Entering Turkey with a Russian passport

As you know, since 2011, an agreement on a simplified visa regime has been in force between the Russian Federation and Turkey, which allows Russian citizens to stay in Turkey for 30 days without a visa. Russian tourists have the right to visit Turkey for no more than 30 days, having a foreign passport with them. However, there is one thing. The fact is that only 28% of citizens of the Russian Federation have a foreign passport. This is an extremely low figure, which in no way contributes to the development of tourism in Turkey.

In addition, to enter even for 30 days, the validity of a foreign passport must be much longer. Tourists often ask the question: “How many months before the end of the passport can I go to Turkey?”. Even if you are going for the weekend, then the validity of the passport for a trip to Turkey must be at least 6 months. It also created additional inconvenience for those who just wanted to relax on a sunny beach and for those who needed to come to Turkey for a business meeting.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that after the events with the Russian Su-24, the countries are ready to improve relations, and this will positively affect, first of all, the tourism sector. Turkey is interested in the influx of tourists from Russia, and therefore, work is already beginning in the country to install special devices that can check Russian internal passports.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hopes that the number of tourists from Russia will increase significantly compared to previous years, when relations between the states were, to put it mildly, “cold”. Türkiye is actively preparing for the new tourist season.

However, the Foreign Minister also states that, along with allowing the passage of Russian internal passports, the Turkish side will seriously check tourists for security purposes. Thus, it is possible that already in 2018-2019, Russian citizens will be able to enter Turkey with a Russian passport. If earlier it was impossible to get into Turkey without a passport, then soon tourists will get rid of such inconveniences.

To the question: “when will the passport to Turkey be canceled?” there is no definitive answer yet. Now you can’t go to Turkey with an internal Russian passport - you still need to take care of acquiring a passport, which is by no means done quickly. By the way, at the moment, Russian citizens have the opportunity to travel with an internal passport to the following countries:

Kazakhstan;
South Ossetia;
Belarus;
Kyrgyzstan;
Abkhazia;
Tajikistan.

Armenia will also join this list in the summer of 2017, but no information has yet been received about Turkey. Now this issue is only being discussed in legislative circles. The Turkish government is positive about such changes, as evidenced by the installation of devices for checking Russian passports, which was already mentioned above.

Türkiye itself is one of the most popular countries for tourists. If you believe the statistics, then at the moment it ranks 6th in the list of the most attractive resort countries on the entire planet. If at the beginning of the century it was popular mainly among tourists from the CIS countries, then in recent years the number of travelers from far abroad has been growing extremely rapidly. This is facilitated by the favorable geographical location of the country. The fact is that Turkey is washed by the Mediterranean, Black, Aegean and Marmara seas. Such an arrangement could not but affect the development of beach tourism.

In addition, it is extremely important that prices in Turkey remain quite low, even “democratic”. When compared with holidays in foreign countries or even Sochi, Turkey seems more attractive. At the end of the 20th century, the service and the level of amenities in the country "limped", but over the past decades it has grown significantly, but prices have "raised" relatively slightly, which made it possible to interest millions of tourists.

At the moment, tourism in Turkey is one of the most developed areas. According to official statistics, in 2016, more than 2 million people in the country were employed in the tourism sector. Tourism reached its peak in 2012, before the crisis began. In 2012 alone, more than 130 million tourists from all over the world visited the country. The airport of the resort city of Antalya received more than 25 million people, and the largest airport, Ataturk, which is located in Istanbul, received almost 50 million passengers.

Already in 2014, the number of tourists fell to 42 million, and most of them arrived from Germany, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece and Azerbaijan. The tourism sector suffered even more in 2015, when a Turkish fighter jet shot down a passenger Su-24. These sad events led not only to a deterioration in relations between states, but also to a sharp reduction in Russian tourists who want to relax in Turkey.

