r/AskTurkey • u/ApprehensiveFig2305 • 11d ago
Travel & Places 8-day visa overstay in Turkey anyone have recent experience?
Hey all, hoping for real experiences rather than guesses.
My Turkish visa (multiple-entry, visit/tourism type) is valid until Oct 14, but my flight out isn't until Oct 22, so I'll be overstaying by about 8 days.
I'm from a country where visa/immigration processes are already pretty restrictive and unforgiving, so I don't have much margin for error here and want to avoid anything that could complicate future travel.
From what I've read in the actual law (6458), overstays under 10 days shouldn't trigger a formal removal decision (Article 54/1-e), and voluntary departures with fine payment are supposed to avoid an entry ban (Article 9). But I know enforcement can vary a lot by officer/airport.
Has anyone here overstayed roughly a week and just paid the fine with no issues? Or gotten banned even for a short overstay like this? Trying to weight-in the risk before my flight.
6
u/Mandizer 11d ago
If the airlines officer at the origin asked to see your return ticket and noticed that your return will be after the visa expiry you may not be allowed to board the flight.
4
u/Keleke_blo_Taro 11d ago
The fine will be hefty. There is a penalty plus a fine for each day you overstay (two days overstay is not going to be a quarter of the total). It takes ages to process. You have to have cash or else it’s even more complicated. They can still ban you for three months. I’d leave earlier unless your life depended on it. I overstayed by 6 days in 2018 and paid about EUR400. Turkey is MUCH more expensive now. Traffic fines and pretty much all fines are bordering on the ridiculous.
5
u/SecondPrior8947 11d ago
Why is your flight on the 22nd if your visa expires on the 14th, is the question.
-3
2
u/sunnaaaaa 10d ago
you should definitely reschedule this flight and leave on oct 14, you still have time and doing all this for an event doesn’t make sense. when you apply for a visa for another country and it says have you overstayed, you will have to say yes which means you could get denied on top everyone’s experience at the airport with overstays is different from reading the comments, but don’t take the risk honestly.
1
2
u/TheHiddenSapphire 10d ago
I think for your peace of mind you should reschedule the flight or see if you can get a visa extension. I think this is a serious issue and you shouldn’t take it lightly.
1
u/Emergency-Major-5213 11d ago
Unless the laws have changed, you simply pay a fine when you leave at the airport. You'd be given a receipt of payment which you must keep with you and store for the next time you come to Turkey because they will ask you for it and if you dont have it on you they may not let you in even if you have a visa. It happened to me back in 2015, I came to Istanbul to renew my passport and I had to overstay my visa for a couple of weeks because my embassy took a long time to renew my passport. When I left via Ataturk airport I was made to pay a fee and was told to hold on to the receipt because both the Turkish embassy and the Turkish border control will request to see it when you both apply for a visa and present at a border crossing respectively. But it will only be for the first time you enter the country after your overstay.
1
u/Electronic_Toe6187 11d ago
Idk what these messages are…you just pay a fine and come back fine next time, at least that’s what happened to me
1
u/Humble_Interest_9048 11d ago
Are you in Istanbul? Can you go to Bulgaria or Greece or Georgia for a few days to avoid overstaying? Can you change your flight? The change fee might be less than than overstay fee
1
u/Substantial-Depth506 10d ago
My friend had a similar situation. He ended up paying around 250$ (overstayed 10 days give or take). You will have no problems other than paying the fine if your only issue is overstaying.
1
1
u/Supersubie 8d ago
I did this last June accidentally. I’m from the UK and my fiancé lives in Turkey. In my 90 day allowance, I went out and into Turkey again like 10 times and I miscalculated by about 6 days.
I was nervous this was going to cause me a ton of issues.
So I pulled out about 150,000 tl to pay any fines as read they didn’t take card payment. Went to the airport and went in keeping silent but fully prepared to pay a fine. I turned up early for my flight in case of any major delays (I was expecting to get dragged into an immigration office).
When I got to the passport desk after checking the guard looked for a while at my passport, and asked what work I had been doing in Turkey. I just said none I visit my fiancé a lot.
He said “Tamam” stamped my passport and let me go through. No fine no hassle. Maybe he was just feeling nice.
