Turkey is the most popular vacation destination for British travelers looking to vacation or visit their vacation homes in the country. Since England introduced the traffic light system for international travel at the beginning of May, Turkey has been on the country’s “red list” and has been causing disappointment for many Britons this year.
But Turkey is not alone in this, because the “Red List” of Great Britain includes 62 countries, most recently Montenegro and Thailand. All UK citizens arriving from the “Red List” must endure a 10-day hotel quarantine at a cost of around £ 2,000 (US $ 2,756) per adult. In addition, there are requirements for the polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) before departure and mandatory tests on the second and eighth day of the quarantine period.
While the pandemic masses that have settled in Bodrum have more than maxed out the region’s capacity, other regions in Turkey, such as Dalyan, which relies on British tourists, have definitely felt their absence. It’s hard to see why Turkey continues to be on the UK ‘s “red list” as the number of coronaviruses in Turkey is lower than the UK and the incidence rate is almost half after seven days. Still, there is hope that Turkey will be included again in the next evaluation, expected on September 16.
View of the Dalyan Canal. (Shutterstock photo)
What are the current travel conditions in Turkey?
Turkey has also suspended flights with a number of countries; namely Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Nepal, South Africa and Sri Lanka. All passengers who have spent time in these countries as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last 15 days prior to their arrival in Turkey must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test Result no later than 72 hours before departure. The same requirements meanwhile apply to all passengers arriving from Egypt, Iran, Singapore or the United Kingdom. Passengers arriving from other destinations must either have a negative PCR or Antigen test (Recorded 48 hours in advance) or have COVID-19 certificate Evidence that they have been vaccinated at least 14 days before.
Since March, all people entering Turkey have had to submit a mandatory health declaration, the so-called “Entry Form to Turkey”, an online form that generates a QR code and an HES code. HES stands for “Hayat Eve Sığar” in Turkish, which translates as “Life fits into the house” and is Turkey’s COVID-19 tracking app. The code is helpful as it is required for public transportation and access to many shopping malls and official buildings. The form, available on the website https://register.health.gov.tr/, requests information such as contact and travel details and must be completed before boarding. The form is not required for transit passengers or children under the age of six.
For flights to countries such as Germany, Russia and the USA, arrivals from Turkey must present either a negative COVID-19 test result, a COVID-19 vaccination card or proof of recovery from the coronavirus within 72 hours of departure. For those entering the United States, those who have not been vaccinated must be quarantined for seven days if they agree to retest and 10 days if they opt out of another test.
To be considered fully vaccinated in the US, a passenger must have received two doses of BioNTech / Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of Johnson vaccine. Passengers given either the Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccine are considered not fully vaccinated according to US travel criteria.
New requirements for domestic flights
From September 6, 2021, for domestic flights in Turkey, it is now required that passengers provide one of three documents, namely: a negative result of a PCR test carried out within 48 hours of boarding, a vaccination card that confirms that all required vaccinations are at least 14 days prior to boarding Flight completed, or a document showing that you have recovered from COVID-19 within the last 180 days.
How to get tested for COVID-19 in Turkey
It is extremely easy to get a COVID-19 PCR test in Turkey. All state hospitals offer the test for free to some groups of people such as students or teachers, while private hospitals charge around 250 TL (about $ 30). All airports in Turkey also have test centers and the cost is around 170 TL. In Istanbul, for example, Istanbul Airport has a 24-hour PCR test center in the arrivals hall (exit gate number 14) that efficiently offers tests and results. The results of the PCR test are provided in 1 1/2 hours and the center also offers the antibody blood test, which determines whether someone has been previously infected with COVID-19, and the antigen test, which determines whether the person is still sick. The antibody test takes 45 minutes to display results, while the antigen test results are published in just 20 minutes.
COVID-19 nasal swab laboratory test. (Shutterstock photo)
To be tested, simply get a queue number by clicking the “I want to be tested” button at the kiosk that accepts cash or credit cards. Remember that in order to get your results you will also need to get a queue number by clicking on the “I want to get my test results” option on the ticket machine in the testing area.
Resources on Turkey, COVID-19, and Travel for Expats and Visitors
Throughout the pandemic, the Coronavirus Turkey – UK Information Facebook group, run by a number of expats and Turkish translators, has provided invaluable knowledge and support to expats with ties to Turkey. In addition, the group publishes daily statistics and event maps from the HES app upon request so that everyone can easily see how high the infection rate is in their area of interest in Turkey.
“Travel Bug” is another Facebook group that was founded in 2019 by John McLaughlin, who drove from Great Britain to Didim, Turkey with his son. The photos they took and the adventures they shared from their trip have spawned a popular Facebook travel group among expats traveling between the two countries or somehow related to travel and Turkey. This group inspired Lucie Fontana, whose husband was in Turkey when the UK cracked down, to create the Facebook group “Come fly with me!”. which focuses on air travel between countries. This extremely helpful and active group has skyrocketed and has nearly 9,000 members, all discussing topics related to coronavirus, Turkey, and travel.
Turkey’s Doc Martins Surgery for Expats has always served as the official guide to everything Turkey-related and has a blog site that explains the answers to most of your questions in detail. In addition to practical information on staying in Turkey, the group also answers questions such as how to get an EU QR code attached to a Turkish vaccination certificate. Meanwhile, “Bodrum Echo Community”, “Fethiye Times” and “The Ege Eye” have always been excellent sources of information about Turkey and all of them have active Facebook pages.
