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Currency Regulation
Limits:
There is no limit on the amount of foreign currency that may be
brought into Turkey, but not more than 5 5,000 worth of Turkish
currency may be brought into or taken out of the country.
Exchange
slips: The exchange
slips for the conversion of foreign currency into Turkish lira should
be kept, since you may be required to show these when reconverting
your Turkish lira back into foreign currency, and when taking
souvenirs out of the country (to prove that they have been purchased
with legally exchanged foreign currency).
Customs Regulations
On Entry
- The following items may be brought into the country duty free
- personal
effects of the tourist.
- one TV, one
colour pocket TV (maximum 16 cm screen), one TV-tape-radio
combination, one video recording camera and 5 video cassettes
(blank); 5 records, 5 tape cassettes or compact discs.
- one video
player, cine-projector (8 mm) and 10 rolls of film (blank), one
slide projector.
- one pocket
computer (maximum main memory capacity Ram 128k. Byte), electronic
playing devices (without cassette - keyboard).
- one
transistor radio and portable radio - tape player (its
specification to be determined by the Ministry of Finance and
Customs), one Walkman or pocket tape recorder, one portable
compact disc player.
- Binoculars
(one pair, except night binoculars)
- harmonica,
mandolin, flageole, flute, guitar, and accordion (only one of each
type, maximum 3 musical instruments).
- personal
sports equipment.
- necessary
medical items.
- bicycle,
baby buggy, toys.
- 200
cigarettes and 50 cigars.
- 200 grams of
tobacco and 200 cigarette papers, or 50 grams of chewing tobacco
or 200 grams of pipe tobacco, or 200 grams of snuff
- (In addition
to the above allowances, it is possible to purchase 400
cigarettes, 100 cigars, and 500 grams of pipe tobacco from the
Turkish Duty Free Shops upon entering the country).
- 1.5kg.
coffee, 1.5kg. instant coffee, 500 grams of tea.
- 1 kilo
chocolate and 1 kilo sweets.
- 5 (100 cc)
or 7 (70 cc) bottles of wines and/or spirits.
- five bottles
of perfume (120 ml max. each).
- one portable
typewriter.
- one camera
with 5 rolls of film.
- First aid,
and spare parts for the car.
- Other items
necessary during the journey.
- Valuable items and all items with a value of over $ 15,000 must be
registered in the owner's passport upon entering
Turkey, for control upon exit.
- Antiques brought into the country must be registered in the owner's
passport to avoid difficulties on exit.
- Sharp instruments (including camping knives) and weapons may not be
brought into the country without special permission.
- The bringing into the country, trade, and consumption of marijuana
and all other narcotics is strictly forbidden and subject to heavy
punishment.
- Gifts, not exceeding 500 DM in value and not for trading purposes,
may be brought into the country duty free. In addition, gifts not
exceeding 500 OM in value may
be posted to Turkey duty free, if the date stamped by the sending
post office falls one month before, or one month after the following
holidays: Seker Bayrami, Kurban Bayrami, Christmas, and New Year's.
Note:
Cellular Telephones entering the country must be accompanied by a
certification form showing ownership. Ownership must be documented in
the passport of the owner and will be checked on entry and exit. For
more information contact the Ministry of Transportation, General
Directorate at Tel: (312) 212 35 72 - 212 60 10 (10 lines), Fax: (312)
221 32 26 or write to Ulastirma Bakanligi Telsiz Gn. Md. Emek -
Ankara.
On exit
- Gifts and souvenirs: for a new carpet, a proof of purchase; for old
items, a certificate from a directorate of a museum is necessary.
- Exporting antiques from
Turkey is forbidden.
- Valuable personal items can only be taken out of the country
providing they have been registered in the owner's passport upon
entry, or providing they can show they have been purchased with
legally exchanged currency.
