Germany, Spain, Italy say no change in policy on visas for Turkish citizens

ANKARA

The diplomatic missions of Germany, Spain, and Italy in Türkiye said there has been no change in their visa policy towards Turkish citizens, even amid complaints of long waits for appointments.

Contacted by Anadolu, Germany's Embassy confirmed the application system launched in March is still active with no changes to the visa policy in recent weeks.

Noting that the number of visa applications received by German missions is higher than the number of appointments available, the sources said: “That’s why there is more waiting time for certain visas, but the embassy and consulate general are still receiving visa applications. There is no change in our policy.”

The German Embassy in Ankara said in a statement posted on X on Monday that a new appointment system, launched in March in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, continues.

It said this system offers all applicants the opportunity to easily register for a visa appointment. The statement stressed that due to a large number of applications, waiting times can vary from a few weeks to a few months depending on the foreign representative office and visa type.

Sources at the Spanish Consulate General in Istanbul also said visa services for Turkish citizens have not been suspended and that the consulate continues to issue visas to Turkish citizens every day.

All appointments for May have been booked and so new appointments will open soon for June, it said.

Sources from Italy’s Embassy in Ankara also said they will continue to work on visa requests in May. They noted that there was no question of closing visa applications and underlined that the system is proceeding as usual with applicants filling almost all appointment spots.

According to the sources, there was a mistake in the news stating that visa applications have been closed, adding that they open appointments on a month-by-month basis.

Stressing that appointments for June will open soon, a source said, “It’s the same process. There’s no such thing as a closure due to these issues.”

News reports saying visa applications for Turkish citizens were closed are not true, said the sources.

Embassies contacted said appointments could be delayed due to the volume of applications, that they are working to overcome this problem, but that there is no question of closing the applications, said the sources.

Turkish citizens have complained for some years of difficulty getting visas from European countries, and Turkish officials have pressed European authorities to resolve the problem.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel