We will go to Europe flying Turkish Airlines in October. On the way back we would liek to spend a night in Istanbul. How difficult is it for Thais to get a visa? The (Thai) wife will have a multiple entry Schengen tourist visa any time soon (hopefully.... )

Bored out of my skull at work, so although probably no better qualified than anyone else on this forum to answer your query, I take it upon myself to do so.

Your thai wife does need a visa for Turkey, she can get it at:

Turkish Embassy

61/1 Soi Chatsan, Suthisarn Rd, Huaykwang

10310 Bangkok - THAILAND (66-2) 274 72 62 (2 lines)

If you're Brit, you get a visa on arrival, used to cost £10, but might be more now. Your wife must have one before travel.

I spent a couple of days in Istanbul a good few years ago. I enjoyed the Topkapi Palace, and a trip on the Bosporus including Attaturk's Palace. Otherwise the place IMHO is a squithouse, the airport is dire, and I'd better keep my opinion of Turks to myself.

Thanks for your insights!

...now I still don't know how difficult it is to get that visa....but I'll phone the embassy on Monday and take it from there....

When I flew from Berlin to BKK many years ago, using Turkish Airlines, I naturally also stopped over in Istanbul...........the connection is atrocious...had to wait 22 hours for the connection.....anyhow to cut a long story short, I also went into Istanbul....paid 5 pounds on the spot for the visa.............. be warned, however..........as one poster said it now costs 10 pounds, MAKE SURE you have a ten pound note with you............if not, the money changers at the airport will sting you terribly with the exchange rate. They won´t accept any other currency - if you are a Brit - other than british pounds...........and will send to you a currency exchange desk next door which will offer you the most abominable exchange rate you have ever seen................... And I too will keep my opinion of Turks to myself.............

interesting detail with the 10 pounds....now I am German, will they accept Euros? Thai Baht? Deutschmark?

Hi,

Don’t know if this helps but.. Your wife / GF can go to the northern republic of cirrus (Turkey)

Without any visa. You simply just get one when you arrive

Ive took my GF there twice with no problems, she had a 6 months holiday visa for UK only

They are internal fights from Istanbul twice a day

Jay

P.s northern Cyprus is a nice place to visit with a Thai partner ... they like the food , they can gamble (cheaply) in the casinos ,which has free food , and its good value for money

I applied for a Turkish Visa for my Thai wife and her niece.

No problems at all as we had a dated ticket which the Turkish Consul insisted on.

I even applied prior to having thier British Visas but they didn't seem to mind and issued the visas in 24 hours.

interesting detail with the 10 pounds....now I am German, will they accept Euros? Thai Baht? Deutschmark?

You're one up on us Brits, then, because German citizens don't require any sort of visa for visits up to 90 days. A benefit accrued, I suppose, because of several decades of acceptance of Turkish Gastarbeiter - and maybe Gallipoli has something to do with it.

interesting detail with the 10 pounds....now I am German, will they accept Euros? Thai Baht? Deutschmark?

You're one up on us Brits, then, because German citizens don't require any sort of visa for visits up to 90 days. A benefit accrued, I suppose, because of several decades of acceptance of Turkish Gastarbeiter - and maybe Gallipoli has something to do with it.

Now I finally see the benefit...