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I plan to travel to Turkey from July 4th-July 10th for work. I'm a US citizen.

I went through a travel agent to purchase the ticket and they filled out an e-visa on my behalf. But they for some reason put the "valid from" date as July 4th, the day I arrive in Turkey, and not an earlier date or at least the date I will be leaving the country (my flight will be at 8:50 pm July 3rd). It has me so worried. I feel as if the airline may not allow me to board because my visa isn't technically valid, even though I certainly will still be in the US those 3 hours till my visa validity begins.

I have attempted to contact Turkish Airlines, and they told me to contact the embassy of Turkey regarding this and I have no idea how to reach them. Every number I dial is not working it seems. I have contacted the official e-Visa website and am waiting for a response.

When boarding, will the airline use the arrival date for figuring the validity of the visa?? Or does it have to be the date I depart?

I apologize once again for the confusing question. This is my first time traveling while using a visa.

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  • Do I understand correctly that your visa is valid from the 4th (included) and you arrive on the 4th?
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Apr 29, 2021 at 19:03
  • Hello, yes that is correct. I'll be arriving to Turkey on the 4th, which is also the day my visa is valid.
    – Potato
    Commented Apr 29, 2021 at 19:11

1 Answer 1

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Your visa has to be valid when you arrive in the country.
It is not a problem to leave on the day before the valid date if you have an overnight flight or a stopover somewhere on the way and airlines are used to that.

So you can stop worrying, you are fine. Likely your travel agent assumed this is what you intended as this is the normal way to have visa start.

On the end of the visa it is wise to have some extra time, if your visa is long enough for that, as missed flights can trip you up when you plan to travel on the last day of validity, but there is no such a problem at the start of the travel.
Just do not accept a re-scheduling which would have you arrive before midnight which is the start of the 4th.

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    If it adds to OP's comfort, when it is 8:50 PM on July 3 anywhere in the USA, it is already July 4 in Turkey.
    – Damila
    Commented Apr 29, 2021 at 19:56
  • When you request an e-visa, the official site asks for the “date of arrival” and states that the visa will be valid from that date, so it is indeed perfectly normal to have a visa valid from July 4th if you arrive on July 4th. If ever you wanted to have a different start date anyway, just apply for a new e-visa (it’ll cost you $50).
    – jcaron
    Commented Apr 30, 2021 at 0:53

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