New visa scheme for Turkish travelers to Greek islands

Turkish citizens now can enjoy some of Greece's islands without needing a full visa. From the 1st of April, Turkish visitors are able to apply for a new holiday visa, which allows them to visit a few islands for up to a week. 

The main advantage of the new visa is that Turkish citizens will be able to enter the following islands without applying for a visa for the Schengen area: Lesbos, Limnos, Chios, Samos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Symi and Kastellorizo. More islands are set to join the initiative in June.

Key ideas of the new visa: 

• It can be applied for during the whole year, not only for summer holidays.
• The visa system can be found in various Greek ports.
• The scheme will allow travelers to enter their desired island by just paying the visa fee of 60€ and having their passport checked and their fingerprint recorded at the entry port. 
• It does not allow visitors to travel onto other Schengen member states. You must have the correct paperwork in order to do so.

This visa scheme comes after several bilateral initiatives between Greece and Turkey. Better relations between both countries and boosting tourism and trade are some of the main goals of the new visa scheme.