Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Travel and Accommodation => Flights and Travel => Topic started by: baclava on August 06, 2012, 08:47:05 AM
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Browsing another forum yesterday I came across this interesting post, which muddys the waters a bit more regarding the new visa arrangements.
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I flew to Dalaman via Istanbul yesterday, for my third visit this year.
Having originally purchased a visa in April, and visited again in June (total 29 days) I assumed that my visa would be ok until September (180 days from issue).
Wrong....!!!!
Having queued up at passport control I was told my visa had expired. I argued the toss and pointed out the '90 days within 180' but because the visa had 90 days overstamped on it was told that was its total validity. I went to buy another visa (I have no problem with that) and this one had no overstamping on it. I went through passport control with no problem.
In my passport I have some visas with 90 days overstamped and some not - do the rules vary depending on who you get at passport control, I wonder?
unquote.
My visa stamp obtained in March this year was overstamped 'multiple entry visa valid for 90 days', so based on the above, when I return in September supposedly within my 180 day window, I may yet be buying a new visa.
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I am going out again on Sunday 12th August, ;D I bought a visa on the 3rd April this year, stayed for 14 days, returned again 15th June for 16 days. I have worked it out that with the new rules my visa will expire on the 28th September.
Going for 5 weeks this time so that will be a total of 63 days out of the 90, I understood that you could not buy a new visa until the old one had expired! ???
Sounds like nobody fully understands the new rules!!!! I will just go straight to passport control with the visa I already have got and see what happens! Just hope that all will be OK, this is going to be the first time I have flown on my own and I am already a bit apprehensive
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Is your visa over stamped with 90 days validity (in black)?
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just going to have a look
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Just had a look at the visa there is no black stamp on, it just two entry stamps and 2 departure stamps, this sounds like when you have spent your 90 days in Turkey they put a black stamp on the visa.
Still thought though that you could not buy a new visa until the 180 days had expired ???
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Good luck Begonvil, let us know how you get on please ?
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Will do onelove, fingers crossed all will be OK!
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A further update - discussed this with a friend today who entered at Dalaman in April and had a 90/180 visa put in his passport (no over stamp). He then entered again in July and forgot he had already purchased a visa in April so purchased another visa. He sailed through passport control with no one picking up that he already had a valid visa.
So it appears that the passport scan does not detect multiple visas.
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Further to my post on August 6th - we have decided to ignore our 90/180 visa with the overstamp of '90 Day validity' and just purchase a new visa and present that at Passport control. I will be looking for the friendliest face and hope he interprets this visa mess as we do. Maybe asking for a cake with a file in it if we are thrown in jail!
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Let us know how you get on baclava
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A further update - discussed this with a friend today who entered at Dalaman in April and had a 90/180 visa put in his passport (no over stamp). He then entered again in July and forgot he had already purchased a visa in April so purchased another visa. He sailed through passport control with no one picking up that he already had a valid visa.
So it appears that the passport scan does not detect multiple visas.
I think that you will find, Baclava, that there is no correlation between the automatic passport scan and the visa stamp which is manually overstamped. Otherwise the wait at passport control would be an awful lot longer while they input/checked the details.
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I'm getting increasingly confused....nothing new! We bought visas when we visited in June which are overstamped with the arrival and leaving date. We are going to Istanbul in October, do we go straight to passport control and show the visa.....goodness knows where they will stamp as the page is pretty full in my passport as the page had already been used on a previous year!
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It always amazes me that they seem to be able to find the correct visa so quickly when my passport is absolutely full of previous visas gathered over many years. My passport expires at the end of this year so has a very handsome collection of them ???
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They put my 90/180 visa in May below one from a previous year. I went over to Mais for a day in June so it has four in/out stamps already. Goodness knows how they will fit in our September in stamp, and a further two for another trip to Mais, on the same half a page.
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met someone the other day who also bought a new visa without realizing that the previous one was still valid. it was picked up at passport control. when they asked for a refund they were told it was not possible. they were then stamped in on the first visa and the second one was overstamped as invalid. best not to take a chance as they do seem to be on the ball
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Thanks for that iamb, I was just debating whether to chance buying a new visa before the existing one expired. We have just booked out spring 2013 flights to Dalaman and will need to leave by 3 May on the existing visa, I was thinking of buying a new visa on arrival and staying until 8 May but sounds as if that might not be a good idea, so guess we will have to leave by 3 May. Ptiy.
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Ianb was your friend's original visa going to cover the duration of their holiday or was he purchasing a new one to accommodate his stay?