- Minerals may only be exported from the country with a special
document obtained from the MTA (General Directorate of Mining
Exploration and Research). Etüdler Dairesi 06520,
Ankara
- Tel: (312) 287 3430 /1622, Fax: (312) 285 42 71
Tax Refund
You Can Receive a Tax Refund for
the Goods You Purchased In Turkey!
- Refunds will be made to travelers who do not reside in
Turkey.
- All goods (including food and drinks) are included in the refunds
with the exclusion of services rendered.
- The minimum amount of purchase that qualifies for refund is
5.000.000 TL.
- Retailers that qualify for tax refunds must be "authorized for
refund." These retailers must display a permit received from their
respective tax office.
- The retailer will make four copies of the receipt for your refund,
three of which will be received by the purchaser. If photocopies of
the receipt are received the retailer must sign and stamp the copies
to validate them. If you prefer the refund to be made by check, a
Tax-free Shopping Check for the amount to be refunded to the
customer must be given along with the receipt.
- For the purchaser to benefit from this exemption he must leave the
country within three months with the goods purchased showing them to
Turkish customs officials along with the appropriate receipts and!
or check.
- There are four ways to receive your refund:
- If the
retailer gives you a check it can he cashed at a bank in the
customs area at the airport. If it is not possible to cash the
check upon departure or if you do not wish to cash it then, .e
customer must, within one month, send a copy of the receipt
showing that the goods have left the country to the retailer who
will, within ten days upon receiving the receipt, send a bank
transfer to the purchaser's hank or address.
- If the
certified receipt and check are brought back to the retailer on a
subsequent visit thin one-month of the date of customs
certification, the refund can be made directly to the purchaser.
- Retailers
may directly refund the amount to trustworthy customers upon
purchase
- The refund
may be made by the organisation of those companies that are
authorised to make tax refunds.
Additional
information: Ministry of
Finance and Tax Dept. General Directorate, (Maliye Bakanligi, Gelirler
Genel Müdürlügü) KDV Subesi 06100, Ulus - Ankara
Tel: (312) 3103880/725 - 728 - 735, Fax: (312) 311 45 10
Health Regulations for Pets
For those who wish to bring
domestic animals into the country the following are required:
- Pets have to be 3 months and older
- An International Certificate of Health issued within 15 days before
the travel
- The Identification Card
- Vaccination Card
Note:
If you have an official certificate, you may bring one cat, one bird,
one dog and 10 aquarium fish into the country. To get information for
the importation of pets, please see the Consular Services.
Motorist Rules
General: Those who wish to enter
the country with their vans, minibuses, automobiles, station wagons,
bicycles, motorcycles, motorbikes, sidecars, buses, motor coaches,
trailers, caravans or other transport vehicles, will have to provide
the following documentations:
- Passport.
- International driving license.
- Car license (document where all details related to the car and the
owner's name are registered). If it is somebody else's vehicle a
power of attorney should be provided.
- International green card (Insurance card). The TR sign should be
visible.
- Transit book "Carnet de passage" (for those who want to proceed to
the Middle East).
Period:
The vehicle can be brought into Turkey for up to 6 Months. The owner
should declare on the opposite form, the date of departure at the
border gate and should absolutely ve the country at the date declared.
If for any important reason the staying period has to be ended, it is
necessary to apply to;
- The Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (Türkiye Turing ve Otomobil
Kurumu) 1. Sanayi Sitesi Yani, 4.Levent,
Istanbul, Tel (212) 282 81 40(7
lines). Fax (212) 282 80, or to
- The General Directorate of Customs (Gümrükler Genel Müdürlügü), Ulus
Ankara Tel (312) 310 38 80,310 38 18, Fax (312) 31113 46, before the
end of the period declared.
In Case of
Accident: The accident
should be reported to the police or gendarme. That report has to be
certified by the nearest local authority. The owner should apply to
the customs authority with his passport and report.
If the vehicle can be repaired, it
is necessary to inform the customs authority first and take the
vehicle to a garage. If the vehicle is not repairable and if the owner
wishes to leave the country without his vehicle, he has to deliver it
to the nearest customs office, and the registration of his vehicle on
his passport will be cancelled. (Only after the cancellation can the
owner of the vehicle leave the country.)
