The new third stage of Turkey’s reopening also known as “gradual normalization period” will allow all types of businesses that have suspended their commercial activities to reopen and operate through extended hours.

Also, open-air concerts, youth camps and festivals will be allowed at a limited capacity so participants can observe social distancing.

However, a particular ban on night music events will be enforced starting today at midnight, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

(Source: AATurkey)

June 17 – Turkey reopened to all countries without testing requirements from June 12

Turkey reopened its international land, sea and air borders to visitors from all over the world without any testing or quarantine restrictions from June 12.

“All passengers, of all nationalities, who meet Turkish immigration rules are permitted entry to Turkey from 12 June,” reads a statement issued by the embassy for the United Kingdom in Turkey.

The only requirements still in force are those that passengers had “before pandemic times.”

Upon arrival, all travelers will be subject to a medical evaluation for symptoms of coronavirus.

Passengers displaying COVID-19 associated symptoms will be required to undergo a PCR test and possibly quarantine. (Source)

June 1 – Turkey to drop COVID-19 test requirement for 16 countries from June 1

Turkey started a slow reopening process on May 17, after a 17-day full lockdown that greatly helped flatten the COVID-19 curve.

Given the positive results, the government went ahead with its scheduled dropping on domestic restrictions. So here is what the country will look like starting today.

Effective today, the new curfew will go from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. On Sundays the full lockdown curfew will continue until further notice, though.

Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to have customers from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Also, the government announced that travelers arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Israel, Japan, UK, Latvia, Luxembourg, Ukraine, and Estonia will be allowed entry without COVID-19 test, said President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at Cabinet meeting in Ankara.

(Source: GardaWorld)

May 15 – Turkey to start reopening after 20-day full lockdown

Turkish officials will be analyzing the results of the 20-day full lockdown aiming to safely restart the economy.

As soon as the daily COVID-19 cases drop to 10,000, the government will start implementing their “normalization plans”. May 15 is a key date because it marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan so they can actually see if the restrictions worked.

“We will see the effects of the restrictions more clearly in the figures to be released on May 14 and May 15. Because when a measure is taken, the effect of this occurs after 12-14 days. But as of May 17, not everything will open up at once,” said an official.

If so, the country will reopen small businesses and face-to-face education. Weddings and other religious services that gather a considerable number of people will remain banned.

March 28

Starting March 15, all visitors arriving in Turkey (excepting transit passengers) must fill out the “Form for Entry to Turkey” within the last 72 hours before checking in at the airport.

Additionally, depending on local restrictions, national and foreign citizens may be required to use a HES code (a personal code implemented by governments lately in order to reduce the number of passengers at an airport who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been in closed contact with a positive patient), but in this case to enter official buildings, and public spaces such as malls, restaurants, cafes, libraries, sport centers, wedding halls, barbers, beauty parlors, massage parlors and game halls.

March 5

Effective March 5, the Turkish government started enforcing a new four-tier system on COVID-19 restrictions. As of today, provinces are now divided into 4 different risk groups: low (blue), medium (yellow), high (orange), and very high (red) based on the number of infections and vaccination rates.

Visitors can check the map to see the restrictions that apply to their destination.

Four-tier restriction system in Turkey

Is Turkey open for tourists?

Yes, Turkey is open to tourists from all countries without quarantine or testing.

Do visitors have to take COVID-19 test on arrival?

No, they do not. Unless they show symptoms during health screenings at the port of entry.

Do visitors need to quarantine in Turkey?

No they do not. Visitors can freely enter the country once they pass health checks at the airport. However, those who don’t pass the screenings will be directed to a hospital to take a COVID-19 PCR test and if the results come back positive they will be required to quarantine until they can produce a negative test.

Can American tourists enter Turkey now?

Yes. Americans are allowed to visit Turkey.

Check the full list of countries open to Americans.

Is it safe to visit Turkey now?

The CDC warning is at LEVEL 3 (High Level of COVID-19) and only essential travel to Turkey is recommended. (CDC.gov)

What airlines are flying to Turkey?

These are some of the commercial airlines flying to Turkey at the moment.

Anadolu Jet: https://www.anadolujet.com/en
BelaviaAirlines: https://en.belavia.by/
Pegasus Air: https://www.flypgs.com/en
Qatar Airlines: https://www.qatarairways.com/
SunExpress: https://www.sunexpress.com/en/
Turkish Airlines: https://www.turkishairlines.com/ Direct U.S. flights available
Keep in mind that restrictions are changing due to the second spike in COVID-19. So, although there is no curfew or other mobility restrictions in place for foreigners, rules like these can be enforced at any moment with little to no prior notice.

Current Coronavirus situation in Turkey

With 5,425,652 reported cases and 49,732 deaths, authorities have confirmed a decrease in infections in several provinces.

Travelers who test positive for COVID-19 are sent to a private hospital. Travelers are encouraged to check with their local authorities for restrictions when coming back home from Turkey.

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