Turkey
Warnings and insurance
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides advice about risks of travel to help British nationals make informed decisions. Find out more about FCDO travel advice.
Areas where FCDO advises against travel
Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice. Consular support is also severely limited where FCDO advises against travel.
Border withTurkey-Syria Syriaborder
FCDO advises against all travel to within 10km of the border with Syria.Syria due to fighting and a heightened risk of terrorism.
Sirnak (city)city
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Sirnak (city).city.
Hakkari provinceProvince
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Hakkari province.Province.
Find out more about why FCDO advises against travel.
Before you travel
No travel can be guaranteed safe. Read all the advice in this guide as well as support for British nationals abroad which includes:
- advice on preparing for travel abroad and reducing risks
- information for women, LGBT+ and disabled travellers
Follow and contact FCDO travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also sign up to get email notifications when this advice is updated.
Travel insurance
If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.
Update history
2025-02-28 15:55
Refreshed advice about counterfeit alcohol in Turkey (‘Warnings and insurance’ page).
2025-02-07 15:12
Information updated on the risks from counterfeit alcohol (‘Safety and security’ page).
2025-02-05 11:30
New information added about Ramadan in Turkey in 2025 (See ‘Laws and cultural differences’ on the ‘Safety and security’ page).
2024-12-20 13:45
Updated information on the risk of counterfeit alcohol (‘Safety and security’ page)
2024-12-05 15:08
New information about counterfeit banknotes (‘Safety and security’ page).
2024-10-26 08:49
Information on Israeli attacks against Iran; risks of regional escalation (‘Regional risks’)
2024-10-24 18:16
Information about increased security measures at Turkish airports (‘Warnings and insurance’ page)
2024-10-23 16:46
Information on a terrorist attack 40km northwest of central Ankara (‘Warnings and insurance’ page).
2024-10-08 10:03
FCDO no longer advises against all but essential travel to Sirnak city and Hakkari province, but continues to advise against all travel to within 10km of the border with Syria (‘Warnings and insurance’ page). In addition, this travel advice was reviewed for accuracy.
2024-06-28 13:51
New information on extreme temperatures and removal of warning on salmonella (See ‘Extreme weather and natural disasters’ on the Safety and Security page, and ‘Vaccinations and health risks’ on the Health page).
2024-06-24 16:32
Information on sexual assault (‘Safety and security’ page).
2024-05-17 13:38
Information on support in areas where FCDO advises against travel, visa requirements, customs rules, outdoor activities and adventure tourism, health (‘Warnings and insurance’, ‘Entry requirements’, ‘Safety and security’ and ‘Health’ pages).
2024-05-01 16:56
Information on health, wildfires, crime, outdoor activities and adventure tourism (‘Health, Safety and security’ and ‘Regional risks’ pages).
2024-03-01 11:21
The information on terrorism risks has been refreshed, including places that may be targeted (‘Safety and Security’ page).
2024-02-05 16:33
Updated information on 2023 crime statistics; and comments about the nation and flag (‘Safety and Security’ page).
2024-01-28 11:47
Information on an incident at the Santa Maria Church in Istanbul on the morning of 28 January (‘Warnings and Insurance’ and ‘safety and Security’ Pages)
2023-12-01 16:17
Removal of information on the UEFA Champions League game between Manchester United and Galatasaray (‘Warnings and insurance’ page).
2023-11-23 16:28
Information on the UEFA Champions League game between Manchester United and Galatasaray (‘Warnings and insurance’ page).
2023-11-02 15:12
Removal of information about disruption to Turkish Airlines flights on 1 November.
2023-11-01 18:09
Disruption to Turkish Airlines flights (‘Warnings and Insurance’ page).
2023-10-18 11:26
Addition of information regarding ongoing demonstrations and protests (‘Safety and security’ page).
2023-10-17 23:21
Addition of information regarding demonstrations and protests (“safety and security”)
2023-10-10 13:30
Removal of details of an explosion in Ankara on 1 October and information on heatwaves and wildfires in Europe (‘Warnings and insurance’ page) Update on medical tourism (‘Health’ page)
2023-10-01 10:06
Details of an explosion in Ankara on 1 October (‘Warnings and insurance’ page)
2023-08-09 17:22
Information on medical tourism (‘Health’ page).
2023-07-28 09:40
New information on salmonella cases (‘Health’ page).
2023-07-26 14:30
Update to number of reported cases in medical tourism (‘Health’ page).
2023-07-25 17:00
Advice regarding heatwave and wildfires in Europe (see ‘Warnings and insurance’ page) and earthquakes (see ‘Safety and security’ page).
2023-06-28 16:00
This travel advice has been rewritten to make it easier to read and understand.
2023-06-22 10:33
Information about the global terrorism risks to British nationals abroad on all FCDO travel advice pages.
2023-06-14 16:13
Removal of information about the UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul (‘Summary’ page).
2023-06-05 11:03
Advice for travellers going to the UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul (‘Summary’ page) and removal of earthquake related information to reflect the end of the local state of emergency in that area (‘Summary’ and ‘Natural disasters’ page).
