My experience with the Bodrum port border officials needs to be known as it tends to prove what I think is a deliberate policy to encourage people who appear to be visiting Turkey regularly to get residency,rather than to rely on the 90 day within every 180 day fiasco.
I was leaving from Bodrum for Kos two days before my 180 were up after being in Turkey for 89 days in total spread over two visits.I know by the letter of the law that I was totally legal,but was met by the passport policeman with total hostility.His first words to me after studying my visa and its stamps were that I couldnt leave the country as I needed to get residency.Stunned but keeping my cool I pointed at the visa and said... there is my visa.He stated bare faced that it wasnt a visa...there was a stand off for what seemed like hours where he glared at me and I held my ground.Finally he very reluctantly thumped the stamp on to the visa and barked "Go."
I have encountered border officials in many countries in the world and can identify one unifying factor.To put it as nicely as possible....Too much power in too small a mind;and thats if your lucky.In this case however, I think, rather than an irrational personal dislike,which believe me is possible with these type of people;it is more likely to be a deliberate policy of harassement.This conclusion was confirmed on my return to Bodrum when a new 180 day cycle was instigated.Firstly I was refused a new visa and told that I needed to get residency.I insisted that I wanted a new visa and that all my dates were completely bonafide.After much checking I was eventually given the new visa,but when I took it to be stamped the whole pantomime started up for an exact repeat of what had just happened.I was again told that I needed to get residency and when I pointed at the new visa I was actually told that it wasnt a visa???Again the same stand off until eventually another reluctant stamp was thumped into my passport.As a final sting in the tail as I walked away I noticed that he had stamped my old visa instead of my new one,thus setting me up for another episode in the farce when I come to leave from Dalaman just before Christmas.I would be interested to hear if anyone else has encountered this type of deliberate harassement?
