The European Union has relaxed visa requirements for Turkish citizens seeking to enter the Schengen area, with new measures taking effect from July 15, aimed at addressing long-standing complaints about bureaucratic delays.
EU Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Hans Ossowski announced the changes on Friday, describing them as a step towards resolving issues that have frustrated Turkish travellers for years, Reuters reported.
The European Commission’s decision simplifies the process for obtaining multiple-entry visas to the 27-country bloc.
Under the new system, Turkish citizens who have previously used visas correctly can obtain a six-month visa from their second application.
This can then be extended to one-year, three-year and five-year multiple-entry visas in subsequent applications.
“It will be much easier and much faster for Turkish citizens,” Ossowski told reporters in Ankara.
The ambassador acknowledged the changes would help address Turkish complaints about lengthy bureaucratic processes but warned the measures would not permanently solve all problems.
For years, Turkish citizens have faced delays in the EU’s visa system, which operates through accredited visa agencies that have struggled with high application volumes.
Turkey welcomes Schengen Visa reforms
Turkey’s foreign ministry welcomed the move and confirmed that Turkish institutions and the EU Commission would continue seeking further visa relaxation measures.
Trade Minister Omer Bolat described the decision as a “facilitation that our citizens have been awaiting for a long time.”
Speaking to the state-owned Anadolu news agency, Bolat also said Turkey wanted to begin talks on modernising its customs union with the EU and expanding the accord to include service and e-commerce sectors.
The visa changes come amid signs of renewed engagement between Turkey and the EU after years of strained relations.
Turkey has held EU membership candidate status since 1999, but its accession process has been frozen over concerns including human rights and democratic backsliding. Recent months have seen increased economic cooperation and diplomatic engagement.
Ossowski emphasised that the EU has offered Turkey visa-free travel prospects for more than a decade and called for urgent revival of the liberalisation process.
“Every other candidate country has visa-free travel except Turkey,” he said. “It is urgent to re-engage in this process of visa-free travel in the Schengen space and the EU.”
The European Commission plans to restart formal negotiations after the summer break and will work with Ankara on fulfilling six remaining benchmarks required by the visa liberalisation roadmap, according to Ossowski.
“We are ready, the Commission is ready to work closely with Turkish authorities,” he said.
The EU and Turkey have been discussing possible workarounds to address the slow processing times that have affected Turkish visa applications due to high demand.
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