The calculation of visa and customs days in Turkey is one of the most confusing topics I’ve come across so far.
These Infos are based on my personal experiences with my German passport and my in Germany registered car and what I’ve heard directly from other travelers in December 2022 up to May 2023.
I guess what makes it so confusing is this sentence from the official Turkish website about visas on Turkey: “The length of stay provided by visa or visa exemption cannot exceed 90 days within each 180 days.” (source).
From my experience this is absolutely right BUT the complexity begins when you want to stay more days after the 180 days of your initial stay have passed.
Travelers think they can calculate like the following example: You enter Turkey and the 180 days period starts. Within these 180 days you can leave and re-enter Turkey without problems. Every day you spend inside counts towards the 90 days you are allowed to stay within the 180 days timespan. So far, so good.
But now the complexity starts: One may think that when the 180 days are over another 180 days period will start and you get another 90 days in this period but that’s not the case. The Turkish border controls calculate your visa and customs days like this:
When you re-enter Turkey after your first 180 days timespan, the officials take the amount of days that you had left from your initial 90 days and add up the amount of days that have passed since your initial 180 timespan had ended. The result is the amount of days you are allowed to stay in the next 180 days timespan that starts with you entering Turkey.
One example:
You enter Turkey and use 80 days of the 90 days you are allowed in the timespan of 180 days.
You leave Turkey after these 80 days and enter the northern part of Cyprus or another country because you think it’s a nice way to get more visa days in Turkey.
After your initial 180 days timespan for Turkey has passed for 20 days you re-enter Turkey. So it’s been 200 days since you first had entered Turkey.
The amount of days you are allowed to stay in Turkey within the upcoming 180 days is: 10 days (you had left from your initial 180 days timespan) + 20 days (which you started “gathering” after your first 180 days timespan had ended).
And this “gathering of days” nobody would expect. But from my own experience and what I’ve heard from others, it’s what the officials at the border are doing.
The penalties for staying longer than allowed seem to vary a lot: One friend paid around 400€ for overdoing ten days. Another paid 30€ for overdoing 30 days.
Upon my arrival at Tasucu, my first priority was to purchase a ferry ticket from there to Girne, located in the northern part of Cyprus. To ensure that I would arrive at the correct port location, I kindly asked the friendly lady at the ferry office to mark the appropriate spot on my Google Maps. After spending some time at a lovely natural spot next to the town, nestled amidst sand dunes and the Mediterranean, I made my way to the designated location.
The friendly guards at that location informed me that it was not the correct spot for the ferry and directed me to another location, which they marked on my Google Maps. Upon my arrival at the new spot, I found it very packed with people and cars. It appeared to me that many people were unaware of the proper procedures to board the ferry, resulting in chaotic traffic and cars parked haphazardly. I parked Rosinante and approached the port’s gate to confirm the correct location and get to know what I was supposed to do. Once I verified that I was indeed in the right place, Rosinante and I navigated through the crowded area and entered the port.
As I entered the port area, I noticed several other camping cars parked nearby and decided to park next to them to confirm that I was in the correct location and to talk with them about their travels. After an hour had passed, the ferry finally arrived. However, the unloading of cars did not begin as expected. There was an occasional rumbling sound emanating from the vessel but nothing else happened. More and more workers gathered around the large, still-closed hatch at the front of the ship.
While conversing with the other travelers and observing the workers’ actions, a couple arrived in their large off-road truck and informed us that they still needed to visit the customs office to obtain stamps for their passports and vehicle. This turned out to be fortuitous for me as I had completely forgotten about the passport control and customs process. I shuddered to think what might have happened if I had boarded the ferry without the necessary stamps for myself and Rosinante. I likely would not have been permitted to enter the northern part of Cyprus and would have been forced to return to Turkey to obtain the stamps before taking another ferry to Cyprus. Fortunately, everything went smoothly and I was able to obtain the required stamps at the Turkish harbor.
After waiting for several hours, the large hatch finally opened and the unloading process began. As I boarded the ferry with Rosinante, I pondered the reason for the lengthy loading time. It wasn’t until I had settled in that I realized that all the cars and trucks had to drive onto a massive elevator that transported them to another deck of the ship. It was quite exhilarating to ride the elevator and watch as the larger vehicles “rose from the ground” to the upper deck of the ferry.
It was already 4:30 AM, so I decided to turn in for the night in Rosinante. The next morning, I explored the ship and spoke with the other travelers I had encountered earlier. For some reason, I still felt a sense of disconnection. I wondered why this was the case. Before leaving Germany, I had imagined that I would easily connect with guys like them. Those who embarked on long journeys to distant locations in their off-road vehicles. However, conversing with them felt rather distant and uninviting, a far cry from the warmth and kindness I had experienced with the lovely people I had met along the way. While I didn’t feel upset, it made me curious and pondered what influences human connections. I thought about what I was projecting on them that might prevent me from being open towards them.
