Turkey, Travellers information
 

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Turkey, Travellers information

Speed limit changes.
 

In January 2011 the speed limits changes for larger bikes in Turkey. Cannot find out where the break comes but all bikes that are classified as L3 Motorcycles are now allowed to go at 80kmh on single lane roads + 10% and then 90kmh on dual carriageways, ones with a dividing barrier and then 100kmh on 'Autobahns' as the police call them. I have been pulled over 3 times because of radar traps but when they see the bike they let me go, although obviously disappointed. The local police chief was not aware of the changes so a fax was requested from Antalya Police. I keep that fax with the printed speed limits on it with my bike papers just in case.The extra 10kmh may not sound a lot but, boy does it make a difference to the stresses of riding as the bike is more comfortable at that speed.

Thanks for posting this, OnaCrusier!

I'll ride the fabulous Turkey this summer for the 5th time and these news are very good.

Pop in if you're passing through

DickyB's Turkish Delights - ADVrider

Kas-Antalya, Turkey - Horizons Unlimited

Cheers,

Dicky

Dicky, thanks for your invitation!

Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to ride across your area because I will keep the direction Istanbul - Ankara - Erzurum (I will be bound to Iran then Samarkand and back to Italy thru Russia and Ukraine), but with pleasure I'll store your datas in my computer for a future visit, perhaps for next year's ride to Lebanon.

Thanks again, cheers,
Nick

Speed limit
 

i was stopped by the cops two days ago on the main road i was going only 78km/h and they told me to go slower... i just looked at them:confused1: at least i didnt have to pay.
:welcome:

There is a lot of really good information at the link posted at the top of this thread.

I just finished about a week of riding around the Eastern (European) end of Turkey, including Istanbul, and I enjoyed my time there immensely. I posted some comments about my experience in this thread: Notes from a September 2011 ride through Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece.

I was unaware of the different speed limits for motorcycles (lower than the posted speed limit), and I rode at the posted speed limit everywhere. Although I saw police by the side of the road from time to time, no-one ever stopped me.

Be aware that the toll motorway system requires that you buy a 'toll pass' (an electronic thing) BEFORE attempting to enter the toll road system. It is not always possible to buy this pass at the entrance to the toll roads.

I also found that the other drivers in Turkey were very aggressive, very selfish, and, to be honest, downright dangerous. You have to be fully alert at all times, expect the unexpected (translation = expect to be killed) from other motorists, and not assume that pedestrians will wait until you pass before walking out in front of you to cross the road.

Although the country is great - certainly one of the nicest countries I have ever visited - I think I can safely say is is easily the most dangerous country to ride a motorcycle in that I have ever visited. Turkish drivers make the Italians look like Germans by comparison. :)

Michael

Speeding fines
 

Does anyone have any advice on speeding fines in Turkey.

My wife and I both got stopped earlier this year by the police in Turkey. They were very polite as they gave us both tickets and told us they could be paid in any bank or post office. To cut a long story short we ended up in the central post office in Istanbul and were told they could not take our money at the registration number on the ticket was not Turkish!

I have tried to email the Turkish embassy in the UK but got no reply.

I am now concerned about going back as I would rather not get stopped at customs with outstanding fines!

Any thoughts?

I usually save the bill until out of the country but do not pay.
Did so two times so far in Turkey without any trouble at borders (been allowed out of the country and next time no problems getting in again).

Very useful information about the new speed limits. The police used to set up the radar traps in a normal car/without any signs/, stopped by the road and after a few klms. is the official police check point, where they stop you.Never argue with the turkish policeman. It seems that they do not have a centrelized police computer system, so there is no problem if you not pay the bill, leave the country and come back again.

WRT speed limits:

I received a 140 Turkish Lire fine for doing 96kmph in an 88kmph zone. This is straight from the cop and written on my ticket. The road was a two line bidirectional highway, straight and flat, not a town or anything else on the roadside but trees.

I was not shown a speed gun or any sort of electronic confirmation, but if he just guessed, I think he was right on the money.

I rode around western Turkey in 2009 and got pulled for allegedly speeding about half a dozen times [i lost count]. All of them i don't think i was and received a ticket for about 140 lira on the last one which pissed me off so went to Greece instead [Kos]. I was all for not paying it but the wife worried too much. No checks made when leaving on the ferry, and no doubt no checks made on re entering Tukey. Great country/people, shite police.

