UKC

I have a flight booked to Turkey 8am Friday Morning.

I've just realised that my passport expires within six months so I am unlikely to get a Turkish visa.

What is my best course of action?

There is a passport interview centre where I live in Sheffield, but the nearest customer service centres that print them are Liverpool and Durham.

In reply to Dan Arkle:

Get yrsen to the passport office and pony up the 100 quid for the same day service. Takes about 4 hrs to get y newr passport back.

In reply to Dan Arkle:
you're either going to be in Durham or Liverpool tomorrow!

Premium 1-day service
The service is available for appointments before 11am on Saturdays, and on weekdays before:

4pm in London
1:30pm in Liverpool
1pm in Peterborough
12:30pm in Glasgow and Newport
midday in Belfast and Durham
You must arrive no more than 10 minutes before your appointment.

https://www.gov.uk/get-a-passport-urgently

In reply to Removed User:

thanks,
The web says you need an appointment, I can't book one before the phone opens at 8am, can I just turn up?

In reply to Dan Arkle:

"After the appointment, you can get your passport the same day or within a week." I guess you phone in at 8am and then head to desired office!

In reply to Removed User:

I've also read it can take more than a week to get your appointment

I'm just trying to work out if its worth driving somewhere for when they open.

In reply to Dan Arkle:

I suspect thats in peak months, honestly theres nowt you can do till 8am, Passport office has its bureaucracy.. get some kip. Ring them at 8am and be prepared to head to the nearest office as soon as arriving at said time.

In reply to Dan Arkle:

Are you sure you're not worrying unnecessarily?

My recollection of the airport was a load of folk flinging money over the counter in a huge crush to get the bit of paper asap and get on their way. The officials didn't seem at all bothered about dates in passports.

As is often the case these things are all about money rather than security or analysis of incoming tourists.

In reply to Dan Arkle:
I've had a little google action and found this http://www.mfa.gov.tr/passport-validity-requirements-while-entering-turkey-...

So your passport has to be valid for Visa time + 2 months. Tha means if you have 6 months left on it you can still get the Visa as 90 days + 2 months makes 5 months.

If your passport expires in less than 5 months maybe it's possible to get a 30 or 60 day visa?

In reply to Mr Lopez:

Interesting.

Passport expires 28th of Feb, so if they can do me a two week visa then I'm fine.

although the same page says
"You are kindly advised to have a travel document/passport valid for at least 6 months as from the date of your arrival in Turkey" I don't know what sense 'advised' means here!

In reply to Dan Arkle:

I'd personally get on the phone with both the passport office and the Turkish embassy or visa offices tomorrow morning, and failing both probably still give it a try on the border.

Good luck though!

In reply to Dan Arkle:

Do your visa application online and you should get an immediate response.

In reply to Scott K:

Online Visa application doesn't work if your passport doesn't have six months on it.

Phoning the Turkish Embassy just refers you to their website, which is ambiguous on the issue.

I phoned the UK passport agency at 8am and they do not do same day appointments, I could get one tomorrow morning, and should get a same day passport.

So choices now seem to be:
a) Get the flight and blag it at the airport.
b) Passport office tomorrow, pay for a new flight (£100) and catch that.

I'm so tempted by option a) but not sure if I'm brave enough!