I thought it might be useful to copy an article that appeared in the Daily mail today re the introductions of Online Visas for travel to Turkey. Given that Turkey is our most popular destination, many of our guests will now have to apply online whereas before you simply had to queue up on arrival at a visa desk and the official would simply put a Visa Stamp in your passport for the princely sum of £10.
The actual link is : https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ and it seems easy enough but if you’ve got any problems or worries then please call our friendly and helpful reservations team on 0800 987 0015 and we’ll talk you through the process.
Sun-seekers heading to Turkey this year could be caught out by a new visa system which requires holidaymakers to apply for a visa before travel.
The popular beach holiday destination has always issued Britons with a visa stamp in their passports on arrival for a £10 fee, but will change the process from April 10, so that visitors will have to apply online for an electronic visa before travel.
The e-visa will cost the same amount as before, £10, and will be emailed to travellers for them to print out at home after providing their name, date and place of birth, email address and passport details. They will then be required to present the document to immigration on arrival.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned holidaymakers about unauthorised websites which could try to charge an additional application fee for the visas.
Instead, it advises travellers to use the official Turkish government website (www.evisa.gov.tr) which will only charge the £10 flat fee for 90-day, multiple entry visa.
The Foreign Office warned: ‘Some unauthorised websites may charge for information about e-visas, and for submitting applications.
‘These websites are not endorsed by or associated with the Turkish government. Be wary of such sites and businesses, particularly those that seek additional fees for other services.’
The e-visa application is already available online, but there is widespread ignorance about the new system, among both travellers and travel agents.
The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has warned travel agents about the changes and says it will continue to advise them to ensure that holidaymakers are told ahead of their trips. Turkey is among the five most popular holiday destinations for Britons and a very important market for package holidays.
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.
‘Turkey is an extremely important destination for our members and we are concerned that consumers, particularly those who have not booked through ABTA members, may not be aware of the new requirement and may as a consequence be refused entry to Turkey.’
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 with the e-visa application until 10 April 2014.’
According to one immigration official: ‘The entire process takes less than 10 minutes and it will speed up the whole visa application and processing system.’
resource : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2535872/Turkey-visa-changes-Britons-warned-apply-visa-ahead-holiday.html