Visa requirements for Turkish citizens

With the rising Schengen visa problems experienced by Turkish citizens, a Turkish man from Istanbul will be unable to attend his own wedding in Germany due to the rejection of his application, local media has reported.

Complaints about the Schengen visa, which is required for Turkish citizens to enter European Union member countries, have increased recently.

Turkish people spend some 100 million euros annually to obtain Schengen visas, an expert has said, amid a period when Turkish citizens face increased scrutiny of their visa applications and have to wait for months to get an appointment date.

Visa-free travel between Russia and Turkey goes into effect starting today, said Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement on Aug 7.

Ankara welcomed Moscow's move to lift visa requirements for Turkish service passport holders and truck drivers traveling to Russia, according to a Turkish foreign ministry spokesman on Feb. 6.

The attraction of a Greek passport is seen as one of the main factors behind the recent rise in demand for the acquisition of properties in this country in exchange for a golden visa, i.e. a five-year residence permit that eventually leads to obtaining a Greek passport.

An EU official on Nov. 28 said that Turkey is close to completing all criteria for visa-free travel of citizens.

Uzbekistan announced on Feb. 10 it will allow 30-day visa-free entry to citizens of seven countries including Turkey, according to local media reports.

The European Commission has proposed to lift visa requirements for Turkish citizens, arguing that in view of the fast progress currently on show, Turkey could fulfil all necessary criteria by the end of June.

The European Commission is today proposing to the European Parliament and Council of the European Union to lift the visa requirements for the citizens of Turkey, under the understanding that the Turkish authorities will fulfill the outstanding benchmarks of its Visa Liberalization Roadmap.

Turkey is expecting a big step from the European Union on May 4 toward ending visa requirements for Turkish citizens, as a deal to get Turkey to stop migrants from entering the bloc gathers pace.

The EU's executive commission is expected to invite member states and lawmakers to vote before the end of June to lift visas on Turks for short-term leisure or business stays.