I have heard of this, but where then can you buy these Toll Passes if not at the entrance ?
How will one know if you can get one at the entrance or not ?
J

Carnet de Passage
 

Hi all,
We are currently in SE Asia and our next plan is to ship the bike to Turkey from where we will (sloooowly!) make our way back to the UK :(.
I was browsing through the Turkey, Traveller Information page and noticed this -

Roadblocks managed by "Gendarma" (military police) or by the army are frequent at the entrance or exit of urban areas. In these blocks the control is on personal and vehicle documents. For foreigner riders is mandatory to have (always) Passport or Identity Car, Green Card Insurance and Carnet de Passage and Bikes Registration documents. You cannot leave the country if a vehicle has been registered on your passport unless you are ready to go through the difficult procedure of bonding your bike in custom.

A couple of questions if I may.
1. Being a UK Passport holder travelling on a UK registered bike, am I required to have a valid UK insurance policy (we have been out of the UK for 3 years so far and have no insurance) or can I purchase insurance locally in Turkey?
2. Regarding the CDP .. Where is this information from? The UK issuer of the CDP (Royal Automobile Club) has no mention of a requirement for UK registered vehicles to have a CDP for travel in Turkey and so far I have not found anything on the web either.

Thanks in advance for your help, I hope we aren't going to be having any more bureaucratic flies in the ointment!! :-) bier

Hi there Mehmet thankyou all for contributing to this thread I will be travelling around Turkey in September October of this year and will be flying out to Austrailia for a three month trip. I have heard that it's possible to leave your bike in the shed at customs (storage area) in Istanbul do you have any idea of the cost of this as I am wondering if it will be cheaper to leave my bike fly to Oz and hire one or if the cheapest option is to ship my bike?
Any advice you (and others ) can give will be much appreciated.
Keep Upright Bill

Info
 

Thanks for the reply Mehmet ... you have confirmed what I thought. Now on to the next hurdle ... getting the bike shipped from Bangkok to Turkey ... Hopefully not too much of a problem and we will see you on the road soon :scooter:
Just re-read your reply ... "In addition, you can do your customs clearing purposes yourself and get it stamped on your passport page.Tıme needed is 1-2 days.Dont keep your crate in customs warehouse longer as stocking rates are very expensive.
Be here the same day your crate arrives is recommended"
Does this require an empty passport page or just a bit of space for the stamp? I would have had one spare page in my passport, however, because I wouldn't pay the bribe for the exit stamp to leave Cambodia the Customs guy stamped my last empty page rather than stamp a partly used one!!!!
Thanks
Kev

Austrakia
 

I would seriously recommend researching Aus if you haven't already... we were there for a month while the bike was in transit from the USA to Malaysia (Nov 2011 - Jan 2012) ... bloody expensive!!! Just my opinion, great country and people apart from the costs.

@thehappywanderer
****************

You can keep your vehicle in Turkey for 180 travelling days.
If you are retired, 360 days.
(must be confirmed written by the Turkish Consulate in your home country)
Days kept parking under anex.7-8 discluded.

If you want to keep your bike in Turkey for a while and exit Turkey, you have 2 choices.
ANEX.7
ANEX.8
Here is the link for copies of these application and commitment letter forms in Turkish and English.Please read carefully.(Printed by our government)
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?no...50604798466126

1-You can park it at the customs parking area maximum for 30 days(each time you apply).Price is 8 USD.per day.If time exceeds and no extension is made, it will be sold by the government.
Applications must be made by ANEX-8 form.

2-You can keep it in an official specialty biker club,private garage for 178 days.
If time exceeds,bike has to be sent to customs area...
ANEX-7 must be used for this application with garage warranty/club warranty stamp and registration details and must be confirmed by the closest customs management...No such a garage is available here yet who has the ability for formalities and can speak english and can take the risk...

@panhandle1300
Generally an empty passport page is required for enter and exit stamps.Probably you will meet a biker friendly guy in customs(most of them are) and enough space on a passport page for 2 stamps will be ok.You have acceptable excuse.(away from home country since a long time)

In all guide books,information is not current and up to date as laws are changing very fast here after accepted by the government according to EU.laws main head lines.

