Currency Regulations
Limits: There is no limit on the amount of foreign currency that may be
brought into Turkey, but not more than 5 5,000 worth of Turkish currency may
be brought into or taken out of the country.
Exchange slips: The exchange slips for the conversion of foreign currency
into Turkish lira should be kept, since you may be required to show these
when reconverting your Turkish lira back into foreign currency, and when
taking souvenirs out of the country (to prove that they have been purchased
with legally exchanged foreign currency).
Customs Regulations
On Entry
The following items may be brought into the country duty free:
▪ personal effects of the tourist.
▪ one TV, one colour pocket TV (maximum 16 cm screen), one TV-tape-radio
combination, one video recording camera and 5 video cassettes (blank); 5
records, 5 tape cassettes or compact discs.
▪ one video player, cine-projector (8 mm) and 10 rolls of film (blank), one
slide projector.
▪ one pocket computer (maximum main memory capacity Ram 128k. Byte),
electronic playing devices (without cassette - keyboard).
▪ one transistor radio and portable radio - tape player (its specification
to be determined by the Ministry of Finance and Customs), one Walkman or
pocket tape recorder, one portable compact disc player.
▪ binoculars (one pair, except night binoculars)
▪ harmonica, mandolin, flageolet, flute, guitar, and accordion (only one of
each type, maximum 3 musical instruments).
▪ personal sports equipment.
▪ necessary medical items.
▪ bicycle, baby buggy, toys.
▪ 200 cigarettes and 50 cigars.
▪ 200 grams of tobacco and 200 cigarette papers, or 50 grams of chewing
tobacco or 200 grams of pipe tobacco, or 200 grams of snuff.
▪ (In addition to the above allowances, it is possible to purchase 400
cigarettes, 100 cigars, and 500 grams of pipe tobacco from the Turkish Duty
Free Shops upon entering the country).
▪ 1.5kg. coffee, 1.5kg. instant coffee, 500 grams of tea.
▪ 1 kilo chocolate and 1 kilo sweets.
▪ 5 (100 cc) or 7 (70 cc) bottles of wines and/or spirits.
▪ five bottles of perfume (120 ml max. each).
▪ one portable typewriter.
▪ one camera with 5 rolls of film.
▪ First aid, and spare parts for the car.
▪ Other items necessary during the journey.
Valuable items and all items with a value of over $ 15,000 must be
registered in the owner's passport upon entering Turkey, for control upon
exit.
Antiques brought into the country must be registered in the owner's
passport to avoid difficulties on exit.
Sharp instruments (including camping knives) and weapons may not be
brought into the country without special permission.
The bringing into the country, trade, and consumption of marijuana and
all other narcotics is strictly forbidden and subject to heavy punishment.
Gifts, not exceeding 500 DM in value and not for trading purposes, may be
brought into the country duty free. In addition, gifts not exceeding 500 OM
in value may be posted to Turkey duty free, if the date stamped by the
sending post office falls one month before, or one month after the following
holidays: Seker Bayrami, Kurban Bayrami, Christmas, and New Year's.
Note: Cellular Telephones entering the country must be accompanied by a
certification form showing ownership. Ownership must be documented in the
passport of the owner and will be checked on entry and exit. For more
information contact the Ministry of Transportation, General Directorate at
Tel: (312) 2123572-2126010 (10 lines), Fax: (312) 2213226 or write to
Ulastirma Bakanligi Telsiz Gn. Md. Emek - Ankara.
On exit
Gifts and souvenirs: for a new carpet, a proof of purchase; for old
items, a certificate from a directorate of a museum is necessary.
Exporting antiques from Turkey is forbidden.
Valuable personal items can only be taken out of the country providing
they have been registered in the owner's passport upon entry, or providing
they can show they have been purchased with legally exchanged currency.
Minerals may only be exported from the country with a special document
obtained from the MTA (General Directorate of Mining Exploration and
Research). Etüdler Dairesi 06520, Ankara. Tel: (312) 2873430/1622, Fax:
(312) 2854271
Tax Refund
You Can Receive a Tax Refund for the Goods You Purchased In Turkey!
Refunds will be made to travellers who do not reside in Turkey.
All goods (including food and drinks) are included in the refunds with
the exclusion of services rendered.
The minimum amount of purchase that qualifies for refund is 5.000.000 TL.
