Travel Tips
Visa
E-visa mistakes, checking visa rules on official sources, what border officers ask, length of stay and never leaving your passport as a deposit: visa details that help on the road.
One small e-visa mistake can sink the application
Write your name exactly as in your passport; Turkish letters like Ç, Ş, Ğ and İ do not appear there, so type C, S, G and I. Do not confuse the digit 0 with the letter O in the passport number, and check day/month order in your date of birth. Most systems cannot correct a mistake, so you apply again and pay again. Before paying, make sure the address is the government's own site.
- Apply at least a week before departure; approvals often arrive within hours, but systems can be busy.
- Save the approval as a PDF on your phone and print one copy; your battery can die at the airport.
- Compare the name and passport number on the approval with the name on your flight ticket.
Visa or no visa: check it on an official source
Blog posts and forums go out of date quickly, and visa rules change within months. Look at the official foreign ministry or immigration site of the country you are visiting, and compare it with the visa information page of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The airline checks the same thing from its own system at check-in; if the two disagree, also look at the travel requirements page on the airline's website.
- Visa-free entry, visa on arrival and e-visa are three different things; prepare for whichever the page says.
- How many days you may stay and how many days you have to use the visa are separate rules; read both.
- Save a screenshot of the page with its date; if there is a problem at the airport, that is your proof.
- On connecting flights, check the transit rules of the layover country too; at some airports even changing terminals needs a visa.
Three things that end a trip at the border
Remaining passport validity (six months in many countries) and at least two blank pages are required. Some countries ask for an exit ticket, and the airline checks it when you board. If a visa fee is paid on arrival, carry cash dollars; torn, written-on or very old banknotes are often refused.
- If the officer asks, answer short and clear: how many days, where you will stay, when you leave.
- When entering as a tourist, do not mention work or volunteering; a misunderstanding can get you turned back.
- Even at land borders you may be asked for an exit ticket and a place to stay; keep screenshots ready.
Count from the stamp and leave a day early
Your stay starts from the date on the entry stamp, and in most places the day of arrival counts too. If the visa says 30 days, do not wait for day 30; leave on day 29. Overstaying means a daily fine, detention or being barred from re-entry, depending on the country; in Indonesia it is 1 million rupiah for every extra day.
- Check that the entry stamp is legible; if it is not, ask the officer to stamp it again.
- If you need an extension, go to the immigration office a few days before the deadline, not on the last day.
- Set phone alarms for one week and two days before your exit date.
- Buy your flight to fit the visa period; staying one extra day with a cheap ticket is still an overstay.
Put a cover on your passport so it does not wear out
The cover and photo page of a passport wear down in bags and pockets over time; the print fades and the corners bend. At the border an officer may see it as a damaged or tampered document and question you further, and some airlines refuse to board passengers with a worn passport. A clean, tidy passport inspires trust. A sturdy removable cover prevents this.
- A cover is enough; do not have the photo page or any pages laminated, because a laminated passport counts as damaged and may be invalid.
- Choose a cover you can take off easily; if the officer asks, hand over the passport without the cover.
- Do not carry the passport in a back pocket; sweat and sitting bend the cover and ruin the pages.
- Keep the passport in a zipped, waterproof compartment.
Never leave your passport with anyone
When renting a motorbike, and at some hotels or tour offices, you may be asked to leave your passport as a deposit. Without it you lose your bargaining power; if someone claims damage or extra fees, you may have to pay to get it back. Offer a colour copy of the photo page instead, and pay a cash deposit if needed.
- Photograph the photo page and save it on your phone, in your email and in the cloud; carry a printed copy too.
- Use a thin waterproof cover or bag; a wet or torn passport causes trouble at the border.
- Hotel reception can photocopy it and hand it straight back; if they keep it, do not leave that day without it.
Quick checklist
- Name and passport number on the form match your passport.
- Confirm visa rules on an official site and save a screenshot.
- Save the approval PDF on your phone and print it.
- Check passport validity and blank pages.
- Put a cover on the passport; do not laminate pages.
- Bring new, clean dollar bills for fees at the border.
- Set an alarm for your exit date and leave a day early.
- Never leave your passport as a deposit; give a copy.