Edit 03.03.2023: It’s amazing how things come together. Just a few hours after publishing this post, I ran into the guys from the ferry for the first time since we were on it. This time, meeting them felt entirely different to me. Much warmer and more connecting. It’s crazy how my perception of myself and others can be highly varying/ being delusional. And experiencing this over and over again strengthens my belief that trying to feel the true nature of things is always a healthy thing to do. By that I mean trying to perceive things and beings as they are in that moment I am encountering them with less delusions generated by my small mind.
At about 10:30, we arrived at Girne in the northern part of Cyprus, and I embarked on my first real border crossing. Firstly, I went to the passport control, where I informed the officer that I intended to visit the southern part of Cyprus as well. In turn, I received a visa for 30 days, and instead of a stamp in my passport, I received a separate small piece of paper with the stamp on it. Then, I acquired car insurance for six months because it was only 5€ more than the one for three months, and I thought it would be more convenient to avoid having to renew the insurance at any time. With the insurance, I was permitted to obtain customs papers for Rosinante, which were valid for 30 days. Having all the required documents, I joined the next waiting line of people to have Rosinante’s documents checked. Afterward, I was permitted to have Rosinante inspected, and once I had cleared that process, I was good to go!
Edit 03.03.2023: The other travelers from the ferry told me that just after Rosinante and I left the internet of the whole port broke down and that they had to wait for five hours to leave the port. And the lorry drivers had to stay for the night because the port closed at some point.
Finally, I was on Cyprus, driving Rosinante on the left lane of the road and ready to explore.
After encountering the fire cats, I traveled to Antalya where I was able to provide Rosiante with some much-needed maintenance. She received fresh oil for her engine, a new oil filter, lubrication for her prop shaft, and a new air filter. These improvements greatly benefited Rosiante, but it was swapping the air conditioning filter that had the most noticeable effect for me. Previously, I had been perplexed as to why I couldn’t get the driver’s cabin to smell fresh. However, after replacing the air conditioning filter, the improvement was remarkable – the cabin now smells like a dream.
I discovered a magnificent beach east of Antalya, where I stayed for a few days. During my stay, I had the pleasure of meeting a very friendly shepherd and his flock of sheep. After that beach, I continued my journey by heading north towards the Köprülü Kanyon Milli Parkı, a truly magical place. It instantly reminded me of the magical mountains of Bulgaria. I embarked on a fantastic hike with a little bit of climbing, and was completely captivated by the unique rock formations. They looked as though they belonged to a different planet, a magical realm inhabited by fairy-like creatures who exist in another dimension, invisible to human eyes…
After completing my 25 km hike/ trail run, I found myself feeling both tired and hungry. I began searching for a suitable place to rest for the night, relax. I drove around, stopped at three different places, and while they were pleasant, they just didn’t feel quite right. So, I decided to keep searching. I examined the satellite images on Google Maps and stumbled upon a spot that looked absolutely incredible. In fact, I was so impressed by it that I thought to myself, “If I had to choose a place to build a house in this area, I would choose there.”
After crossing a small river and navigating through some muddy, tight, and rocky paths, I finally arrived at the spot I had discovered on Google Maps. It was even more stunning in person, but to my disappointment, it turned out to be a dead end, with a fenced private property blocking my way. Just as I was about to turn around, I heard a man calling out to me. We met and talked, and I felt an immediate connection with him.
He had been on Rainbow gatherings and since I learned about these gatherings I was feeling that these gatherings could be something special, something that deeply resonates with me. Although I didn’t make it to the big gathering in Turkey in October, I’m still looking forward to be part of one.
The nice guy in the magical stone land had already started building a special place on his property, with plans to create a camping site next to the gorgeous river, some small natural huts, and establish the surrounding woods as a food forest. He had plenty more ideas and I couldn’t help but feel excited about the idea of participating in something like this myself someday. If you want to learn more or contact him directly, be sure to visit his website. And there is a drone video on Youtube were you can get an impression of that beautiful spot.
He then introduced me to his friend, Seher, who was absolutely lovely and stunning. After my tiring hike, I was quite famished, and they graciously invited me to dinner. Their warmth and kindness revitalized me, and we spent a delightful evening together. If I hadn’t needed to leave Turkey, I would have happily stayed longer. However, the next day I needed to make my way to the port to catch the ferry to Cyprus. Seher wanted to visit her family, so she accompanied me and Rosinante until we reached the bus station in the nearest large city.