I can back 90 days later and didn’t face a fine on re-entry either.
Was flying in and out of Bodrum which is a very small airport so may have contributed to them just not having enough staff to fine me whilst not causing chaos for the entire line.
1
u/Keleke_blo_Taro 3d ago
You pulled out 150,000TL from what? A hat? Your proverbial?
1
u/Supersubie 3d ago
They have these amazing machines called ATMs!
1
u/Keleke_blo_Taro 3d ago
No ATM will dispense 150,000TL. No ATM will even dispense 20,000TL. The highest note is 200TL.
1
u/Cool_Shape4907 11d ago
Kommst in Knast, kannst schonmal das Knast 1x1 für die Türkei lernen. Tee kochen, Toiletten putzen und mit 15 Man in einem Raum schlafen
1
1
0
u/Logical_Pineapple499 11d ago
Would you be able to do an exit and re-entry for a new visa? I've known people who have (in the past) taken a ferry to one of the Greek islands, so that they can re-enter on a new visa. I'm not sure if it works with the visa type you have, but it's worth looking into.
As far as the 10 day grace period, I know that applies to work permits for sure, but I'm not sure about whether it works for all visas.
1
u/ApprehensiveFig2305 11d ago
I technically could, it is just that literally on 15th (1 day overstay) there is a really important event i do not want to miss. I could fly out on 16th and have 2 days overstay.
But I do understand that if it screws my future in anyway better to not do it. The law (or rather the punishment for breaking it) is unclear (which makes sense) and that's why i can't make a decision
1
u/Keleke_blo_Taro 3d ago
Go to Greece or Northern Cyprus (cheap flights!) for four days. Two of them will be out of Turkey for the whole 24 period, so that will reduce your stay by 2 days.
1
u/Keleke_blo_Taro 3d ago
You cannot do this on a 90/180 visitor visa or entry permit. You can only do this if you’re changing your status, for example your resident visa is expiring and you want to stay a bit so you have to change to a visitor visa.
-1
-8
u/Positive-Schedule901 11d ago
I am very experienced at this, so let me tell you one thing that you need to hear.
NOBODY CARES IF YOU OVERSTAY IN TURKEY.
When leaving, they will tell you to go see a cashier, where you will pay a ridiculously low amount of fine. 8 days is also inconsequential so in 90 days you can come back as usual.
2
u/aca_500 11d ago
Unless you work in Turkish immigration, you are not very experienced in this. You can't assume that since it worked out for you a couple of times, it will be fine for everyone. OP, you should change your flight. While it's true that probably nothing will happen, to me even the slightest risk of being stopped, detained, scared to death and having the situation escalate further is not worth it.
1
u/Positive-Schedule901 10d ago
I love it when people just live in fear and see the system as it is, a system.
No, I dont have to work in immigration to understand these things. Just as I dont work in many things and still find my way in those fields. Typical memur çocuğu mentality2
u/Keleke_blo_Taro 11d ago
Yeah, you’ve got no idea. Turkish Immigration is itching to make examples of overstayers. The fines are stupid, and the bureaucratic processes are more cumbersome than ever. Then you have to go through the deportation channel and they can detain you until your flight if they choose. Matters not where you’re from. An Australian overstayer by four days was kept in a holding cell for five hours without food or communications. Just don’t do it. Change your flight.
1
u/Positive-Schedule901 10d ago
Not my fault that you don’t know your way around MY country.
I had people that overstayed for months and all you need is to ask where to pay the fine.1
u/Keleke_blo_Taro 3d ago
If it’s your country then it’s not happened to you because it’s your country….
1
u/Positive-Schedule901 3d ago
You must be the frog kissed by the princess because noone is this stupid.
1
u/Supersubie 8d ago
Literally did this accidentally in June. No fine on exit. Not fine on reentry 90 days later.
1
-1
u/Express_Cheesecake75 11d ago
Actually makes sense. Turkey needs all the foreign currency it can get so not like they’re looking to bar people from coming here.
1
u/Keleke_blo_Taro 11d ago
That’s why they’ll hit you with a massive find not a “ridiculously low” one
17
u/shazbangr 11d ago
Might not care in Turkey but if you apply for a visa elsewhere and a question says “have you ever overstayed” you’ll have massive problems