2023-04-20 09:53
Update to medical tourism statistics (see ‘health’).
2023-03-22 12:09
Removed out of date information on the earthquake response (see ‘Summary’ and ‘Terrorism’ pages). Added reports of botulism cases linked to weight loss treatments performed in Istanbul and Izmir (see ‘Health’ page).
2023-02-20 19:15
Tsunami alert rescinded – following further evaluation, the Turkish disaster management agency AFAD has now rescinded the tsunami alert issued in relation to the earthquake in Hatay, near Antakya (South east Turkey) on 20 February. You should continue to follow the advice of national authorities.
2023-02-20 18:45
Tsunami Alert – Following a further earthquake in Antakya (South east Turkey) on 20 February, the Turkish disaster management agency AFAD has issued a tsunami alert, advising people to move away from the coast to higher ground, and to follow the advice of national authorities.
2023-02-16 16:34
Updated information on tourism numbers (‘Summary’ page).
2023-02-15 17:09
Updated information on the effect of the attempted coup in July 2016 and that consular services are no longer being handled remotely (‘Summary’, ‘Terrorism’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages)
2023-02-12 15:32
Earthquake update: If you are in the affected area, you should exercise caution and follow the advice of the local authorities. (See ‘Summary’)
2023-02-12 09:09
Updated information: The BCG in Istanbul continues to be operational with visa applications and consular assistance services being handled remotely (See ‘Summary’)
2023-02-11 15:31
Earthquake update: Specific emergency contact numbers for affected provinces (‘Summary’ page).
2023-02-10 14:42
Earthquake update: Some Turkish hotels are providing accommodation for affected persons (‘Summary’ page).
2023-02-08 20:28
Earthquake update: Some Turkish airline providers offering evacuation flights out of the affected areas (‘Summary’ page).
2023-02-07 17:04
Turkey has announced a national emergency in the 10 provinces affected by earthquakes and announced that only vehicles which carry aid teams and aid material will be allowed to enter cities deemed to be inside the area of the disaster (see ‘Summary’ page).
2023-02-06 16:23
A 7.8 earthquake hit Gaziantep and nine other Turkish provinces (Hatay, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Sanliurfa, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Adana, Malatya) in the south east of Turkey on 6 February 2023. It was followed by a 7.5 earthquake the same day in Kahramanmaras. (‘Summary’ page).
2023-02-06 08:17
Latest update: A 7.8 earthquake hit Gaziantep and nine other Turkish provinces (Hatay, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Sanliurfa, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Adana, Malatya) in the south east of Turkey on 6 February 2023. There have been several strong after-shocks and the Turkish government has announced its highest level of state emergency. You should avoid the Southeast region of Turkey and follow the advice of the local authorities.
2023-02-06 03:01
A 7.8 earthquake hit Gaziantep and neighbouring provinces in the south east of Turkey on 6 February 2023. There have been several strong after-shocks. You should avoid the immediate vicinity and follow the advice of the local authorities (‘Summary’ page)
2023-01-31 00:16
Updated information on terrorism in Istanbul (‘Summary’ and ‘Terrorism’ pages).
2023-01-29 22:45
Updated information on terrorism (‘Summary’ and ‘Terrorism’ pages).
2023-01-27 16:19
Removal of information about explosion in Istiklal Avenue shopping street on 13 November and updated information on terrorism (‘Summary’ and ‘Terrorism’ pages).
2023-01-16 17:13
Updated tourist and crime numbers, health information and access to Mount Ararat (‘Summary’, ‘Health’ and ‘Safety and Security’ pages).
2022-12-21 17:02
Updated information for tourists considering medical/surgical/dental treatment in Turkey (‘Health’ page)
2022-11-14 14:07
Updated information following an explosion in Istanbul on Sunday 13 November (“Summary” page)
2022-11-13 19:39
Addition of further information following an explosion in Istanbul on Sunday 13 November (“Summary”).
2022-11-13 14:18
Addition of information following explosion in Istanbul
2022-11-10 11:22
Information added about a nationwide earthquake drill, which will occur on 12 November 2022 at 6:57PM local time (‘Summary’ section).
2022-10-11 09:25
Updated information on passport validity (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2022-09-27 09:02
Addition of information on types of British passports that require a visa (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2022-08-11 15:20
The FCDO no longer advises against all but essential travel to Tunceli, Diyarbakir, Kilis and Hatay provinces
2022-07-13 16:11
Updated information on COVID-19 isolation guidance and medical tourism (‘Coronavirus’ and ‘Health’ pages)
2022-06-09 10:13
Updated information on the removal of COVID- 19 restrictions for entry to Turkey (‘Entry requirements’ page)
2022-04-29 13:39
Update on deaths during medical tourism. We are aware of 17 British nationals who have died in Turkey since January 2019 following medical tourism visits, and update to terrorism advice (‘Health’ and ‘Terrorism’ pages). Removal of information on the form for entry (‘Entry requirements’ page).
2022-03-22 16:36
Updated information on the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Turkey (‘Coronavirus’ and ‘Entry requirements’ pages)