Retailers that qualify for tax refunds must be "authorised for refund."
These retailers must display a permit received from their respective tax
office.
The retailer will make four copies of the receipt for your refund, three
of which will be received by the purchaser. If photocopies of the receipt
are received the retailer must sign and stamp the copies to validate them.
If you prefer the refund to be made by check, a Tax-free Shopping Check for
the amount to be refunded to the customer must be given along with the
receipt.
For the purchaser to benefit from this exemption he must leave the
country within three months with the goods purchased showing them to Turkish
customs officials along with the appropriate receipts and! or check.
There are four ways to receive your refund:
▪ If the retailer gives you a check it can he cashed at a bank in the
customs area at the airport. If it is not possible to cash the check upon
departure or if you do not wish to cash it then, .e customer must, within
one month, send a copy of the receipt showing that the goods have left the
country to the retailer who will, within ten days upon receiving the
receipt, send a bank transfer to the purchaser's hank or address.
▪ If the certified receipt and check are brought back to the retailer on
a subsequent visit thin one-month of the date of customs certification, the
refund can be made directly to the purchaser.
▪ Retailers may directly refund the amount to trustworthy customers upon
purchase
▪ The refund may be made by the organisation of those companies that are
authorised to make tax refunds.
Additional information: Ministry of Finance and Tax Dept. General
Directorate, (Maliye Bakanligi, Gelirler Genel Müdürlügü) KDV Subesi 06100,
Ulus - Ankara. Tel: (312) 3103880/725-728-735, Fax: (312) 3114510.
Health Regulations for Pets
For those who wish to bring domestic animals into the country the
following are required:
▪ Pets have to be 3 months and older
▪ An International Certificate of Health issued within 15 days before the
travel
▪ The Identification Card
▪ Vaccination Card
Note: If you have an official certificate, you may bring one cat, one
bird, one dog and 10 aquarium fish into the country. To get information for
the importation of pets, please see the Consular Services.
Motorist Rules
General. Those who wish to enter the country with their vans, minibuses,
automobiles, station wagons, bicycles, motorcycles, motorbikes, sidecars,
buses, motor coaches, trailers, caravans or other transport vehicles, will
have to provide the following documentations:
▪ Passport.
▪ International driving license.
▪ Car license (document where all details related to the car and the
owner's name are registered). If it is somebody else's vehicle a power of
attorney should be provided.
▪ International green card (Insurance card). The TR sign should be
visible.
▪ Transit book "Carnet de passage" (for those who want to proceed to the
Middle East).
Period: The vehicle can be brought into Turkey for up to 6 Months. The
owner should declare on the opposite form, the date of departure at the
border gate and should absolutely ve the country at the date declared. If
for any important reason the staying period has to be ended, it is necessary
to apply to;
▪ The Turkish Touring and Automobile Club (Türkiye Turing ve Otomobil
Kurumu) 1. Sanayi Sitesi Yani, 4.Levent, Istanbul, Tel: (212) 2828140, or to
The General Directorate of Customs (Gümrükler Genel Müdürlügü), Ulus Ankara
Tel: (312) 3103880, 3103818, Fax: (312) 3111346, before the end of the
period declared.
In Case of Accident: The accident should be reported to the police or
gendarme. That report has to be certified by the nearest local authority.
The owner should apply to the customs authority with his passport and
report.
If the vehicle can be repaired, it is necessary to inform the customs
authority first and take the vehicle to a garage. If the vehicle is not
repairable and if the owner wishes to leave the country without his vehicle,
he has to deliver it to the nearest customs office, and the registration of
his vehicle on his passport will be cancelled. (Only after the cancellation
can the owner of the vehicle leave the country.)
Following an accident, you can telephone:
▪ Trafik Polisi (Traffic Police) Tel :154
▪ Jandarma (Gendarme) Tel :156
For more information, contact the Touring and Automobile Association of
Turkey.
Underwater Diving
Diving for purposes of sport, with proper equipment and in non-restricted
areas, is permitted. Foreign divers should have official documentation of
their specifics and training and must be accompanied, when diving, by a
licensed Turkish guide.
The limit for diving with diving gear is 30 metres. For educational
purposes, this limit is extended to 42 metres. Dives exceeding 30 metres
must be carried out with proper diving and medical equipment. In order to
protect Turkish archaeological and cultural values. It is strictly forbidden
to transport Turkish antiquities or natural specimens.
