Turkish passport

Updated on Nov 22, 2023

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Issued by Turkey Purpose Identification		Type of document Passport Eligibility requirements Turkish citizenship

Date first issued 1 June 2010 (biometric passport)

Turkish Passports are issued in accordance with the Passport Act (No. 5682) from 15 July 1950 to Turkish citizens to travel abroad. Citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) are also eligible to apply for a Turkish Passport if they wish to, as well as the TRNC passport or the Republic of Cyprus EU passport.

Turkish passport Turkish Passport stock photos FreeImagescom

Passports are issued by the Turkish Police (or by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Nicosia for Turkish Cypriots) and applications are filed at police stations which have a passport office. Passports issued since 1 June 2010 are biometric and valid for up to 10 years (5 years for special passports).

Turkish passport httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Ranked in the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index, a Turkish Passport placed 51st in 2016.

Types

Turkish passport FileTurkish Passportjpg Wikimedia Commons

Ordinary passport (Turkish: Umuma mahsus pasaport), after 2010 also referred to as Maroon Passport (Turkish: Bordo pasaport). It is issued to Turkish citizens who don't qualify for any of the following passport types.

Special passport (Turkish: Hususi pasaport), also referred to as the Green Passport (Turkish: Yeşil pasaport) allows the bearer to travel visa-free to some countries. As opposed to the regular passport, it is exempt from the passport fee and is only subject to the booklet fee (TRY87.5 [c. USD30] as of 2015). It is issued to;

Former members of the National Assembly

First, Second or Third grade public servants.

Retired First, Second or Third grade public servants.

Mayors

The spouse of special passport holders

Unwed and unemployed children of special passport holders who live with their parents until they turn 25.

Service passport (Turkish: Hizmet pasaportu), also referred to as the Grey Passport (Turkish: Gri pasaport). It is issued to;

People who do not qualify for the Special or diplomatic passports, however, are assigned to travel abroad for official and/or government related purposes.

National athletes

Turkish citizens working for International organizations of which Turkey is a member

Employees of the Red Crescent

Employees of the Turkish Aeronautical Association

Spouse of the service passport holders

Unwed and unemployed children of the service passport holders who live with parents, until they turn 25.

Diplomatic passport (Turkish: Diplomatik pasaport), after 2010 also referred to as Black Passport (Turkish: Siyah pasaport). It is issued to;

Members of the National Assembly, and the non-PM ministers

Head judges of the judicial organs, and their deputies

Diplomats

Negotiators that are to deal with international issues

Spouse of the diplomatic passport holders. However, this passport can only be used when accompanying the primary passport holder.

Unwed and unemployed daughters, and sons younger than 18 years of age of the diplomatic passport holders who live with parents. However, this passport can only be used when accompanying the primary passport holder.

Biometric passports

Turkish Biometric passports (Turkish: Biyometrik pasaport), compatible with the new ICAO standards, have been available since 1 June 2010. Applications for the new passports can be submitted online through the government's website [2]. Passports are then sent via mail.

The biometric passports have different colour covers; regular passports in maroon and diplomatic passports in black, in compliance with ICAO standards.

Fees

A Turkish passport has been one of the most expensive passports in the world for many years. As a result of increasing public demands, the cost of ordinary passports was almost halved in June 2010. Despite the massive reduction, the Turkish passport remains the most expensive passport in the world. The passport law was then amended to increase the maximum validity of a passport from 5 to 10 years. It currently costs TRY667.10 (c. USD180) for a 10-year passport, including the compulsory booklet fee. In addition to the expensive passport prices, the Turkish state charges TRY15 (c. USD4) from Turkish passport holders (excluding ship and aircraft crew, those who live abroad and those with dual citizenship) every single time they leave Turkey.

Visa requirements for Turkish citizens

Holders of an ordinary Turkish passport may travel without a visa, or with a visa received upon arrival, to 104 countries, as of 2014 according to the Visa Restrictions Index.

Historic passports

Listed chronologically:

References

Turkish passport Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA