Do I need a passport to fly from UK to Bulgaria through Istanbul?
Tuesday I'm travelling from Birmingham, UK to Sofia, Bulgaria. The flight is with Turkish Airlines and it is a connecting flight which means it will go from Birmingham to Istanbul, and then to Sofia. Since I lost my passport I am not sure whether I could go through the Istanbul Airport.
Normally, if I were to travel directly from UK to Bulgaria I would only need my personal ID card since both countries are in the EU, but I'm not entirely sure if I could go through the Turkish airport with my ID card.
Best Answer
The following is without guarantee and the airline may still deny you boarding if it thinks a passport should be held.
If the airport in Istanbul is Ataturk airport (IST) you should not need to clear Turkish immigration - thus you should be OK with your national ID only. The website of the airport does not give any information for international to international transport.
For reference: if immigration procedures were required, a passport would be required - unless you're a national of one of the countries nationals of which are allowed entry to Turkey with a national ID.
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ISTANBUL Turkey to PLOVDIV Bulgaria by Bus - EU Border Crossing
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