never gone before.  Yet, we all should use caution when gaining information from a social media site.  This is a perfect example.  After going to links, reading articles and looking for a fail safe way to be over prepared; the clarity is not 100%.

 

First what I have chosen to do.  Since to gain a Turkey eVisa cost approximately $50.00 per guest, I am applying for it.  Do I Absolutely need it, "NO".  Most sources say for day trips to Turkey, cruise client are not really required.  Yet the verbiage is not clear enough for me to feel 100% comfortable.  So I weighed $50 to making a mistake that could effect my very expensive cruise.  That is my decision and everyone has to make their own.  

 

Social media is not a source for accurate information on things this important.  They should be a starting point for due diligence.  Without this thread, I would not have drilled down on this subject, hence "Starting Point".  

 

To often we have our favorite bloggers, authors on social media that we trust.  So we ask really important question.  All I suggest is don't stop there.  Double check.

 

Just my two cents on this one and I give if for a situation that negatively effected me in the past.  It left a memory trace which this post brought out.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Social media is not a source for accurate information on things this important.  They should be a starting point for due diligence.  Without this thread, I would not have drilled down on this subject, hence "Starting Point".  

 

To often we have our favorite bloggers, authors on social media that we trust.  So we ask really important question.  All I suggest is don't stop there.  Double check.

 

 

That is why I posted the links

If you can read  & comprehend   you should be able to figure it out   & if not there is   a CONTACT US link

 

 I am surprised   well maybe not that the price is  $50 now   it used to be about $14  not too many years ago

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

That is why I posted the links

If you can read  & comprehend   you should be able to figure it out   & if not there is   a CONTACT US link

 

 I am surprised   well maybe not that the price is  $50 now   it used to be about $14  not too many years ago

I read it and others.  The main emphasis was it was not needed for cruise passengers. When I went to FAQ, it said it was $50 to $100.  When I actually apply, I will report back the actual cost.  

 

Thank you for responding. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[LHT28]

8 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

I read it and others.  The main emphasis was it was not needed for cruise passengers. When I went to FAQ, it said it was $50 to $100.  When I actually apply, I will report back the actual cost.  

 

Thank you for responding. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

If  for the day  but if you are flying in/out of Turkiye   you do need one at least that is my interpretation  your may differ

 

See post #6

However, if you arrive in/depart from our country by air for your cruise tour, you must obtain a visa.

 

If flying in you  used to be able to get one at the airport   but if it was me I would  get one ahead of time

YMMV

[Redtravel]

In past, we only needed a visa when we flew into Turkey.  You could buy it ahead online or upon arrival. Bought visa at airport when we arrived.  It was quick and easy. Call it an entry fee.  When we stopped on a cruise in Turkish ports, no visa was needed.  Best to check Turkey government website for up to date regulations.

[pinotlover]

We got our Turkish Visa already via the Internet. Simple procedure.

 

This thread reminds me of flying into Cairo several years ago for a Nile River cruise. Uniworld begged we passengers repeatedly to apply and get our Egyptian visas before we departed. Meanwhile, brilliant travelers kept telling people here on CC “ Nah, that’s not needed, you can just get it at the airport when you arrive.”

 

Several of us arrived together on an Egyptian Air flight and, with or visas in hand, sped right through immigrations to meet our Uniworld host. One couple of t followed the CC recommendations, not Uniworld’s. Their reward was about a three (3) hour line waiting with a hosts of hundreds that took the same option. To add insult to injury, those working the visa desk were government workers and they shut everything down for an hour at lunch time, while all those in line, including our fellow passengers, waited so not to lose their place in line. 
 

We all went to the hotel, checked in, spruced up, had lunch, and did some planning. Our hosts were able to pick the brilliant ones up after about a five hour wait at the airport.
 

Getting the visa before departure isn’t a big deal. Or as Clint Eastwood would say” Do You Feel Lucky?”

😂

[cjwags]

We will be on the Vista in June with an overnight in Istanbul.  Here is what the e-visa website says:

"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. However, if you arrive in/depart from our country by air for your cruise tour, you must obtain a visa."

 

As I read this, no visa required, as we will only be there less than 72 hours, and not leaving Istanbul.

[LHT28]

18 minutes ago, cjwags said:

We will be on the Vista in June with an overnight in Istanbul.  Here is what the e-visa website says:

"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. However, if you arrive in/depart from our country by air for your cruise tour, you must obtain a visa."

 

As I read this, no visa required, as we will only be there less than 72 hours, and not leaving Istanbul.

I think there is  a clue in the   rules posted   😉

 

It has  been that way in the past  but who I am to  say what the current rules of  Turkiye   are  🙄

 

 

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I think there is  a clue in the   rules posted   😉

 

It has  been that way in the past  but who I am to  say what the current rules of  Turkiye   are  🙄

 

 

 

Agree -- from EXPERIENCE it is not needed unless flying in or out of Turkey or an extended stay beyond the 72 hours stated. But if it gives people a feeling of security....  

[FeelingCruisy]

 In our case, we have port days and since we have an over night in Turkey on the ship at the end of the cruise plus we are staying 3 nights debarkation, I'm betting we will need one.  Canadians pay US$60!  Earlier poster was correct, price has gone up many folds!  

