The ABTA Destination Services team have been advised by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the passport validity requirements for foreigners entering Turkey will be changing as of 01 January 2015.
All visitors travelling to Turkey from 01 January 2015 will be required to have 60 days validity on their passport from the expiry date of the visa. Please find attached the statement by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for your reference.
For all travellers entering turkey until 31 December 2014, their passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Turkey and have at least 3 months validity from the date they are leaving Turkey.
The FCO travel advice for Turkey has been updated today in relation to this change, and there is an amendment to the Entry requirements section – planned changes to passport validity requirements due to come into effect on 1 January 2015.
Please find an extract of the advice below.
Entry Requirements
Passport Validity
Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Turkey and have at least 3 months validity from the date you are leaving Turkey.
The Turkish Government has advised that from 1 January 2015, foreigners entering Turkey must carry a passport with at least 60 days validity beyond the expiry date of their visa or residence permit.
The Turkish authorities have confirmed they will accept British passports extended by 12 months by British Embassies and Consulates under additional measures put in place in mid-2014.
The overall level of the advice has not changed. The FCO advise against all travel to parts of the country and advise against all but essential travel to other parts of the country.
To view the travel advice for Turkey, please see: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey