Turkish passport - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Turkish Passports are issued in accordance with the Passport Act (No. 5682) from July 15, 1950 to Turkish

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

citizens to travel outside of the country.
The passports are issued by the Turkish Police and applications are filed at police stations which have a passport office. Passports issued since June 1, 2010 are
biometric

Biometric passport

A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...

, and valid for up to ten years.

Types

Regular passport , also referred to as Maroon Passport . It is issued to;
- Turkish citizens who don't qualify for any of the following passport types.

Special passport , also referred to as Green Passport allows the bearer to travel visa-free to some countries. As opposed to regular passport, it is exempt from the passport fee and is only subject to the booklet fee (50 liras, ~26 euros as of 2010). It is issued to ;
- Former members of the National Assembly
  Grand National Assembly of Turkey
  The Grand National Assembly of Turkey , usually referred to simply as the Meclis , is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
- First, Second or Third grade public servants
  Civil service
  The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
  
  .
- Pensioner
  Pensioner
  In common parlance, a pensioner is a person who has retired, and now collects a pension. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom and Australia where someone of pensionable age may also be referred to as an 'old age pensioner', or OAP. In the United States, the term retiree is more...
  
  s First, Second or Third grade public servants
  Civil service
  The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
  
  .
- Mayor
  Mayor
  In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
  
  s
- Spouse of the special passport holders
- Unwed and unemployed children of the special passport holders who live with parents, until they turn 25.
Service passport , also referred to as Gray Passport . It is issued to;
- People who do not qualify for the Special or diplomatic passport, however are assigned to travel abroad for official and/or government related purposes.
- National athletes
- Turkish citizens working for the International organizations, of which Turkey is a member
- Employees of the Red Crescent
- Employees of the Turkish Aeronautical Association
  Turkish Aeronautical Association
  Turkish Aeronautical Association is a non-profit organization with an aim of increasing public awareness and participation in aviation related activities and the national body governing air sports in Turkey...
- 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 , also referred to as Black Passport . It is issued to;
- Members of the National Assembly
  Grand National Assembly of Turkey
  The Grand National Assembly of Turkey , usually referred to simply as the Meclis , is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
  
  , and the non-PM ministers
  Minister (government)
  A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
- 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 , compatible with the new ICAO standards, have been available since June 1, 2010. Applications for the new passports can be submitted online through the government's website http://www.epasaport.gov.tr/. 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

Turkish passport had been the most expensive passport 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 remained 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 387,80 TL (~€157) for a 10-year passport, including the compulsory booklet fee.
In addition to the expensive passport prices, Turkish state charges 15 TL (~6€) from Turkish passport owners (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 a Turkish passport may travel without a visa, or with a visa received upon arrival, to about 94 countries. As of September 29, 2011, EU Commissioner of Interior Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom, has indicated that visa requirement will eventually be discontinued. Visa liberalization will be ushered in several phases. Initial changes are expected in the fall which will include the reduction of visa paperwork, more multi-entry visas, and extended stay periods.

Types

Biometric passports

Fees

Visa requirements for Turkish citizens

See also