Turkey Land Borders: Gates, Papers and Steps for Drivers
The 31 land border gates by neighbour, the papers for you and your car, the steps at the gate, and the Turkish words to use.
Table of Contents
Türkiye lists 31 land border gates (sınır kapısı), and a driver crosses at one of them with a passport, the papers for the car and a check by customs (gümrük). This page gives the gates by neighbour as the Trade Ministry’s list of 13 May 2026 prints them, then the papers that the customs guide, the Green Card bureau and the Foreign Ministry name for a foreign-plated car; its registration (ruhsat) comes first. It ends with the steps at the gate and the Turkish words to say.
In short · checked 30.10.2026
Thirty-one gates, and papers for you and the car.
- The list: 31 land gates, 24 listed active and 7 not active; 26 permanent and 5 temporary (Trade Ministry list of 13 May 2026).
- Papers: the car’s registration from the country where the driver lives, the driving licence, the passport or an ID that replaces it, and a traffic insurance policy valid in Türkiye.
- Not your car: a power of attorney, with the driver and the owner both resident abroad, or a rental contract.
- The test: a foreign-plated car comes in with a driver resident abroad: at least 185 days spent abroad in the last year.
- Time for the car: up to 730 days for Turkish citizens and for foreigners with a residence permit (the permit’s period); 90 days in 180 for foreigners without one.
- Green Card: a card with the box for TR crossed out is not valid in Türkiye; the bureau tells officers not to give entry approval on it.
The gate line
Pick a neighbour, see its gates
The 31 land gates in the order of the Trade Ministry’s list: Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Nahçıvan (Nakhchivan, part of Azerbaijan), Iran, Iraq and Syria. The list’s words: faal is active, daimi is permanent, geçici is temporary.
Trade Ministry, Kara Hudut Kapıları · list of 13.05.2026 · checked 30.10.2026
Kara Hudut Kapıları31
- Active
- Not active
- Amber foot: temporary
- Asterisk: see the list’s footnote
Greece 2 gates
Pazarkule (Edirne)
Other side: Kastanion
Pazarkule Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Pazarkule border gate?İpsala (Edirne)
Other side: Kipi
İpsala Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the İpsala border gate?
Bulgaria 3 gates
Kapıkule (Edirne)
Other side: Kapitan Andrevo
Kapıkule Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Kapıkule border gate?Hamzabeyli (Edirne)
Other side: Lesova
Hamzabeyli Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Hamzabeyli border gate?Dereköy (Kırklareli)
Other side: Malko Tırnova
Dereköy Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Dereköy border gate?
Georgia 4 gates
Sarp (Artvin)
Other side: Sarpi
Sarp Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Sarp border gate?Türkgözü (Ardahan)
Other side: Vale
Türkgözü Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Türkgözü border gate?Aktaş (Ardahan)
Other side: Kartsakhi
Aktaş Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Aktaş border gate?Muratlı (Artvin)
Other side: Maradidi
Armenia 1 gate
Alican (Iğdır)
Other side: Margara
Nahçıvan 1 gate
Dilucu (Iğdır)
Other side: Sederek
Dilucu Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Dilucu border gate?
Iran 3 gates
Gürbulak (Ağrı)
Other side: Bazergan
Gürbulak Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Gürbulak border gate?Kapıköy (Van)
Other side: Razi
Kapıköy Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Kapıköy border gate?Esendere (Hakkari)
Other side: Serow
Esendere Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Esendere border gate?
Iraq 6 gates
Habur (Şırnak)
Other side: El-Halil
Habur Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Habur border gate?Derecik (Hakkari)
Other side: Mergesur
Derecik Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Derecik border gate?Üzümlü (Hakkari)
Other side: Serzeare
Üzümlü Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Üzümlü border gate?Gülyazı (Şırnak)
Other side: Zaho
Aktepe (Şırnak)
Other side: Bacuka
Ovaköy (Şırnak)
Other side: Karavala
Syria 11 gates
Karkamış (Gaziantep)
Other side: Carablus
Karkamış Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Karkamış border gate?Cilvegözü (Hatay)
Other side: Babul Havva
Cilvegözü Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Cilvegözü border gate?Yayladağı (Hatay)
Other side: Kesep
Yayladağı Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Yayladağı border gate?Akçakale (Şanlıurfa)
Other side: Tell Abyat
Akçakale Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Akçakale border gate?Öncüpınar (Kilis)
Other side: Bab es Selame
Öncüpınar Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Öncüpınar border gate?Çobanbey (Kilis)
Other side: Ar Ra’i
Çobanbey Sınır Kapısı’na nasıl giderim?How do I get to the Çobanbey border gate?Nusaybin (Mardin)
Other side: Kamışlı
Ceylanpınar (Şanlıurfa)
Other side: Resulayn
Kumlu (Hatay)
Other side: Afrin
Mürşitpınar (Şanlıurfa)
Other side: Ayn el Arab
Şenyurt (Mardin)
Other side: Derbesiye
The list’s footnote says that no service is in fact given at the gates marked with an asterisk.