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the original visa would have covered the duration of the holiday.
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Purchased a new visa on Friday on entering Dalaman and our first one hadn't expired. I needed a new one to accommodate the duration of our stay. The original was due to expire 4 days before our leaving date.
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Charlie - that last point was exactly the one I was trying to get my head around. I couldn't see any way they wouldn't let you have a new visa (even if your old one was still valid) if your stay was going to go beyond the 180 days. Now you seemed to have clarified that. Thanks
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I am getting more confused about this as time goes on!!
ianb mentioned someone buying a new visa without realising the previous one was still valid. Passport control overstamped the new visa as invalid and they entered on the original visa.
Charlie says he purchased a new visa on Friday even though the first one hadn't expired. He goes on to say that he had to purchase a new one as the original was due to expire 4 days before his leaving date??????
Doesn't this make a nonsense of the new 90/180 visa rules????
Isn't the whole point of the new rule that you can only stay for 90 days in a 180 days period?? If you can just buy a new visa because your stay will over run the 180 days what is the point of having this rule.
Just don't understand!!
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he probably had not spent 90 days in the 180. just holidays. so like before if your visa ran out during your stay you would have to buy a new one on arrival. it is confusing though ???
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As per information on KTLN which I have copied below it says it doesn't matter if you haven't used all of your 90 days. The point is the new rules are saying you must leave Turkey on or before day 180 and on day 181 and not before you can purchase another visa.
What happens on day 180?
The new law says that when your visa expires, you must leave Turkey, irrespective of how many of your 90 days have been used.
What happens if my holiday in Turkey straddles day 180?
This is the big question. There is much speculation, and little clarity on this question. We will know for sure on, or shortly after 29th July - 180 days after the first new style visas were first issued.
If Schengen principles apply, (as mentioned above), then irrespective of how many of your 90 days you have used up, you must leave Turkey on the 180th day. On day 181, and not before, you can return to Turkey and apply for another visa.
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Yes, I think there are two points here Ianb. One is the law and the second which is what is muddying the waters is how it is interpreted by Immigration officers, in this instance in Dalaman.
I think the intention of the law is quite clear and follows the Schengen principles as Lynda quotes from KTLN. The visa exists for a period of 180 days, notwithstanding whether you have actually been in the country for 1 or 90 days. That is the period of the visa. Strictly you should not be able to buy another visa until the existing one has expired. To do so you need to leave the country and re enter (just like the previous visa). Otherwise there is no point in having the 180 day period, as it becomes a rolling period if you can just renew when you like.
What we are all waiting to see is what will happen on exiting the country after any periods less than 90 days, but going over the 180 day period from issue, when a new visa is either not purchased, or cancelled because the old one was still within that 180 days at the time of entry.
Of course what will happen in practice as demonstrated in this post, when trying to buy a new one while the old is still within 180 days is that some immigration officers will turn a blind eye to visa renewal and others will cancel the new visa. But what happens when exiting?
KTLN has indicated that Dalaman immigration officers will not penalise anyone, leaving shortly after the 180 day period. We shall see. As we will be in this exact situation next month I will let you know.
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"What happens if my holiday in Turkey straddles day 180?
This is the big question. There is much speculation, and little clarity on this question. We will know for sure on, or shortly after 29th July - 180 days after the first new style visas were first issued."
Now I'm confused. I got my visa on July 3rd and understood it was the new 180 day one. Going back tomorrow so just checked passport and definitely says 180 days on the visa ??? ??? ???
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itstime, to clarify the 29th July was 180 days after the 1st 180 day visas were issued (1st Feb 2012) so the 1st visas issued would start to expire after the 29th July.
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Thanks hobbo :)
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Further to my post on Sept 7th (90/180 day visa overstamped with 90 day validity) I decided to purchase a new visa and see what happened. Nothing happened!
I sailed through with no discussion about the previous visa, so the 90 day overstamp effectively kills off the 180 day visa.
I was so looking forward to my overnight stay in Meis!
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Hi
I thought I would update people on my visa experience in September. I arrived at Dalaman with only 7 days left on my 180 day visa (for 14 day holiday) and I just took a chance and bought a new visa and this was stamped as usual.
On departing Dalaman I handed my passport over with the page open on my newest stamped visa. The Officer scanned my passport and then stamped my exit on the oldest visa (which was out of date). I pointed out that he had stamped the wrong visa, and he said dont worry as if you are coming to Turkey next year you can use the new visa.
I decided not to argue and just thanked the Officer and went on my way...