Visiting Turkey? Make Sure to Print out Your E-Visa
Here is a little piece of (ironic) advice to keep in mind while you plan your summer travels: if you're visiting Turkey, print your e-visa.
The Turkey e-visa system is supposed to allow visitors into the country via "soft" copies, or visas purchased and presented on smartphones or computers. However, recently, that hasn't quite been the case.
The Telegraph has reported a series of stories in which passengers were turned away at their departure gates in the UK, as they did not have a hard copy of their visa on them. One of these incidents involved more than 30 passengers at a UK airport blocked from boarding an easyJet flight to Bodrum after being told that that they needed to print out their documents.
"Technical problems" might just be the root cause of all the visa confusion. The official website for Turkish e-visa applications advises visitors "to keep your e-visa with you either as a soft copy (tablet PC, smartphone, etc) or as a hard copy in case of any failure on their system."
US travelers, who are not eligible for visas upon arrival in Turkey and need to secure e-visas before departure to enter the country, should also heed this advice.
The validity period of a Turkish e-visa begins from the date specified in your application to the next 180 days. Within that period, you can enter at any date for up to 90 days. If you plan on getting an e-visa online, the application costs $20 and should be purchased from the official site at least a week to 48 hours prior to traveling. And don't forget to print.
Visas on arrival, currently available to travelers from select countries, could soon be phased out all together. In fact, in 2018, Turkey announced a plan to remove e-visa kiosks from all airports in the country in the near future.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.