Important Facts
Climate
Currency
Postal systems and telephone
Working Hours
Important service telephone numbers
Visa Requirements
Customs Regulations
Important Facts
Local Time: GMT+2hours (Summer).
Electricity: 220 volts AC all over Turkey
(A European adaptor will be suitable).
Weights and measurements: Metric System
Foreign Newspapers: Available in large cities and
tourist areas.
Interpreters-guides: Ministry of Tourism Offices
and travel agents can provide professional interpreters/guides.
Travel agents are obliged to
provide a professional interpreter/guide on all of
their tours.
Doctors and dentists: Doctors and dentists can
be found in Turkey's major hospitals and private
practices.
Road Signs: Turkish road signs conform to the International
Protocol on Road Signs. Archeological
and Historical sites are indicated by brown signs.
Traffic Circulation: Traffic circulates on the right
and the Turkish Highway code is similar to that of
other European countries. There is a 50 km/hr
speed limit on urban centers and 90 km/hr limit
outside urban areas. There is no need to obtain
an international license to drive in Turkey for short periods.
Your local drives license is sufficient.
Petrol: Filling stations are well placed; many of
them also contain restaurants that are open 24
hours. Unleaded petrol is available at most stations.
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Climate
Although Turkey is situated in large Mediterranean geographical
location where climatic conditions are
quite temperate, diverse nature of the landscape,
and the existence in particular of the mountains
that run parallel to the coasts, result in significant
differences in climatic conditions from one region
to the other.
While the coastal areas enjoy milder climates, the
inland Anatolian plateau experiences extremes of
hot summers and cold winters with limited rainfall.
The
Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have cool,
rainy winters and hot, moderately dry summers.
Annual precipitation in those areas varies from 580
to 1,300 millimeters, depending on location.
The Black Sea coast receives the greatest amount
of rainfall. The eastern part of that receives 2,200 millimeters
annually and is the only region of
Turkey that receives rainfall throughout the year.
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Currency
The
currency for Turkey is the Turkish Lira
Limits: There is no limit on the amount of foreign
currency that may be brought into Turkey, but not
more than US$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).
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Postal systems and telephone
Turkish
post and telephone offices are easily recognizable by their
"PTT" and "Turk Telekom" signs. Major
post offices are open from 8 :00am to 12 am Monday to Saturday
and 9:00am to 7:00 pm on Sunday. Small post offices have the
same hours as Government offices (see below).
Poste
restante
Poste restante letters should be addressed
"postrestant" to the central post office ("Merkez
Postanesi") in the town of your choice. It is only necessary
to produce and identification card when collecting your letter.
This service is for sending
and receiving documents from other countries.
Fax
Office
Fax service is available for sending and receiving documents
from other countries.
Valuable
Dispatch
This service is for sending valuable belongings or important
documents.
Other
PTT services
It is possible to exchange money at some PTT
branches at the current international exchange rate. International
post orders and travellers cheques can
also be exchanged.
An express postal service (Acele Posta Servisi -APS) operates
from Turkey to 72 other countries for letters, documents and
small packages. Stamp collectors will
be delighted with the wide range of special stamps available
from the philatelic section. International subscriptions are
also available.
Phone
calls
The most economic way to telephone in Turkey is
from a PTT telephone booth (Found in all towns.)
Tokens in three sizes for local, intercity and
international calls can be purchased from all PTT
offices. Telephone cards are also available.
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Working Hours
Government
offices: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm;
1:30 pm-5:30 pm (Closed Saturday and Sundays,
open daily in tourist areas)
Banks:
8:30 am - 12:00 pm; 1:30 pm-5:00 pm
(Closed Saturday and Sundays, open daily in tourist areas)
Shops:
9:30 am - 7:00 pm (In tourist areas, closing times vary, some
close around midnight)
Covered
Bazaar- Istanbul: 8:am - 7:pm (Closed Sundays)
Summer
hours: In the Aegean and the Medditerranian regions of
Turkey, government offices and many other establishments are
closed in the afternoon during the summer months. These summer
hours are fixed each year by the provincial governors.
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Important
service telephone numbers
Traffic Police (Trafik Polisi) 154
Polis (Police) 155
Gendarmerie (Jandarma) 156
Fire (Itfaiye) 110
PTT Information 161
Emergency 112
International Operator 118
Municipal Police (Zabita) 153
Wake up call 135
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Visa Requirements
Those
who can take visa from border gates
(only for normal passport holders)
Those who can take from border gates
banderole visa for 3 months:
USA, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Netherland, England,
Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Portugal.
Those
who can take from border gates
1 month valid banderole visa:
Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Czech Republic,
Armenia, Estonia, Latvia,Lithuania, Hungary,
Moldova, Uzbekistan, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Jordan, Ukraine,
Yugoslavia.
Those
who can take from border gates
banderole visa for 15 days :
Georgia.
Those
who can take from border gates visa against receipt:
Guatemala (at least 15 days), Taiwan (at least 1 day)
Those who can take visa from our Foreign Representatives:
All the citizens of the countries,exept for the ones who Turkey
does not require visa and those who take visa from border
gates, are to apply for visa beforehand to our Embassies or
Consulates.
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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, flageole, 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).
1.5 kg. coffee, 1.5kg. instant coffee, 500 grams
of tea.
1 kg. chocolate and 1 kg. 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) 212 35 72 - 212 60 10 (10 lines),
Fax: (312) 221 32 26 or write to Ulastirma Bakanligi Telsiz
Gn. Md. Emek - Ankara.
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