Flying to, but not entering, Turkey without passport
I am a Swedish citizen and will fly to Saudi Arabia (with approproate visa) shortly. My route is as follows; Gothenburg-Istanbul and Istanbul-Riyadh (GOT-IST-RUH). On the flight IST-RUH, I will be travelling with my mother flying from Stockholm (ARN-IST-RUH). We both fly with, and have booked our tickets at Turkish Airlines.
My question now is, can I travel to IST without my passport, meet with my mother in the international area of the terminal (provided that we end up in the same arrival terminal), receive my passport who my mother (who may pick it up from the visa application center) and give it to me for the continued travel.
In short; can I enter the terminal without passport, or do I need a passport already before entering the airport in Turkey?
Best Answer
You won't be able to board in GOT unless you have your passport; they'll check your documents for RUH at that point. Maybe you can talk them into checking you in for the GOT-IST leg without issuing a boarding pass for the IST-RUH leg, but I wouldn't count on it if I were you, especially not on the strength of advice from strangers on the internet.
In fact, since Swedish citizens are not among those who can enter Turkey with a national ID, you will almost certainly be unable to board the first leg of your flight without your passport.
I would advise you to call the airline and run this idea past them. They are the only ones who will be able to tell you whether they will allow you to board their airplanes.
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Can you enter Turkey without a passport?
Passports must be valid for six months beyond your entry date. You will be denied entry into Turkey if there is not enough space for entry and exit stamps in your passport. You need a visa to travel to Turkey.What happens if you enter Turkey illegally?
Illegal entry into Turkey will be subject to deportation. If you enter the country illegally, even if you are arrested while leaving, you will be expelled from Turkey. The same goes for staying longer than a visa. Anyone who refuses to apply for asylum in Turkey has no right to remain in this country.Can I fly to Turkey with ID card?
Travel to Turkey with your identity card (ID card) Then you can also travel with your ID card and you don't need to possess a valid passport. You are, however, required to adhere to the remaining Turkey visa requirements.Which countries can enter Turkey without passport?
The Turkish government announced that effective from 2 March 2020, visas are not required for passport holders from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Republic of Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.Who can enter Turkey without a valid passport?
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Answer 2
Most likely, NO. Not a chance you should rely on.
Because GOT-IST is an international flight, the Turkish gate staff will verify all passengers have travel docs, almost always a Passport, during boarding. They might not actually check it, just seeing that you have it.
Answer 3
TK staff will not let you board the plane without a passport. Suppose you succeeded in that. In IST the security checkpoint attendant will not let you take the escalators up to the transit hall. You will end up sitting in the airport police station for couple hours until your mom finds you and finally missing your connecting flight.
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