Job Discussion Forums

[almuze]

My backpacker friend didn't do a visa run when he should've, and now needs to get home quickly for a family emergency. Any ideas about what happens at the airport when you show up with a ticket and an expired (by about 3 mths) tourist visa?

[31]

[corall]

my friend is going through the same thing. we have just phoned the airport and they said that between 3 and 6 months it was only about 400milyon. but it changes everyday. that was the quote we got from them yesterday. supposedly it had changed to 20 mil a day but i guess not. they are coll about it though at the airport - just pay the fine and go

[crashartist1]

The fine, as it reads in the official paper work, and I know this or certain, is that you have to pay 33YTL/33,000,000 TL for every day you over stay your VISA. If you cannot pay you are arrested, your passport is confiscated and you will remain in police custody until you pay the fine. That is how it is supposed to be, but all of us who have lived in Turkey we know that anything that is written is not always worth the paper it is written on.

[corall]

it also depends on where you are from if you're following that rule - it's only 20mil a day if you are from the eu or canada or a place like that - where as other places its 33mil. but as i said we talked to the airport police and such just on saturday and that was what they said so who knows really.

[yaramaz]

Two friends who overstayed their visas (by 10 days and by a few months) were both banned from turkey (18 months and 5 years respectively) so keep that in mind when overstaying. You might not be able to get back in.

[31]

[teacherdude]

[teacherdude]

Yaramaz,

I'm curious where were these two friends from?

A coloured S. African....I say coloured becz he's of varied mixed descent....overstayed by about a year...went to the Yabanci police and paid about 1000 US Dollars.

TD

[31]

[yaramaz]

teacherdude,

Both were South African, now that I think about it, but about a year apart (2003, 2004) when they overstayed. One was white, overstayed 10 days, and paid a piddly amount (was quoted a higher amount but couldnt afford it, bargained it down..) and was banned 18 months. The other was coloured/mixed/whatever and overstayed a lot longer (not sure of details- ask ghost- it's his close personal friend Springbok) and was banned 5 years, I think.

[corall]

i have heard that they might be a little more suspicious of africans at the border who have gone over their time actually... i think a lot of it depends on who is at the border at that time and the day they are having...

ps. love the new avatar yaz

[calsimsek]

Rule one if you over stay and can talk fast have a Turkish friend with you; then the Border; is worth it. You go around midnight, at that time only a local commander and not an officer will be on duty. You can beg and cry and offer a few well placed coins (if you know how) and get away with less of a fine, perhapes no ban and some times let you go and back in again in no time.

If you don't have any of the above then take your chances at the air port where every thing is by the book. For some that means less than it does for others.

One last tip the freey port at Marmmaris is flat out during summer from the greek Islands to Turkey. It's not well manned and sometimes they don't really check your papers.

[31]

Give us work permits

[molly farquharson]

the airport isn't always by the book. It helps to have friends...