Holidays in Turkey are increasingly popular but experts warn there is a Turkey passport rule you may not know about. Thomas Cook says bookings are up 37% year on year this summer for the country. Turkey has strict passport rules that often catch people out. Most people know that you need three months of validity on your passport after the date you plan to come back from a holiday in Europe but Turkey has different rules.
Turkey requires passports to be valid for at least 150 days from the date of arrival. In addition, Turkey requires passports to have a completely blank visa page to allow room for entry and exit stamps or full-page visas. The rules are in place to make sure immigration officials have the space to properly document your movements and avoid complications at the border.
Airlines may also check this at the boarding gate, as they could face fines if a passenger is later refused entry.
If you’re a frequent traveller, check how many blank pages you have remaining in your passport before booking a trip.
When renewing your passport on the UK Government website, there’s an option to pay extra for a slightly thicker one.
It’s called a ‘frequent traveller passport,’ and it costs £116 for an online adult edition and £80.50 for a child edition.
If you travel to a country without enough time left on your passport, you may be denied entry by your airline before flying, or by border security once you arrive.
If you’re denied access because your passport doesn’t meet those rules, travel insurance is unlikely to cover cancelled accommodation, missed flights or return travel expenses, reports Wales Online.
This is because the responsibility typically sits with the traveller to ensure their passport meets the entry requirements of the country they’re visiting.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) considers travel to Turkey safe, so cancellation fees apply, and you will also likely not get a refund if you cancel instead of renewing your passport.
If you have realised your passport won’t be valid for Turley, the experts say use either the One-Week Fast Track Service or the UK One Day Premium Service, depending on how soon you need your passport.
You will need to attend an in-person appointment at your nearest Passport Customer Service Centre.
The earliest you can do this is the next day after you apply.
You’ll need to hand in your old passport at your appointment. Your new passport will be delivered to you by courier 1 week after your appointment.
It costs £192 for an adult passport (or £206 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport).
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
