Following our earlier local news items, we have received a number of messages asking for clarification on the new visa rules.

Links to these earlier KTLN articles are provided at the end of this report.

We publish below our latest observations.

Fact or speculation?
The great difficulty right now is knowing what to believe. Finding authoritative sources is not easy. Even the British Embassy in Turkey has only had verbal confirmation of the changes - nothing in writing, as this report is published on Friday 23rd July.  A Turkish lawyer we spoke to has not managed to find anything official yet, from Turkish government sources.

The problem with such an information vacuum is that the people who may be affected begin to speculate and they may stray some way from the truth. Some online forums have seen pages of posts on this subject.

Despite the fact that the British Embassy website carries a heavy caveat on its update of the 20th July 2010, it seems reasonable to assume that they received a clear enough message to warrant changing their website.

They must appreciate that by providing this new information, people will regard it as being authoritative, and may be tempted to act on it.  After all, in the real world, change has actually arrived, and people are having to deal with it. 

It would be a significant issue, not to say an embarrasment, if they were to subsequently announce that the written confirmation does not stack up to what was said verbally.

How are the new rules being implemented?
KTLN has received lots of feedback, suggesting there is some confusion out there.

The source of our initial story sought confirmation from the Kaş authorities, in relation to the official communication he had received, as a tour operator closely involved in organising trips to Meis. In fairness to the authorities in Kaş, their interpretation of the rules appears to have been pretty much confirmed by the British Embassy announcement.

However, we have heard of instances where UK visitors to Turkey have received the new 90/180 day stickers in their passports, months before the rule changes came into effect. Is this applicable and enforceable?

Conversely, we have heard of UK travellers receiving the old 90 day stickers, after 14th July. Does this mean they can get another visa after 90 days?

It is impossible to say how these scenarios will play out, as and when these individuals seek to renew their visas.  Anyone who finds themselves with this kind of dilemma may wish to seek advice from the issuing authority, or their nearest visa post.

Should people be concerned?
Whether they should be or not, it is clear that some people are concerned. However, assuming that what we read on the British Embassy website is true, we would suggest that for the vast majority of people, there is nothing at all to be concerned about.

If you come to Turkey on holiday, for less than 90 days a year (which is most of you reading this), there is nothing to be especially concerned about. Indeed, if you holiday at different times during the season, you may find you only need one visa instead of two.

Admittedly there is no clear guidance that we have seen, which explains what happens if you plan a holiday in Turkey, arriving on day 179 of your 90/180 day visa. Before this change your new 90 day visa could overlap with your old one, however it is stated that the new rules say you must wait until day 181 before you can apply again.

If there is no mechanism to deal with this kind of situation, then the worst case is that as a holidaymaker, you need to check your travel dates carefully to ensure this scenario does not arise. Let's hope there is some clarification on this soon.

We have also heard about concerns from people who may be property owners, about the possible scenario where they have used up their 90 days, gone back to the UK, but then discover there is some kind of emergency with their Turkish property, which ideally, they would want to deal with in person. Will flexibility be shown in exceptional circumstances? It's a valid question to ask, but we have not found anyone who can provide an answer.

The quarterly visa run
The area where there appears to be most concern is with foreigners who are in Kalkan pretty much full time, and have got into the routine of renewing their 90 day visas, back to back, through day trips to the Greek island of Meis, or some other nearby destination.

But even here, we would suggest that for many people, there are ways forward. What are the key concerns we have heard?

This is all a bit sudden - why didn't we get more notice?
From our experience, the majority of people who reside in Kalkan appreciate what the legal requirements are. Over recent years, from time to time, changes such as these have been discussed in bars and on internet forums. This time it's more than a rumour.

You may argue that the Turkish government could have given more notice. The government could say that everyone has got at least another 90 days to make arrangements, and if that means applying for residency, it is a reasonable amount of time to do the paperwork.

It's very expensive - what about reciprocity?
Whether it is expensive or not is purely a matter of opinion, and will be different according to one's means. We suspect that the equivalent of £1 per day to live in a fantastic place like Kalkan, will be seen as good value by most people.

Much is made about reciprocity, or perhaps the lack of it. In our view, it's like comparing apples and pears anyway. And in a sense it is a futile debate, because whether we have reciprocity or not, the law is what it is.

The residency permit application process is too complicated
For the purposes of this report, we refer to the process for people residing in Kalkan. In our experience, the application process is not difficult, providing you do your homework, and prepare yourself.

When we handed over our application forms in Kemer, we were on our way home within 90 minutes, (and 30 minutes of that was getting some more passport style photos done, because ours were not quite the right size).

KTLN has a document in the Knowledge Bank, in the Legal Matters section, called Obtaining Residency. It is a step by step guide for KTLN members, based upon a married couple getting residency a few years ago. It has been updated to reflect the latest fees.

We recommend this document as a starting point for your research, but we do stress that you should always seek professional advice before heading to Kemer to hand in your application.

If you do not speak reasonbly good Turkish, we would strongly advise getting some assistance from a trusted Turkish friend, who may even be able to go with you to the police station in Kemer.

I can't meet the residency criteria
Some of the key points here include the fees, evidence of financial means and the residual term of your passport.

Currently, the fees are about £400 for every year of your permit, up to 5 years. According to the British Embassy website, it is only £370, but according to a Turkish government website we checked, it's £400 per annum. On top of this there will be other incidental costs for your permit book (ikamet), and notary and translation fees.

You must demonstrate to the Turkish government that you have the financial means to support yourself whilst you are resident in Turkey. The bar is set at around £320 per person, per month, so that's just under £4,000 for every year of your permit, up to a maximum of 5 years. So a married couple seeking a 5 year permit would need to have about £40,000 in the bank, between them.  A single person wanting just one year would have to show £4,000 in the bank.

A guaranteed pension is also admissable income, in relation to the above calculation, for retired people.

Of course, if you can't immediately put your hands on this kind of money, it will be a concern. If your budget does not provide you with the means to pay the fees and demonstrate your ability to support yourself, you may have to consider what your options might be.

Your residence permit expiry date can not be later than the expiry date of your passport. In fact the authorities will want to see a buffer of additional months beyond the date of your ikamet. If your passport is due to expire soon, you need to get it renewed before you apply for residency.

The impact on Turkish businesses
We are aware that Turkish people in nearby Kaş and Fethiye, (including businessmen and politicians), are not happy with these new visa rules, as they believe they will have a negative impact on the local economy.

We have been advised that some Turkish people are keen to lobby local politicians to try to get this change reversed. They are seeking support from fellow Turks as well as foreign nationals. Oktay Üçüncü, of Latebreaks Travel in Kaş is one of the people trying to raise awareness for this action.

Reporting on KTLN
We are aware that some people think nothing should be reported on this until all the facts are known.  We don't share that view.

We have not published 'gossip' based on some random conversation over a late night drink in a bar.  It turns out that our source in Kaş has provided information that significantly agrees with what is now on the British Embassy website. 

We have not reported anything as a cast iron certainty, stating quite prominently that official confirmation is still awaited.  Once again, we stress that fact.  We believe that the KTLN audience is smart enough to understand that, and weigh up the details provided.  Where we don't know something, we say so.  Just because we don't have a complete picture is no reason to hide the story.  News evolves.

We have attempted to report this development in what we hope is a calm and objective manner.  We have also sought to provide helpful advice.

Earlier KTLN articles
Original article dated Friday 16th July 2010

Article dated Saturday 17th July 2010

Article dated Tuesday 20th July 2010

British Embassy website latest news