Visa required for Kusadasi?

[LadyStone50]

Will passengers be required to have a visa in Kusadasi if they are planning on visiting the ruins at Ephesus? I read recently that visas are needed if you leave the port city.

[Ilovesailing]

Will passengers be required to have a visa in Kusadasi if they are planning on visiting the ruins at Ephesus? I read recently that visas are needed if you leave the port city.

 

 

We did this cruise in May of last year no visa's are required for any ports in Turkey providing you are leaving same day

[LadyStone50]

I found this on the US govt. travel website: (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1046.html)

 

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS: You need a passport and visa to travel to Turkey. Passports should be valid for at least 90 days from the date of entry into Turkey and must have enough blank space to allow for Turkish entry and exit stamps. If there is not enough space for entry and exit stamps in your passport, you will be denied entry into Turkey. If you are traveling as a tourist, you can purchase a tourist visa at a Turkish Embassy or Consulate outside of Turkey, or you can purchase a sticker visa at the Turkish airport or other port of entry for $20 (U.S.) cash. There is one exception: foreigners who are traveling to Turkey by cruise ship are allowed to enter Turkey without a visa for a maximum period of 72 hours, with permission given by the local security authorities at the port of entry. For additional information, please visit the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Frequently Asked Questions website.

 

Thank you though for your input!

[Ilovesailing]

I KNOW IT'S CONFUSING BUT YOU HAVE A LINE IN WHAT YOU POSTED THAT SAYS

 

There is one exception: foreigners who are traveling to Turkey by cruise ship are allowed to enter Turkey without a visa for a maximum period of 72 hours. Which is what I was saying.

Sorry for the caps.

[1stcarnivalcruise]

I KNOW IT'S CONFUSING BUT YOU HAVE A LINE IN WHAT YOU POSTED THAT SAYS

 

There is one exception: foreigners who are traveling to Turkey by cruise ship are allowed to enter Turkey without a visa for a maximum period of 72 hours. Which is what I was saying.

Sorry for the caps.

 

Just to add, my Canadian travel agent sent me this news release yesterday (see below). I have asked her to clarify what is meant by the "port city of Turkey".

 

LadyStone50 and I are on the same cruise, it is not until July, 2015 so we have time to see what happens after April 11, 2014

 

 

 

All visitors to Turkey from April 11, 2014 will be required to purchase their entry visa via the Turkish Government website www.evisa.gov.tr prior to travel.

 

An ABTA spokeswoman said: "We have already informed our Members about the need for consumers travelling to Turkey to apply online for a visa for travel after 10/4/14 and we will be reminding them again this week.

 

The Turkish Consulate said: "The application of Stamp Visa and Banderole visa for entering the Republic of Turkey at the border gates will continue together (simultaneously) with the e-visa application until 10th April 2014."

 

Currently, the cost of the e-visa is $20 US.

This information is from the indicated website:

You don’t need e-Visa, if you will not leave the ship.

You don’t need e-visa, if you only tour in the respective port city of Turkey (You will be given a permission by local border police authorities to enter Turkey).

You need e-Visa, if you want to tour beyond the respective port city of Turkey.

[LadyStone50]

ILOVESAILING -

 

I know what you were saying, and the research I found supported it. That's what I meant when I said I should have done my research before I asked the question in the first place.

 

grin - we are both on the same page here.

 

1stcarnival - according to the US site, we will be OK - cruise travelers are exempt from the visa as long as they do not stay in Turkey more than 72 hours. The way I read the US travel site, it looks like there will be someone at the port of entry in Turkey when we disembark that will give us some sort of paper that allows us to travel within the country of Turkey for 72 hours.

Edited January 11, 2014 by LadyStone50

[Froggitt]

Not even piece of paper given (Jade two years ago). No passports looked at either on debarking or getting back on. I suspect the cruiseline electronically transfer all the passport details to "Turkey" to allow the free movement of peeps.

 

Was same in Casablanca last month (Africa).