Edited May 5, 2023 by FeelingCruisy

[marne-c]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Agree -- from EXPERIENCE it is not needed unless flying in or out of Turkey or an extended stay beyond the 72 hours stated. But if it gives people a feeling of security....  

 

From OUR experience yesterday, boarding the Marina at Athens/Piraeus for a 19-day back-to-back itinerary visiting but not embarking or disembarking in Turkey, absolutely everyone was required to have a Turkey visa in-hand before exiting the greeting tent to get to the desks for embarkation processing.  MANY, many  pax were stuck in that first tent with 2 clearly novice attendant/helpers.  Getting the visa required having an internet-enabled device, which not all pax had at-hand.  The wifi system capacity in the tent was vastly overwhelmed, and the Turkey eVisa website also seemed to be over capacity.  Net net, any attempt at submitting an application had multiple (10x +) failures due to lost connections or uncompleted data or credit card verifications.  My wife and I eventually succeeded after ~70 minutes, and were then permitted to proceed to the embarkation processing desks.  There , no passengers were given their WorldCard room key without showing a valid Turkey visa, regardless of whether their passage ended in Istanbul or continued beyond.  
 

So whatever the LAW was, the REALITY was a Turkey visa IS required, since the embarkation staff at the pier in Athens/Piraeus clearly had instructions to require that all boarding pax had them.

 

—Marne 

Edited May 5, 2023 by marne-c

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, marne-c said:

So whatever the LAW was, the REALITY was a Turkey visa IS required, since the embarkation staff at the pier in Athens/Piraeus clearly had instructions to require that all boarding pax had them.

 

That is an Oceania requirement then, and not a law, as you say. As such, Oceania should make it clear. 

 

I have been to Turkish ports on four other cruise lines, and no visa was ever required. Including quite recently.

[babysteps]

Oceania does send out specific information per cruise if visas are required for US passport holders about which visas are required and whether you need to get them ahead of time. Our 

TA forwarded us the email (we also got one directly but that came weeks later iirc).

 

Sometimes details change - we decided to let O do our Cambodian and Vietnamese visas and Feb 2023 arrived at the ship with forms for Cambodia as instructed. Forms not needed now it is all online - a recent weeks update at the time. We thought we'd need to do visa on arrival for Thailand but no visa was required for US and many but not all other passports (perhaps a months-ago or post-lockdown change).

Edited May 5, 2023 by babysteps

[marne-c]

49 minutes ago, babysteps said:

Oceania does send out specific information per cruise if visas are required for US passport holders about which visas are required and whether you need to get them ahead of time.   (Snip)

 

Here’s what Oceania helpfully said on our boarding pass:

”Visa requirements and regulations in regard to vaccination certificates and other health requirements vary by destination. It is the sole responsibility of each guest to obtain and have required valid travel and health documents in their possession.”

 

Here’s what our TA said in reply to my enquiry about whether Turkey visas were needed for our 19-day Athens-to-Lisbon itinerary:

”There are no visa requirements for U.S. passport holders for your upcoming voyage on the Oceania Marina from Athens to Lisbon.”

 

None of the scores of pax in the tent attempting to get Turkey visas had heard anything from Oceania or their TA’s about the need for the visas, nor did they receive an offer from O to obtain them.

 

We could have — and happily would have — obtained the visas before arriving at the port, if we had be informed that we could not board without them.  

 

—Marne

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by marne-c

[LHT28]

9 hours ago, FeelingCruisy said:

 In our case, we have port days and since we have an over night in Turkey on the ship at the end of the cruise plus we are staying 3 nights debarkation, I'm betting we will need one.  Canadians pay US$60!  Earlier poster was correct, price has gone up many folds!  

The fact you are staying  after the cruise & flying out of Turkiye   is the reason you will require a VISA

 

If the ship was just overnighting & then left with you  onboard  you would be fine without one

 

Inflation I guess  has hit Turkiye  as well 😉

 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, marne-c said:

None of the scores of pax in the tent attempting to get Turkey visas had heard anything from Oceania or their TA’s about the need for the visas, nor did they receive an offer from O to obtain them.

 

We could have — and happily would have — obtained the visas before arriving at the port, if we had be informed that we could not board without them

 

 

So are you saying  pax were required to get a VISA  for a port stop??

 

Maybe the clue  is that your cruise is a B2B /GV/Extended journey what ever you choose to call it 

where the 1st segment  ends in Turkiye    so even though you are staying on  they require  all to have  VISA

probably easier for the Officials  than trying to sort out those that ore continuing on

 

So I guess the lesson here is if you are on  a B2B & the turnaround  port is in Turkiye  get a VISA prior to the cruise

JMO

[marne-c]

A conversation today with the Executive Concierge confirmed that for our Athens-to-Lisbon itinerary no visa was required.  Oceania will refund our $50p/p visa fees either as OBC or credit to our credit card.  (My wife and I are hoping for the former — we’ll certainly spend it.)

 

The concierge also apologized for the painful start of our cruise, and expressed hope (as do we) that nothing else annoying or aggravating will happen henceforth.

 

 

—Marne 

Edited May 5, 2023 by marne-c