Increasing terrorist attacks added more fuel to the fire. In 2016, a serious crisis began in the tourism sector in the country. For example, the number of tourists from Russia has decreased by 90%. Recently, as already mentioned, relations have improved, and by the end of 2017, the number of travelers from Russia should grow.

Most popular tourist spots

The development of tourism is facilitated not only by the four seas, but also by the Mediterranean climate, which ensures high air temperatures even in late autumn. Turkey's coastline is a total of 7,200 km, which has made it possible to create an extensive network of white sand beaches. The most popular tourist routes at the moment are:

Antalya;
Istanbul;
Cappadocia;
Marmaris;
Lycian trail.

Antalya

The city is located in the south of Turkey, and its airport is the second largest in terms of passenger traffic in the country. There are hundreds of first-class hotels that can accommodate thousands of tourists with the maximum level of comfort. Among those who want to relax on the sea, the most popular beach strip in Konyaalti, where tens of thousands of tourists rest every day. The city also has a rather large Duden waterfall, next to which you can take unforgettable photos.

In addition to beaches, Antalya is famous for its thermal springs and unique architecture. Here you can find monuments of ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman cultures. Among the architectural structures, one can single out the ancient Greek amphitheater, Hadrian's Gate, the fortress walls of the Ottoman era and others.

Istanbul

Istanbul is the main industrial, cultural and largest city in the country. It attracts a huge number of tourists every year. If at the beginning of the century the number of tourists in the city did not exceed 3 million people, then in 2012 their number reached almost 12 million. The European part of the city is especially popular, where, according to statistics, 9/10 of all hotels in Istanbul are located. Tourists are very attracted to the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. And in total, Istanbul has about 17 palaces, fifty churches, more than 60 mosques, as well as a large number of other archaeological sites, including fortresses and columns.

Marmaris

Marmaris is less popular than Antalya, but in 2012 it received 2 million tourists. In addition to paradise beaches, here you can visit the fort of the same name, which is now a historical museum. Among tourists, Barov Street is very popular, where luxurious restaurants and coffee houses are located. There is also a huge water park within the city.

Cappadocia

Cappadocia is a unique region where people have lived since ancient times. It is famous for its unique landscape of volcanic origin. At the moment, Cappadocia is considered one of the tourist centers of Turkey. This is facilitated by a large number of attractions that nature itself has created.

Tourists come to see the so-called volcanic landscapes that have been created over thousands of years. Soft volcanic rocks under the influence of the wind turned into "sculptures" of natural origin. Even in ancient times, people were able to carve a huge network of caves and even entire cave cities in soft volcanic rocks. They are located deep underground and also attract millions of tourists, because nowhere else in the world can you see anything like this. In Turkey, you can even find canyons, where caves and small towns are in turn cut down.

Walk along the Lily Trail

Lycian trail

The Lycian Way is a popular tourist route with a length of up to 800 kilometers.. The route includes beaches, architectural sights, natural wonders and much more.

In general, judging from the above, Turkey is one of the world's tourism centers, which before the crisis received more than 100 million tourists. This huge figure testifies to the potential of the country in the field of tourism. Four warm seas, unique architecture and natural wonders cannot fail to attract travelers. In addition, the service in Turkey is already not much inferior to the so-called elite resorts on the islands of far abroad, but the prices here are more attractive.

Russian tourists ask questions: “Do Russians need a passport to Turkey?” and “is it possible to go to Turkey with a Russian passport?”. In fact, it is worth preparing the necessary documents in advance, since, alas, a civil passport is not enough. It is planned that Russian citizens will be able to travel to Turkey with an internal passport, but this will happen no earlier than in 2-3 years. This is beneficial not only for Russia, but also for Turkey, because in recent years the tourism sector has been in crisis, and the country is in dire need of new travelers. Less than 1/3 of Russian citizens have a passport and, therefore, cannot visit Turkey. " When it will be possible to visit the country with an internal passport, the number of tourists will increase significantly", - the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers.

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