Turkey officials not accepting Lira for tourist visa

[Bob 4]

We went to Turkey from TRNC a few years ago with the intention of getting the tourist Visa at Istanbul airport. The official there wanted payment in Dollars, Pounds or Euros he refused to accept Turkish Lira's. It rang alarm bells then about the state of their stability when a country won't accept their own currency.

[Maisiemoo]

Have been going to Turkey for many years and always paid with a £10 note (before the evisa came in)I believe the visa fee was always calculated by which passport you held.

[13roman58]

In my experience the visa was always paid foreign currency,I remember when it was just a fiver chucked into a crisp box if you put a tenner down no change given!!

[Laura B]

Yes definitely always foreign currency. Also residents permits were always calculated in foreign currency then if one wanted to pay in lira it was the exchange rate of the day. I think it is still the same now but not absolutely sure.

[mermaidsexist]

Whenever i have bought a visa at the airport in turkey in the past it was always in sterling or they would accept dollars. never have they accepted turkish lira when I've heard of anyone ask. now its all done online. and yep i remember seeing several people putting larger notes down and asking where their change was only to be met with a shrug or 'we don't give change" i don't think its anything to do with the state of the economy, as i can remember as far back as 13 year ago them not taking lira at certain turkish airport.

[woodspeckie]

When you apply for e-visa online you pay in dollars by credit card, last year it was 40dollars then it was approx £12.

[ttoli]

and it has taken the OP 4 years to post this ?? , they have never accepted TL !

[JoandJelly]

We did pay in TL once because we insisted on it (didn't have any other currency). They weren't best pleased but did do it. We didn't get the usual sticky stamp visa but an ink stamp which had to be filled in by hand. Totally threw the gentleman at passport control. More trouble than it was worth.