masterofgames

I have just been told that the rules for the Turkish visa have changed. Normaly you can get a 90 day tourist visa at the port of entry for £10. When it runs out you have to leave the country and come back in to get a new one. Aparently the new rules state that you can still get the 90 day visa at the port of entry but when it runs out you have to leave the country for 90 days before you can come back and get a new one.
Does anyone have more information about this?

Casa Santo Estevo

Hi and welcome to the expats forum.
Whilst this is forum is mainly for British expats living and working aboard sometimes folks form other countries popup and ask travel questions, like yours.
I do not know which country you are from but here is one example I have found on the web, which seems to say you can still purchase 90-day visas at the port of entry.
I hope you find this information of use.

Gemmler

The reason for the changes are to make people who live in Turkey long term apply for residency status, this means they will have to take a 1-5 year residency permit at a high cost to themselves. I live in Turkey and have done so for last four years, at my last renewal 2 years ago for my wife and I it was £2000 each for 5 years. This change is likely to have a heavy impact on expats who renew their visa's on a 3 month basis. I would expect that there is likely to be a lot of expats heading back to the UK.

sammyh

sorry if this is a dumb question, so you can enter Turkey for 90 days with a £10 visa but you are not permitted to work & now you have to leave the country for 90 days before returning again? is that correct?
I go over for a week every 3 months to see my boyfriend so this will still be ok? also I want to move there next year, is it easy to get a working visa? I have no idea where to start? do i need to apply to the Turkish embassy in London?

Gemmler

You will not be able to get a work permit, you can apply and they will take your money, but your chances of getting a work permit are less than zero.I know of no one who has applied and have got one, also if you are caught working without a permit the penalties are severe, you will be deported and not allowed back into the country.

sammyh

Oh really? so what do I do if I want to move there next year? pay for a residency visa? please excuse my incompetence, I have only just started looking into this & don't have a clue, hense why i'm on this forum

Gemmler

you can come here and live, but you will have to take out a minimum 1 year residency visa,at a cost of approx £480 + translator fees, or at the moment you can leave the country for a day and go to Greece and get a new 3 month visa, but this is due to change at sometime and no one knows when.

sammyh

so the new 90 day rule hasn't taken effect yet but you think it will soon? are there any advantages to having residency as oppossed to just having a 90 day tourist visa?

Gemmler

The only advantage to having residency is that you do not have to go out of the country every 3 Months. As for when the rules are likely to change that is anyone's guess, this is Turkey they could change it tomorrow.

sammyh

I understand the rules of citizenship is that you have to have lived in Turkey for 5 years or married living in Turkey for 3 years, so would you have had to have applied for residency for 3 or 5 years? the £10 tourist visa wouldn't suffice as evidence of 'living' in Turkey

Gemmler

that is correct

sammyh

Thank you