Entering Turkey on a bike that's not registered to your country of residence?
 

I've read reports that people are being turned back at the border if they are driving a vehicle not registered in their home country (eg Germans driving a car registered in Georgia) - even if they own it.

Is this the same for motorcycles and if so, is there any way around it? It seems like an odd law (though I'm sure there are reasons for it)

You cannot enter turkey with a car or motorcycle unless the vehicle is registered to you in the same country that you have residency. I made that mistake and was turned around at the turkey border because of it. It is a strange law.


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https://ggm.ticaret.gov.tr/frequentl...anied-vehicles

A
 

Is that true even if you have a carnet de passage? I am Uk and heading there in my NZ registered car with a cdp.


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Pretty sure that is not a law. Last year I entered with a German passport in a UK registered car which is registered to another person. I had a notarised LOA (Letter Of Authority) translated into Turkish. Entered at Haydarpasha Port from Ukraine and left at Kapikule (to Bulgaria) with no issues. I also entered in 2014 (twice) and 2015 with a different UK registered car (in my name) and also had no problems at any of the six border crossings I passed.

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Turkey does not use the Carnet de Passapge for private vehicles, so it will not help you.

EO

Turkey does not use the Carnet de Passapge for private vehicles, so it will not help you.

EO[/QUOTE]



I am telling you what my experience was. It was not possible to enter turkey with a car or motorcycle that is not registered to you in the same country that you have residency in. I don’t care if you are claiming you did it or not. When I tried it, I was turned around at the border. This is the correct account of what happened to me. If you feel the border officers were not correct to turn me around, then you go and try to drive to turkey with a car that is not registered to you in the same country that you have residency and when they stop you, good luck telling them they are not correct.


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I am not doubting your experience, I am doubting the claim you make based on your one experience. It could be something specific to the border you used, the country your vehicle is registered in or other factors. My experience was different from yours. When were you denied entry? Did you have a Letter of Authority from the registered keeper of the vehicle translated into Turkish (which is a requirement)?

That is precisely what I am doing in my previous reply.

EO

I drive from Batumi in Georgia to the border crossing in Turkey. My vehicle is registered in Georgia under my name as the owner. That was 1 year ago. I talked to another guy the same day who was turned around trying to drive his motorcycle in to Turkey at the same border. His motorcycle was registered to him in Georgia also. Both him and I are not residents of Georgia but we purchased and registered and insured vehicles there. Turkey does not allow this period. I made a huge deal with the border crossings showing them my registration and my international insurance policy which explicitly states that my insurance covers me and my vehicle in Turkey. I even talked to the Georgian ambassador to Turkey on the phone who happens to be a friend of mine and he confirmed that the border agents are following their border laws and not trying to shake me down for some extra money. Trust me. It is not possible.


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If your experience about crossing in to Turkey with a vehicle not registered to you in the same country that you have documented residency in, then maybe you found a border agent who doesn’t follow the rules. Consider yourself very fortunate.


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The only possibility that makes sense to me is that you were able to do this is that the law must have changed between when you did it and when I tried to. Because these border agents are not getting away with allowing anyone to break their laws in Turkey. They are by the book and they seem to know their laws very good and they speak very good English so there is nothing lost in translation which would have been causing some sort of confusion when I tried to cross. It is a stupid law and I don’t know why they have this law. No other country that I have crossed in to has this law. Going to Russia and Armenia and Bulgaria in to Europe and Azerbaijan is simple and straightforward and easy. But going in to Turkey is impossible if you are driving a vehicle which is registered to you in a country which you do not have documented residency in. Also the border crossing times at the border that I tried to cross in to from a Georgia is very long. I don’t recommend it on a weekend.


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Could the application vary by port of entry/officer?

With regards to law it doesn't look like it has changed since 2009
https://ggm.ticaret.gov.tr/frequentl...anied-vehicles
I'm not a Turkish custom officer but for me residency doesn't equal citizenship so even if you're a citizen of some country as long as you are a resident of country your bike registered in you should be fine, right? Otherwise how Turkish nationals living in Germany drive their cars back to visit family? just asking.

Sounds like the key difference between your two experiences is having a vehicle registered in Georgia. Anyone been turned back who had a vehicle registered in a country other than Georgia?

Quite often countries have unique agreements with neighbouring countries, e.g. a Malaysian vehicle is free and easy in Thailand, but I bet if a UK national was the owner of the Malaysian vehicle different rules would apply.

Just a thought, great info though. Very interesting as we will be heading that way soon. Would be gutted to miss Turkey.

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Perhaps misunderstanding between permanent import and temporary import. Certainly we as Australians visiting Turkey for tourism purposes were able to take our German registered motorhome into Turkey

Millions of Turkish people living in Europe, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Saudia etc visiting Turkiye temporarily with vehicles registered to the country they live... Some have Turkish passports, some have passports of the country they reside and some have both passports !

How it happens then ?

If they run the rule/law for forigners other than Turkish people; some people are from Turkey and have Turkish passports but can drive with the cars registered to the country they live in ! ?

It seems there is a misreading or a gap with te laws ... !

Turkey does not use the Carnet de Passapge for private vehicles, so it will not help you.

EO[/QUOTE]

This is the only proper way of dealing with such entries, if anyone had a doubt about the facts, Eurasia got it covered properly.

Buying a motorcycle in your name in foreign country is not legal anywhere, people get around with is, until someone pokes a nose and start digging.
Much better is do buy through a tour operator, which is fully legal operation and then using the bike through them. Then you can very easy use the approach Eurasia provided in his post.

BR
Dooby