Anymore questions always welcome.

Best Wishes

Hi Mehmet,

We will also have to fly back home for a few days and leave our bikes (2 small 125cc) in Istanbul at the end of September.

When you say: "2-You can keep it in an official specialty biker club,private garage.For parking in our clubs closed garage,it is 5 USD per day.Time limit is 178 days." One of your clubs is in Istanbul? We could leave the 2 bikes there for 3/4 days? We need to aplly to annex 7 a lot beforehands or it is a fast preocedure?

Thanks a lot and best Regards,

Romain

Thanks a lot, we will probably see you end of September then :thumbup1:

Toll Pass
 

Hi
I am looking to use the E80 toll road from Kirkareli and exit at Duzce, could you inform me where you can buy the toll passes, or can they be purchased at the entrance to the E80 near Kirkareli ??

Eric

You can buy the toll pass before the entrance of E80. It is called KGS (Kartli Gecis Sistemi= Pass With Card). Sold at : T.C. Karayollari.

Hope this helps

Rode into Turkey this morning from Greece and was quoted 30 euros for insurance for our bike for 3 months. When I queried the price and said I believed it should be 30 for a car but 6 for a bike I was told it is now 60 euros for a car and 30 for a bike. She would not take Turkish currency, nor would the visa office at the border, so it is important to keep some euros in your wallet.

We've been riding round Turkey for 5 days now and I'm hoping someone can explain a couple of things:

Everytime we fill up with fuel the pump attendant puts the registration number of the bike into a keypad on the pump. Why do they do that? I have tried to ask them but none of them understand my question and I dont speak Turkish unfortunately.

Several times each day we see booms over the road with what appear to be cameras suspended from them pointing to the front of the vehicles on the road. They can't be speed cameras because cars fly under them at 20 or 30 kph over the speed limit. What are they? Are they perhaps monitoring traffic densities? If so, who by and why as there is never much traffic on the roads where they are located, and why one camera for each lane?

1-If you meet an engine problem and the reason is bad quality benzin,the last gas station pays all your expenses.Their insurance covers this problem.You must keep the small paper receipt until next filling.
2-All are security cameras and checked by police headquarters...when there is a problem in the area,police is active very soon..No need to call 155..just wave your hand to the cameras!Also if a wanted or followed by police car passes through,system reads number plate automatically and informs the closest police team on their gps and street finder...
If the cameras are near traffic lights, all number plates which dont stop when red is on are noted down for an electronic fine to the identity number of the owner of the number plate...
Reason is; Benzin is very expensive here so less police and police cars outside or moving!!!
Wish you all the best...

Thanks for that excellent and very comprehensive reply. It explains everything.

Is the KGS card system still on? I have the felling that it was replaced by HGS. What is this and any advice on how it works?
I plan to enter Turkey at the end of May through Edirne and travel to Istanbul-Ankara-Elazig and back with a quick stop in Capadoccia. I have calculated a total cost for the highway and bridge tolls of around 60-65 TL. Is that correct?
Thanks

HGS.system is on now..
Nonstop pass at toll booths.
Available at all PTT Offices..(Turkish post offices)
card deposit..5 TL....credits can be filled at PTT also....
same size as a credit card..

Even there are free roads parallel to them, toll roads in Turkey are between:
Edirne-istanbul
istanbul-ankara
aydın-izmir-çeşme
yenişehir-bursa
niğde-mersin-adana-gaziantep-şanlıurfa...

free roads are all in good condition,shorter in distance and also no traffic rush in east of ankara except city centers...

Free roads for you are :(No toll road east of ankara)
ankara-kırıkkale-kırşehir-kayseri-malatya-elazığ
elazığ-kayseri-cappadocia-aksaray-ankara

Class.1 automobile and motocycle fees..:
Edirne istanbul 7,25
bridge 4,25
istanbul-ankara 15,00
total..58 tl. for you...


Wish you all the best...

Inflation
 

I entered Turkey from Bulgaria at the Svelingrad - Erdine crossing a few days ago (18/04/13).
The cost for insurance is now €43 for 3 months (minimum policy) payable in either Euros or Turkish Lira. There's a bank and ATM next to the insurance office inside the Duty Free complex between the two borders.

