The British Embassy has announced, following a meeting with the Turkish authorities, that the tourist visa entry system will operate as in the past until further notice.

In our article Turkish Tourist Visa Law to Change for 63 Countries it was discovered, unbeknown to any one other than the immigration authorities at that time, that the immigration procedures for British visitors and other nationalities had changed as of 14 July 2010.

The news created a wave of concern as regular visitors, unofficial residents and holiday home owners found they would only be able to visit Turkey for 90 days in 180 days and that stays for longer would require the purchase of an expensive residence visa and the bureaucratic pain of applying for one.

When the news reached the British Embassy in Ankara they met with the Turkish Foreign Ministry to find out what was going on and a few days later the changes were put on hold.

Now the British Embassy has confirmed, following a meeting with the Turkish Minister of the Interior and the British Ambassador, that there will now be no change to the previous long established operation of visa regulations for entry into Turkey.

In other words every thing is back to how it was before and visitors to Turkey will continue to be able to visit for 90 days, and to leave and then re-enter Turkey after being issued with a further 90 day visa.

Visitors who have been issued with entry visas stating that they could only stay for 90 days in 180 will be able to renew their visa after 90 days with no restrictions and the entry system will operate as in the past until further notice.

The Foreign Ministry and UK officials will hold talks in the autumn on the question of visas and residence permits.

The Ministry has confirmed that any future change in procedures will be announced in good time before implementation to allow people to make their decisions and arrangements.