Americans With Visas Are Still Able to Enter Turkey
Update 12/28/2017: The Turkey-US visa spat has been resolved and now Americans are able to easily apply for Turkish e-visas once again.
Update 10/10/17: TPG reader Richard S. was able to speak with the Turkey Consular Hotline by calling +90 312 292 2929. I called this number using my Google Voice account, and the call cost 4 cents per minute. A friendly agent picked up right away and was happy to address my questions, including:
1. Can US citizens enter Turkey with previously issued visas? (Yes)
2. Can a US citizen apply for a visa using a passport issued by another country? (Yes)
3. When will the visa ban be lifted? (Unknown, as expected)
We're now just over 24 hours into the Turkish visa ban, and, considering Turkish Airlines and government officials have been similarly hard to reach, there are currently more questions than answers.
Fortunately, there are also a number of first-hand reports, including one from The Points Guy's own Nicholas du Pont, who was able to enter Turkey as a US citizen after the visa brouhaha erupted on Monday. Nicholas has an e-Visa that was issued before the ban, and the immigration officer didn't bat an eye when he walked up to the counter:
They barely looked at the visa when I checked-in, and then when I landed here and handed it to the immigration agent, he handed it right back, stamped my passport, and that was it. No questions, no hassle.
Meanwhile, TPG reader Richard S. was able to get a hold of the Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and since he already has an e-Visa, a representative there told him that he shouldn't have any issue when he visits next month.
So if you already have a valid visa, electronic or otherwise, you shouldn't have any issue getting into Turkey. I'm hoping to visit the country in a few weeks — had I applied for an e-Visa as soon as I booked the trip, I wouldn't have anything to worry about. Instead, I'm looking at alternative flights, and considering connecting in a different country altogether.
Have you entered Turkey this week as a US citizen?
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