Booking for holidays in Turkey are up 137% year on year this summer, according to Thomas Cook, but experts warn there is a Turkey passport rule you may not know about. Most people know that you need three months of validity on your passport after the date you plan to come back from a holiday in Europe - but the rules for Turkey are stricter.
Turkey's Passport Requirements
Turkey requires passports to be valid for at least 150 days from the date of arrival. In addition, Turkey requires passports to have a completely blank visa page to allow room for entry and exit stamps or full-page visas. The rules are in place to make sure immigration officials have the space to properly document your movements and avoid complications at the border.
Airlines may also check this at the boarding gate, as they could face fines if a passenger is later refused entry. If you’re a frequent traveller, check how many blank pages you have remaining in your passport before booking a trip.
Frequent Traveller Passport Option
When renewing your passport on the UK Government website, there’s an option to pay extra for a slightly thicker one. It’s called a ‘frequent traveller passport,’ and it costs £116 for an online adult edition and £80.50 for a child edition.
If you travel to a country without enough time left on your passport, you may be denied entry by your airline before flying, or by border security once you arrive. If you’re denied access because your passport doesn’t meet those rules, travel insurance is unlikely to cover cancelled accommodation, missed flights or return travel expenses.
This is because the responsibility typically sits with the traveller to ensure their passport meets the entry requirements of the country they’re visiting. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) considers travel to Turkey safe, so cancellation fees apply, and you will also likely not get a refund if you cancel instead of renewing your passport.
Fast Track Passport Services
If you have realised your passport won't be valid for Turkey, the experts say use either the One-Week Fast Track Service or the UK One Day Premium Service, depending on how soon you need your passport.
The One-Week Fast Track Service
- You will need to attend an in-person appointment at your nearest Passport Customer Service Centre.
- The earliest you can do this is the next day after you apply.
- You’ll need to hand in your old passport at your appointment. Your new passport will be delivered to you by courier 1 week after your appointment.
- It costs £192 for an adult passport (or £206 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport)
- £156.50 for a child passport (or £170.50 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport)
The UK One Day Premium Service
- You will need to attend an in-person appointment at your nearest Passport Customer Service Centre.
- The earliest you can do this is 2 days after you apply.
- You’ll need to hand in your old passport at your appointment. Your new passport will be ready to collect from the passport office 4 hours after your appointment.
- It costs £239.50 for a standard 34-page adult passport. If you are a frequent traveller and need a 54-page passport, the cost is £253.50.
- However, you can only use this service to renew an adult passport that was issued after December 31, 2001.
- Once you know when your new passport will arrive, speak to your airline or holiday provider. Most airlines allow you to update your Advanced Passenger Information (API) online for free up until a few hours before the flight.
Worst-Case Scenario
If your flight is only a few days away and you cannot secure an Online Premium appointment, act now and consider your cancellation and amendment options. Standard travel insurance policies do not cover cancellations due to invalid travel documents or an expired passport.
Check if your provider allows you to move the holiday to a later date for a fee. If so, do it quickly, as this is often cheaper than losing the holiday entirely.
