Warning over fake Turkey tourist visas
Travellers to Turkey are being warned about websites selling fake visas to the country.
Up to a hundred UK holidaymakers purchased fake e-visas which were only discovered on arrival in Turkey, at which point authentic visas had to be repurchased at the airport at a higher cost.
Nikki White, ABTA’s head of destinations and sustainability, said: "Fraudulent websites targeting visa applications and other tourism services, such as passport renewals and EHIC cards, are a problem in the industry and we would always recommend going directly to the relevant official government website.
"The problem of fraudulent e-visas to Turkey is particularly concerning as many of these sites look bona fide. If you are unsure, check with your ABTA travel company or visit the FCO’s travel advice online to obtain the official website address."
ABTA, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Get Safe Online are warning visitors to only obtain e-visas from the official Republic of Turkey website.
The warning is particularly urgent because the on-arrival service is due to be phased out which could leave travellers who had purchased a fake visa unable to enter the country at all.
The official Turkish e-visa site is: https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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