Turkey visa query
MrChips
Forumite 969 Posts
Hi - I have a slightly technical visa query. Not sure if anyone on here will have the expertise necessary to resolve it, but I've been googling for an hour and still not sure of the answer so here goes.
My family are travelling to Turkey next week. I have a UK passport so need to buy a visa for $20 which I have done.
My wife and son are dual nationals and each has both a UK and Russian passport. We've been to Turkey a few times and they use their Russian passports to enter Turkey as Russian citizens do not need a visa to enter Turkey so $40 saved!
We've just spotted my wife's Russian passport expires in early October 2019. I know UK citizens need to have 90 days or so of validity left on their passport when entering. My wife will have her UK passport with her as well and this has plenty of time left until expiry. I am unsure if the same period of validity restriction applies to Russian nationals.
I'm therefore wondering if she will be able to enter without a visa on the basis of her Russian passport. If there is an issue with the period of validity, will she be able to enter visa free on the strength of being a Russian citizen, and also show her British passport to keep them happy that she has plenty of time left on at least one of her passports.
Unsurprisingly the FAQ section of the e-Visa site does not have this question on it!
Thanks in advance
My family are travelling to Turkey next week. I have a UK passport so need to buy a visa for $20 which I have done.
My wife and son are dual nationals and each has both a UK and Russian passport. We've been to Turkey a few times and they use their Russian passports to enter Turkey as Russian citizens do not need a visa to enter Turkey so $40 saved!
We've just spotted my wife's Russian passport expires in early October 2019. I know UK citizens need to have 90 days or so of validity left on their passport when entering. My wife will have her UK passport with her as well and this has plenty of time left until expiry. I am unsure if the same period of validity restriction applies to Russian nationals.
I'm therefore wondering if she will be able to enter without a visa on the basis of her Russian passport. If there is an issue with the period of validity, will she be able to enter visa free on the strength of being a Russian citizen, and also show her British passport to keep them happy that she has plenty of time left on at least one of her passports.
Unsurprisingly the FAQ section of the e-Visa site does not have this question on it!
Thanks in advance
If I had a pound for every time I didn't play the lottery...
0
This discussion has been closed.
Latest MSE News and Guides
Replies
I would be amazed if any country would be happy about a person travelling on one passport but trying to use the benefits of another at the same time.
I think the 90 days corresponds to the length of the visa.
If there's a problem OP, your wife could buy a visa at the airport on arrival.
I know this is a mse site :money: but personally I'd rather pay my 20$ (online in advance) for peace of mind.
Not really true: the only time I have encountered this was with China.
And... how long would it take to renew a Russian passport in the UK?
Alas, I do not speak good enough Russian to consult the Russian foreign office, and my wife is currently overseas so isn't in a position to either until she gets back just before we leave. And there won't be enough time between her return and our leaving to organise a new Russian passport.
If we cannot get a certain answer before we go, I'll get the additional visa, but am using the last few days to try and find out one way or another.
I would imagine that the Russian foreign office maintains a website with information like this: could you not find a way to ask your wife to consult it?
Alternatively: the major airlines maintain a database of visa requirements (I think it is called TIMATIC) and you can consult this database via the websites of Air France and others. If you enter details of the Russian passport and its expiry date you should get a reasonably authoritative answer.
However, as an experiment we will try and travel on the Russian one just to see if it works. If challenged we will dig out the UK one.
You'll probably be OK leaving the UK with the Russian one but when you arrive in Turkey the visa is linked electronically to the UK passport you used to buy the Visa. They scan the passport and stamp it without looking at a copy. So I suppose if you get through on the Russian one you'll prove the point.