Postal System
Turkish post-offices are easily recognized by their black PTT letters on
a yellow background. Major post offices are open from 8:00 a.m. till 12:00
p.m., Monday/Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m., Sunday. Small
post-offices have the same hours as the government offices.
Postal charges vary for different services depending on destination. Post
restante letters should be addressed "postrestant" to the central
post-office Merkez Postanesi, in the town of your choice. You have to show
your identification card to collect your letters.
All PTT branches have the facilities to exchange money at the current
international exchange rates, as well as international postal orders and
travellers' cheques. There is also an express postal service (APS) operating
to 90 countries for letters , documents and small packages. A wide variety
of special stamps are available in all PTT centres for philatelists.
To phone from PTT telephone booths, which are extensively found in all
areas; telephone cards , and tokens (";jetton") in three sizes are used.
Local, inter-city and international calls can be made from all PTT offices.
Besides these main offices there are also mobile PTT services in the tourist
areas. For the area codes of major cities and tourist areas in Turkey,
please see the "Area Codes" list. Foreign countries area codes are indicated
in the International Telephone Codes list.
Some important service numbers are:
▪ 155 Police
▪ 112 Emergency
▪ 110 Fire
▪ 118 Unknown Numbers
▪ 161 PTT Information.
Tourist Health
Turkish Tourist Health Society (Turizm Sagligi Dernegi-Hacettepe
Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi Plastik ve Rekonstrüktif Cerrahi Ana Bilim Dali,
Sihhiye 06100 ANKARA Tel: (312) 311 93 93-310 98 08) performs the functions
below, to provide the travellers in the entire country, mainly in the
tourist regions, with proper health care:
▪ to secure food hygiene
▪ to prevent environmental pollution
▪ to ensure hygiene and healthy working-conditions in tourist
establishments.
Working Hours
Government Offices:
▪ Monday-Friday (8:30-12:30), (13:30-17:30).
▪ Saturday-Sunday (closed)
Banks:
▪ Monday-Friday (8:30-12-00), (13:30-17:00)
▪ Saturday-Sunday (closed)
Other Practical Information
Local time:
▪ GMT+3 hours (April-September) GMT+2 hours (October-March)
Time Differences:
▪ France: -1
▪ Netherlands: -1
▪ Australia: +8
▪ Germany: -1
▪ Austria: -1
▪ Greece: 0
▪ Sweden: -1
▪ Italy: -1
▪ Switzerland: -1
▪ England: -2
▪ USA: -7 (EST), -10 (WEST)
▪ Russia: -1 (Moscow)
* These time differences are for the period October-March; however, they
may show variances according to each country's own time-saving adjustments.
Electricity:
▪ 220 volts AC/50 Hz. all over Turkey. (Industrial:380 V) Plug: European
round/ 2-prong plug.
Water:
Although tap water is safe to drink since it is chlorinated, it is
recommended to get advice from the concerned authorities of the places
resided.
Weights and Measures:
▪ 1 inch = 2.54 centimetres , 1 centimetre = 0.3937 inches
▪ 1 yard = 0,9144 meters, 1 meter = 1.0936 yards
▪ 1 mile = 1,6093 kilometres, 1 kilometre = 0.6214 miles
▪ 1 pound = 0,4536 kilograms, 1 kilogram = 2.2046 pounds
Area:
▪ 1 acres = 0,4047 Hectares, 1 hectare = 2.471 acres
Newspapers and Magazines:
Foreign newspapers and magazines are available in big cities and tourist
areas. Also there is a Turkish daily newspaper, Daily News, published in
English.
Tipping:
At various establishments like hotels, restaurants, Turkish baths,
barbers and hairdressers, tipping at a rate of 5%-15% of the total is
common. Taxi and "dolmus" drivers on the other hand, do not expect tips or
even rounded fares.
Visiting a mosque:
Five times a day, the "müezzin" calls the faithful to prayer in the
mosque. Before entering a mosque, Muslims wash themselves and remove their
shoes. Foreign visitors should also remove their shoes and show the respect
they would any other house of worship and avoid visiting the mosque during
prayer time. Women should cover their heads and arms, and not wear
miniskirts. Men should not wear shorts. (In certain famous mosques, overalls
are provided for those not suitably dressed).
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