Following an accident, you can
telephone:
- Trafik Polisi (Traffic Police), Tel :154,
- Jandarma (Gendarme), Tel :156.
For more information, contact the
Touring and Automobile Association of Turkey.
Formalities for Private Yacht Owners
Yachts require a Transit Log and
may remain in Turkish waters for up to two years maintenance or for
wintering. There are certain ports licensed by the Ministry of Tourist
the storage of yachts for a period of two to five years. For further
information and regulations contact the marina concerned.
Upon arriving in Turkish waters,
yachts should immediately go for control of the ship to the nearest
port of entry which are as follows: Iskenderun, Botas (Adana), Mersin,
Tasucu, Anamur, Alanya, Antalya, Kemer, Finike, Kas, Fethiye, Marmaris,
Datça, Bodrum, Güllük Didim, Kusadasi, Çesme, Izmir, Dikili, Ayvalik,
Akçay, Çanakkale, Bandirma, Tekirdag, Istanbul, Zonguldak, Sinop,
Samsun, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon, Rize, Hopa.
Port
Formalities: All the
required information concerning the yacht, yachtsmen, members,
intended route, passports, customs declarations, health clearance, and
any obligatory matters must be entered in the Transit Log.
The Transit Log is to he completed
by the captain of a yacht under a foreign flag or amateur sailor
acting as captain of the vessel.
The Transit Log is completed upon
first entering a Turkish port and, generally, it is necessary to
contact the Harbor Authority before leaving. For information on
tax-free fuel, contact the Marina Harbor Office.
Note:
If you have a certificate from the Tourism
Ministry Yacht Harbor, you may take petrol at
no charge, provided you possess an official marina license.
Formalities for Private Plane Owners
General:
When coming to Turkey, international air routes should he followed.
Private planes may stay for up to three months in Turkey with tourist
status, but for longer periods permission should be obtained from
- The General Directorate of Customs (Gümrükler Genel Müdürlügü), Ulus
Ankara, Tel: (312)
3103880,3103818,Fax: (312) 311 1346
The airports of Ankara,
Adana, Istanbul,
Izmir, Antalya,
Trabzon and Dalaman have ties
for private planes. It is also possible to hire planes and helicopters
in Turkey.
For further information, apply to:
- The Civil Aviation Department of the Ministry of Transport (Ulastirma
Bakanligi, Havacilik Gen. Müd.). Bosna-Hersek Cad., No: 5 - 06338 -
Emek, Ankara. Tel: (312) 212
67 30, Fax: (312) 212 46 84, TIx : 44659 Ga-tr.
Underwater Diving
Diving for purposes of sport, with
proper equipment and in non-restricted areas, is permitted. Foreign
divers should have official documentation of their specifics and
training and must be accompanied, when diving, by a licensed Turkish
guide.
The limit for diving with diving
gear is 30 metres. For educational purposes, this limit is extended to
42 metres. Dives exceeding 30 metres must be carried out with proper
diving and medical equipment. In arder to protect Turkish
archaeological and cultural values. It is strictly forbidden to
transport Turkish antiquities or natural specimens.
Postal System
Turkish post-offices are easily
recognized by their black PTT letters on a yellow background. Major
post offices are open from 8:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m., Monday/Saturday,
and 9:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m., Sunday. Small post-offices have the same hours as the government
offices.
Postal charges vary for different
services depending on destination. Post restante letters should be
addressed "postrestant" to the central post-office Merkez Postanesi,
in the town of your choice. You have to show your identification card
to collect your letters.
All PTT branches have the
facilities to exchange money at the current international exchange
rates, as well as international postal orders and travelers' cheques.
There is also an express postal service (APS) operating to 90
countries for letters , documents and small packages. A wide variety
of special stamps are available in all PTT centers for philatelists.
To phone from PTT telephone booths,
which are extensively found in all areas; telephone cards , and tokens
(";jeton") in three sizes are used. Local, inter-city and
international calls can be made from all PTT offices. Besides these
main offices there are also mobile PTT services in the touristic
areas. For the area codes of major cities and touristic areas in
Turkey, please see the "Area Codes" list. Foreign countries area codes
are indicated in the International Telephone Codes list.
Some important service numbers are;
- 155 Police
- 112 Emergency
- 110 Fire
- 118 Unknown Numbers
- 161 PTT Information.
Tourist Health
Turkish Tourist Health Society (Turizm
Sagligi Dernegi-Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi Plastik ve
Rekonstrüktif Cerrahi Ana Bilim Dali, Sihhiye 06100 ANKARA Tel: (312)
311 93 93-310 98 08) perfoms the functions below, to provide the
travelers in the entire country, mainly in the touristic regions, with
proper health care:
- to secure food hygiene
- to prevent environmental pollution
- To ensure hygiene and healthy working-conditions in touristic
establishments.
Working Hours
Government
Offices
Monday-Friday (8:30-12:30) , (13:30-17:30)
Saturday-Sunday (closed)
Banks
Monday-Friday (8:30-12-00) , (13:30-17:00)
Saturday-Sunday (closed)
Shops
Monday-Saturday (9:30-13:00) , (14:00-19:00)
Sunday (closed)
Istanbul Covered market: Monday-Saturday (8:00-19:00)
Sunday (closed)
During summer months, the
government offices and many other establishments in the
Aegean and Mediterranean Regions
are closed in the afternoon. These fixed summer hours are determined
by the governing bodies of the provinces.
Other Practical Information
Local time:
GMT+3 hours (April-September) GMT+2 hours (October-March)
Time
Differences:
Argentina -5, France -1, Netherlands -1, Australia +8, Germany -1,
Saudi Arabia+1, Austria -1, Greece 0, Sweden -1, Egypt 0, Italy -1,
Switzerland -1, England -2, Japan +7, Spain -1, USA -7 (EST) -10
(WEST)
* These time differences are for the period October-March; however,
they may show variances according to each country's own time-saving
adjustments.
Petrol:
Super (premium) - Unleaded (at some places). Normal (regular) -
Diesel.
Electricity:
220 volts AC/50 Hz. all over Turkey. (Industrial:380 V) Plug: European
round/ 2-prong plug.
Water:
Although tap vater is safe to drink since it is chlorinated, it is
recommended to get advice from the concemed authorities of the places
resided.
Weights and
Measures:
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters ,
1 centimeter = 0.3937 inches
1 yard = 0,9144 meters, 1 meter = 1.0936 yards
1 mile = 1,6093 kilometers, 1 kilometer = 0.6214 miles
1 pound = 0,4536 kilograms, 1 kilogram = 2.2046 pounds
Area:
1 acres = 0,4047 Hectares,
1 hectare = 2.471 acres
Capacity:
1 UK gallon = 4.546 litres, 1 litre = 0.2199 UK gallons
1 US gallon = 3.7831 litres, 1 litre = 0.2643 US gallons
Newspapers and Magazines:
Foreign newspapers and magazines are available in big cities and
tourist areas. Also there is a Turkish daily newspaper, Daily News,
published in English.
Tipping:
At various establishments like hotels, restaurants, Turkish baths,
barbers and hairdressers, tipping at a rate of 5%-15% of the total is
common. Taxi and "dolmus" drivers on the other hand, do not expect
tips or even rounded fares.
Visiting a
mosque:
Five times a day, the "müezzin" calls the faithful to prayer in the
mosque. Before entering a mosque, Muslims wash themselves and remove
their shoes. Foreign visitors should also remove their shoes and show
the respect they would any other house of worship and avoid visiting
the mosque durin prayer time. Women should cover their heads and arms,
and not wear miniskirts. Men should not wear shorts. (In certain
famous mosques, overalls are provided for those not suitably dressed.)
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