Job Discussion Forums

crashartist1 · Joined: 06 Jun 2004 Posts: 164

When arriving, I can get a VISA at the point of entry correct? A typical tourist VISA. Then how hard will that be to have it changed to a working VISA in a couple months time after a little vacation and CTEFL course completion?

Mike_2003 · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 344 Location: Bucharest, Romania

Very hard, I think.

You have to leave the country, go home, apply to the Turkish embassy in your own country with your work contract, wait a few months, pick up the work permit, and then come back. Not sure if there is any way to sort it out in the country.

The tourist visa, however, can be picked up at the point of entry. The price depends upon your nationality. It's a tenner for Brits, and, last time I heard, $100 for USAians.

Regards,
Mike

yaramaz · Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 4:31 am Post subject:

It's $20 again for the americans. I was just at the airport and saw a sign saying so. Must be new.

Am back in Canada-- reeling from the culture shock, I must say- even after only 7 hours...

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I guess you must be missing the Kebabs

yaramaz · Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 10:42 am Post subject:

I miss every thing, even the annoying traffic and half meter high sidewalks. Not missing kebabs yet (except a good yogurty beyti, perhaps), though would love a good mercimek corba with a good dousing of lemon right now (this coming from the mind of someone still freakishly awake at 3am). I guess I'll adjust to the slow normalcy of west coast canada in time to return to Istanbul in Sept. The beer is great here though. And last night we ordered in a great feast of Szechuan to re acquaint my tastebuds to unTurk flavours.

BTW, did anyone hear about the bomb that went off on the plane from Izmir at Ataturk Int'l on Tuesday? I didnt know about it till I got here, even thoughI was at the airport only a few hours later (my mother had been panicking) but apparently it blew off a airline-guy's hand-- it was in a bag left on a seat. Any other scares?

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

There were stories in the papers today about a 70kg bomb at the airport last Friday. It was connected to a mobile phone and 5 minutes after the police defused it the mobile rang. This would have detonated the bomb. A near miss. I'm not sure why the story has just come out today. Something to do with the Chief of police.(my elementary student wasn't to clear on this)

Volodiya · Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2004 9:49 am Post subject: visa

The Turkish Embassy site in the U.S. says you can apply by mail. Why not send everything (passport, application, money order, etc.) by DHL or other reliable service, to a reliable person in your home country for forwarding to the embassy. This would involve two round trips for your documents, but you could stay put (for example, in Turkey). Do you think this could work? I've applied for visas to other country's embassies by post without any problems, just never needed to with Turkey, so I don't have any first hand experience with it.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I know of a couple of people who applied by post. They got a doctor's note to say they were too ill to travel but they still had to go back to the UK to pick up the work permit in person

Theresa · Joined: 05 Jun 2003 Posts: 75

Now thats interesting! Do you know what nationality they were? Do you think it matters?

yaramaz · Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2004 3:39 pm Post subject:

I did mine entirely by post, but that's because the Turkish embassy is in Ottawa and that's a 7 day drive away. However I was in Canada still, and was told I had to be doing it all from Canada, not from Turkey. But then again, my flatmate did hers from Korea, where she was teaching at the time. Go figure.

Volodiya · Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 5:20 am Post subject: Visa

OK. It worked for one person, per Yaramaz' example.

It seems to me DMB's example isn't "relevant", because the applicant made it plain in his application for the visa that he was NOT in his home country (I'm referring to the doctor's note stating he could not travel back at that time: it seems to me this just set him up for the expected reply, "OK. You can pick it up when you're well enough to travel back").
__________________

I think I understand that you have to apply to the Turkish Embassy in your home country, but I can't imagine why it wouldn't work to apply by post if the Turkish Embassy in question allows applications by post. Of course, you'd be without your passport for some weeks, and there would be some risk, if small, that your passport would become lost in transit. (Keeping a photo copy of the pertinent pages would allow you to get a replacement abroad: at least it does for U.S. passport holders.)

If I wanted to apply this way, I'd send my passport and supporting documents to my mum by DHL (her address is my permanent address while working abroad); she would then forward everything to the Turkish Embassy, again by DHL, with a prepaid, return envelop included. When she got the passport back from the embassy, she would then forward it to me.

Any other thoughts on this, guys. (Sorry, midwestern U.S. expression- gender inclusive, I think).

yaramaz · Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 2:02 pm Post subject:

I just remembered something which might be relevant: when you send your passport to the embassy in your home country, they stamp it with a big work permit visa which is activated by you entering the country and getting it stamped. There may be, um, complications if you are already in the country on a tourist visa and you leave with an unstamped work visa then return again to get it stamped. They are pretty vigilant at the airport, coming in and out--- they ogled my perfectly fine ikamet and passport for about 5 minutes before letting me leave to go home.

Also, when you submit your work visa-stamped passport to the folks (in kayseri, it was the police) who issue ikamets (residence permits), they may wonder why you were in the country at the time your visa was issued in another country--- the stamps give it away.

yaramaz · Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 2:06 pm Post subject:

jholland, ifyou are planning to apply to get a visa from China, it might be possible. I was just thinking about it and perhaps they mean place of residence rather than home country. That would explain why my flatmate could do it from Korea, where she was teaching. If you have a residence visa in China, inquire to see if Turkey has an embassy and if they can process it. It's worth a shot.

gelin · Joined: 09 Mar 2003 Posts: 144 Location: Istanbul, Turkey

I see one drawback or problem that could result in doing it all by mail while you're in Turkey and have it sent to you by mom or whoever -- it's the entry stamp you should have received when entering the country -- and to where the Yabanci Sube (The Foreign Dept.) will look.

Volodiya · Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:32 pm Post subject: visa

Those last few comments seemed to me to be right on- about the embassy to which you should apply being the one where you are residing; and about the stamps in the passport, etc. Oh, well, maybe somebody else will come up with a better solution.

I looked at the visa application form used at the Turkish Embassy in Washington and in it you promise not to go to Turkey to work while your visa application is being processed.