[LadyStone50]

Froggit and ILOVESAILING -

 

Did you feel safe touring there? My DH and I really want to see Ephesus.

[em-sk]

Not even piece of paper given (Jade two years ago). No passports looked at either on debarking or getting back on. I suspect the cruiseline electronically transfer all the passport details to "Turkey" to allow the free movement of peeps.

 

Was same in Casablanca last month (Africa).

 

I did the Jade to Turkey about a year ago. in one city they handed you a landing card (that needed to be returned when boarding the ship) as you go off and in the other city they simply scanned your key card in and out.

 

The feedback from some of the crew was it depends. If they remember to bring landing cards that they will hand them out and collect them, if they dont they will not. Sometimes they hand them out and do not collect them.

 

I also do not see how they will be able to limit your travel to the boundaries of the port city.

[Ilovesailing]

Froggit and ILOVESAILING -

 

Did you feel safe touring there? My DH and I really want to see Ephesus.

 

Very very safe! Far too many tourists and security staff keeping an eye on the ruins so that people don't walk ll over them etc.

As for the visa here is what is post on NCL website re Visa's

 

TURKEY - Turkish visas are not required for voyages where the Turkish port falls in the middle of the voyage (the requirement is only for guests embarking/debarking in a Turkish port).

To find the info on NCL website put "Turkey Visa requiremnets" into the search engine and then click on first article then scroll down

the page.

 

Ephesus is NOT too be missed, it's hard to believe when you see it that Elton John held a concert there in 2001 to 20,000 people.

Wear comfortable low to flat shoes as the tour is slow going because theres is so much to see but the tour guides are very good at moving their clients through.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Ilovesailing

[Dave85]

Froggit and ILOVESAILING -

 

Did you feel safe touring there? My DH and I really want to see Ephesus.

 

We were just there in October and felt perfectly safe. We were on a private tour arranged with 3 other Cruise Critic couples that went to Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary, and a couple of other quick stops. It was fabulous. As others have said, Ephesus is truly breathtaking and not to be missed...

 

...and I don't even generally like ruins!

[Froggitt]

Froggit and ILOVESAILING -

 

Did you feel safe touring there? My DH and I really want to see Ephesus.

 

Yup. Complete contrast to Casablanca, where they wouldn't leave tourists alone.

 

Just avoid the carpet shops, unless youre in the market for carpet!!!

[em-sk]

Yup. Complete contrast to Casablanca, where they wouldn't leave tourists alone.

 

Just avoid the carpet shops, unless youre in the market for carpet!!!

 

I also found Turkey to be quite safe. In Ephasis several of us did an independent tour organized on cruise critic. I get the impression all tours involve a stop at a carpet factory for lunch, a display of the factory and then a mandatory lecture by the staff on the quality of their carpets complete with pricing and shipping information; and the opportunity to purchase. We were in a private tour and found it a nuisance and most of us slipped out for fresh air until that part of the tour was over with. Some of the people who were on the NCL excursion (ended up at the same factory) and were more upset having payed a premium for a tour that involved such a stop.

 

Ephesus is incredible and I was impressed. You should feel safe as it is a government controlled tourist site with admission gates controlling access. The guides that take you inside the site must be licensed by the government and display ID. It is a bus ride to from the ship, with some other potential stops at other sites on the way.

 

At the time I felt safe in Istanbul, we simply used public transit, no organized tour. The tram that stops in front of the terminal continues on to most points of interest. That was a year ago, not certain if today I would say the same thing about Istanbul. The situation is very fluid.

Edited January 14, 2014 by em-sk

[Bocadude85]

We love Turkey, it is one of our favorite countries to visit. The people there are so friendly and not once did we feel unsafe.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Bocadude85

[Tiggertastic]

If on a cruise ship you do not need a separate visa

 

Turkey is one of the safest places we have visited many times, they are very reliant on the tourist visitors and take care of them

 

My teenage son went for 2 weeks last summer with his girlfriend and I was glad he went there rather than some of the spanish resorts