For insurance, definitely buy it at T.T.O.K. offices available at all bordergates..That is Turkish Touring Automobile Club and has the correct prices.
All the best..

Hi,
is insurance obligatory for all bikes, or just in case you are not coverd by green card? My green card covers Turkey, no info about extra costs for insurance found on my auto/moto club web page.
How much credit should i fill on the HGS card, if coming form Dereköy/Kirklareli to Istambul and then back to Edirne?
Thanks in advance!

Merhaba,
1-No need to buy traffic insurance if your green card covers Turkey..
Also no carnet needed..
2-If you enter Turkey via Dereköy, you can take the toll road in Edirne or Lüleburgaz(shorter)

2013-June-14
Edirne -İstanbul........ 212 km. 7,25 TL.
L.Burgaz-İstanbul..... 141 km. 5,50 TL.

Toll road from Kırklareli/Edirne to İstanbul is longer and boring.(gas most expensive here)

Two free enjoyable roads available to İstanbul, one from edirne and one from kırklareli...Instead you can take Kırklareli-vize-saray-then silivri istanbul or çatalca istanbul free roads..

Roadsigns for free roads are blue and green for toll roads..

All the best.

Turkey is changing over to an e-visa system in which you obtain visas online from https://www.evisa.gov.tr

The new system will be completely in place as from 10 April 2014 at which point you will no longer be able to obtain a visa at the border. More information at Turkish Consulate London - Visa Information

Last info is that you can get your visum at the border till november instead of april. The e-visum system is working, I got one myself for our next trip. You get it in your mail as a PDF within a minute, print and ready. Supersytem!!.

GRTZ,

JP

Cheers Tim and Jervig
I'll be there in June :D
Phil

Turkey Rider Support
 

Here, some friendly minded people in case you need help in Turkey.

Turkey Rider Support Initiative | Let Us Be Your Supportive Pillion

Best.

You can see example trips

Ufaktan Sahil Turu 2009 | Volkan Yaldız'ın Kişisel Serüveni 15 days
Devi’nin Türkiye Sahil Turu – Bölüm 1 | Volkan Yaldız'ın Kişisel Serüveni 35 days

I can confirm the e-visa system is very easy and works brilliantly well for UK passport holders. :thumbup1:

On my way to Istanbul in two days :D

Welcome

+905372764547
have a nice trip. If you want anything you can call me

Hi all,

i'm planning on traveling from Iran into Turkey, Dogubeyazit border. I had planned to be there around november, but i'm still in Nepal, heading of next week.
So hopefully i will make it to turkey beginning of november.
I would like to know whether the weather is all ready going to be a problem at that time of the year? Ive read that eastern turkey can be very cold and snowy.

Any advice from locals is appreciated. Also heads up about safety matters in regards to the situation in syria/iraq and turkey will be apprectiated. Is the border crossing affected by this, or is it too far away?

thank you,

tim

Thanks to the OP. Excellent info page about Turkey provided in the link on the first post.

Just two updates:


Superfast Ferries

... Disembarking in Igoumenitza in the early hours of the morning it is possible for a dedicated rider to reach Istanbul (1,100 km away) by the late evening/early night. The first 300 Km to Trikala are spectacular and twisty mountain roads, ...

This is now a complete highway. And the Greece-Turkey border in Ipsala is usually less crowded and quicker than Bulgaria-Turkey in Edirne.


The Roads

A network of Motorway is now spreading through the Country: normally you pick up the ticket at the entrance and pay (cash, no cards) at the exit ...


No cash payments possible. You need to buy an electronic toll card (HGS). This can be a pain for foreigners, as there are very few toll stations that actually sell the cards, sometimes the system is down, and sometimes they cannot take credit cards. Try to purchase it immediately at the border or at PTT post offices. The good news for foreigners is that when you accidentally drive through one or all of them without a proper card (and get the alarm ringing and foto taken) there is no follow-up exiting at the country border, let alone a letter arriving at home (as of November 2014).

I had a visa at the Essendere border two days ao (23rd November 2014), citizen of the Netherlands, no problem.

Any recommended hotels with parking in Istanbul?

Tim

90 days in 180 tourist stay rule
 

Can someone clarify for me?

