LAX-IST/Visa Question
 

This question is based on my staying in Turkey and not being in transit at the IST airport. I want to know if those that have made the LAX to IST trip obtained their visa to enter Turkey here in the US before the trip, or at IST airport upon arrival. It is my preference to obtain the visa at ISTairport for a $20.00 fee, intead of spending $100+ to obatin the visa here before the trip. However, since I am traveling on UA/LH metals, don't know if they'll let me board the outbound plane without a turkey visa stamp in my passport.

Thanks in advance for any helpful info you can give me.

What's your nationality. I tried doing this exact thing about a month ago in IST.

Three years ago as a US citizen I got my visa on arrival. Pay the cash and get the stamp. Piece of cake. You can look up your specific situation via the TIMATIC interface here: http://www.continental.com/web/en-US...t/default.aspx.

I'm a US citizen. Thanks.

http://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/ti...ubuser=CONUSA1

Visa on arrival is what I'd suggest.

I corroborate sbm12. I have done the "get the visa at the embassy" and "get the visa sticker at the airport".

Visa at the embassy: don't remember the cost, but had to go to the Turkish embassy on 1st Ave near the UN (not convenient by subway). Took almost 10 calendar days. I forget the cost, not expensive. You have to leave your passport obviously; fill at an application, get a letter, blah, blah, blah.

Visa Sticker at the airport: Easy Peasy. They take American Dollars. Took all of 2 minutes, you hand over money, they stick visa sticker in your passport. Done.

- HF

I go to IST all the time via UA and LH, as recently as five months ago. If you have a valid USA passport you do not have to have a visa in order to get on the plane. The visa is easy to get. Upon arrival just stop at the windows just before the immigration queues. Have a $20 bill in hand and you'll be on your way.

Thanks rpninfinite, sbm12, hobokenFlyer and WayMaker for your replies. I'll do the visa on arrival at the airport.

If you do get questioned by the agent, just tell them that you are getting a visa on arrival. Should not be an issue.

quick Tip
 

upon reaching the passport control area, swerve to the left and get your visa ($20USD cash only)......and then mozy on over the line...........dont wait to get to the window for passport control or else they will point you to get the visa at the other window ( out of the line) and then you'll be back in line ......again

get visa upon arrival
 

I did iAd-ist last week and you can do visa upon arrival--just remember it's $20usd in IST and they don't take TL.

I think people get confused because the terminology is inexact - it's not really a visa, it's a travellers tax. There are no conditions, no checks, no paperwork - just rock-up with cash and they will happily take it :)
Enjoy Istanbul - it's one of the most amazing cities in the world.

I am curious about this statement in the Timatic excerpt:

Visa required, except for Nationals of the USA, can obtain a
multiple entry visa on arrival, for a max. stay of 3 months.

There are, essentially, three categories here: 1. Nationals of many countries can get a visa on arrival. 2. Nationals of some other countries do not need a visa at all. 3. Nationals of yet other countries must get a visa in the usual way before they travel.

Nationals of the US, the UK and Australia, and many other places, fall into the first category and so can travel to Turkey without a visa but must pay to obtain a sticker in their passport on arrival at the airport in Turkey before they proceed to passport control. Nationals of New Zealand fall into the second category. And so on.

Thanks for the explanation. The punctuation and grammar in the quoted language is just confusing.