I intially thought it was 90 days in a fixed 180 day period as the evisa application is for that period. But now I read that it is an ongoing 180 day period ie you count back from now or upon exit from Turkey.

Let's say I exit Turkey end of January after a 90 day stay. When will be the first date I can return for another 60 day stay?

I found a 90 in 180 calculator, begun by a guy who overstayed because he didn't understand the rules until a policeman at exit customs explained them

Link:
90/180 Day Calculator

I'm not so sure about his date calculation method - see under his "About date calculation" menu tab because I thought that the day of arrival
and departure (at whatever time) were both included

Neverthless the calculator is still very useful.

Hi

I'm planning on taking part in the Serres Rally in Northern Greece at the end of August. To get there I will need to catch the ferry from Cyprus and ride up through Turkey. Is there anything I should be aware of with regards to routes, paperwork or the current political situation? I can probably take a scenic route on the way up but I expect I will have to get back swiftly for work after the race.

Thanks

Merhaba,
after the ship trip to Turkey from Cyprus,follow the coastline route to dardanelles then to ipsala gate to Greece..best part of the country.If your green card doesnt cover Turkey,you can buy a short term road insurance(trafik sigortası) at the entrance border gate.

Attention.
1-If you have Greece identity card or passport; no visa needed for a 90 days stay per year with multiple entrances.you can even enter Turkey with your ID. card..

2-If you have South Cyprus passport;Ordinary and official passport holders are required to have visa to enter Turkey. Both official and ordinary passport holders may obtain their 30-day single-entry e-Visas via the website www.evisa.gov.tr. (20 USD.)

more information is available here..
Visa Information For Foreigners / Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs

All the best..

July 15 2016 - Military Coup in progress:

Here's a link to an early news article about the coup; click here.

Hope all goes well for our fellow forum members who live in Turkey.

Michael

I've just ridden from Tasucu to Ipasla and through into Greece without experiencing any problems.

A word of caution though - watch out if it rains as the roads become very slippery when wet. Perhaps it is just because the roads in UK are washed clean so frequently but I have never ridden on roads so slippery - fortunately I held the front end slide and brought the speed even further down. Also watch for the speed traps. I picked up one ticket for doing 111km and was told that the limit was 99 - a strange number to have as the limit but I wasn't going to argue.

Other than that the hazards are mainly down to being aware of other road users.

You are allowed 10 per cent leeway on the official speed limit hence the 99kph in a 90kph limit.

During the summer drought diesel and oil are deposited on the roads. Additionally the main ingredient in the road surface is crushed limestone held in place by bitumen, This limestone gets polished through use. When the rains eventually come the road surface turns to glass. No fun!

Glad you had no other problems.

Cheers,

Dicky

In Istanbul now and about to spend a couple of weeks doing a circuit in the west half of Anatolia - Cappadoccia, Mersin, Antalya, Izmir and contemplating the HGS card.

Any ideas approx how much Iam likely to pay for this under the HGS system?

And what happens if your account does not have enough credit - ie how do you know when to top up etc?

Also what would happen if, as a foreigner you didn't enrol in the system at all? Has anyone has any follow-up once they left the country or problems when leaving Turkey?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

RoC Cyprus registered bike - Turkey
 

Hi all!
Is it possible to ride a Republic of Cyprus registered (south / Greek side) bike to Turkey by ferry from Northern Cyprus? I ve had mixed opinions.

Roadbooks TR available?
 

Hi all,

Found this thread.

I am planning a 2025 trip.

It must be me, but I can't get on the suggested 10/20 day routes.
Are they still available?

Thanks in advance already!

International Driver's Permit
 

Any need for an IDL in Turkey (or the Balkan countries) for a US Citizen? Back in the 80s and early 90s I would get them when traveling to Europe, just in case, but never needed it.

Most of the other posts asking this are much older, so I thought I'd ask again.

IDP
 

MTBE, I have not made it to Turkey yet but, I was asked for an IDP when entering Romania. I was not asked for one going into Bulgaria or Hungary. I am on 4 wheels. ( US Veh. & PP. ) It's time to travel. Be safe, not scared.

Been in Turkey and various Balkans last couple of years, never been asked for an IDP - but that was on a European bike. But it's worth getting one - it's cheap and avoids hassle in case someone asks.