The gates in numbers
The Trade Ministry’s count
215 border gates.
31 land, 8 rail, 108 sea and 68 air gates (page Hudut Kapıları Genel Bilgiler, 14.05.2026).
30 customs directorates serve the land gates.
Of the 31 land gates the list marks 24 active and 7 not active, 26 permanent and 5 temporary.
For each land gate the list gives the province, the customs directorate, the gate on the other side, the status and the kind. Five words carry it:
- FAAL · active
- The list’s word for a gate that is active: 21 land gates without an asterisk.
- FAAL DEĞİL · not active
- The list’s word for a gate that is not active: 7 land gates.
- FAAL* · active with an asterisk
- 3 land gates, all with Syria as the neighbour; the footnote is in chapter 4.
- DAİMİ · permanent
- 26 land gates.
- GEÇİCİ · temporary
- 5 land gates.
West: Greece and Bulgaria
Five gates face Greece and Bulgaria, and the list prints all five as active and permanent. For Greece: Pazarkule and İpsala, both in Edirne province, opposite Kastanion and Kipi. For Bulgaria: Kapıkule and Hamzabeyli in Edirne, opposite Kapitan Andrevo and Lesova, and Dereköy in Kırklareli, opposite Malko Tırnova.
Edirne itself, and what the town sells, are covered in Shopping in Edirne.
North-east: Georgia, Armenia and Nahçıvan
Georgia has four gates on the list. Sarp (Artvin), opposite Sarpi, and Türkgözü and Aktaş (both Ardahan), opposite Vale and Kartsakhi, are active and permanent. Muratlı (Artvin), opposite Maradidi, is listed as not active and permanent.
Armenia has one land gate on the list: Alican (Iğdır), opposite Margara, listed as not active and permanent. The Ministry’s rail list of 13 May 2026 holds one more gate that lists Armenia as its neighbour, Akyaka (Kars), opposite Ahuryan, also listed as not active and permanent.
Nahçıvan has one land gate: Dilucu (Iğdır), opposite Sederek, active and permanent. The list prints its neighbour as NAHCİVAN.
East and south: Iran, Iraq and Syria
- Iran · 3 gates
- Gürbulak (Ağrı), Kapıköy (Van) and Esendere (Hakkari), opposite Bazergan, Razi and Serow: all active and permanent.
- Iraq · 6 gates
- Habur (Şırnak), Derecik and Üzümlü (both Hakkari), opposite El-Halil, Mergesur and Serzeare: active and permanent. Gülyazı (Şırnak), opposite Zaho: not active and temporary. Aktepe and Ovaköy (both Şırnak), opposite Bacuka and Karavala: not active and permanent.
- Syria · 11 gates
- Active and permanent: Karkamış (Gaziantep), Cilvegözü and Yayladağı (both Hatay), Akçakale (Şanlıurfa) and Öncüpınar (Kilis). Active and temporary: Çobanbey (Kilis). Active with an asterisk: Nusaybin (Mardin), Ceylanpınar (Şanlıurfa) and Kumlu (Hatay). Not active: Mürşitpınar (Şanlıurfa) and Şenyurt (Mardin).
The asterisk
The list’s footnote says that no service is in fact given at the gates marked with an asterisk. The list shows them as active; the footnote is the list’s own.
Before a trip near the Syrian or Iraqi border, check your own government’s travel advice.
Papers for the driver
Two sets of papers meet at the gate: the driver’s own, in this chapter, and the car’s, in the next.
Passport. Since 01.01.2015 a foreigner’s passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond the «duration of stay» of the visa, e-Visa, visa exemption or residence permit (Law 6458, art. 7.1b; Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
A 90-day stay
The passport must be valid for 150 days on arrival: 90 + 60.
A 30-day stay
The passport must be valid for 90 days on arrival: 30 + 60.
- The Ministry advises a passport valid for at least 6 months from the day of arrival.
- The 60-day rule does not cover citizens of countries admitted on a national ID card under the Council of Europe agreement, citizens of countries whose expired passports are treated as valid for a period, or holders of diplomatic, special and service passports.
The e-Visa has existed since 17.04.2013 and covers tourism and commerce; work and study visas come from a Turkish mission. The Ministry says the visa regime for truck drivers may differ and tells them to ask the nearest Turkish mission. Which nationalities need a visa is on the Ministry’s visa page; a valid visa means no residence permit is needed for up to 90 days.
Driving licence. What a foreign licence allows, and when a Turkish one is needed, is covered in Driving licence in Turkey.
The test for a foreign-plated car
A foreign-plated car enters temporarily only with a driver who is resident abroad (yurt dışında yerleşik): a person who normally lives abroad and has really spent at least 185 days abroad in the last year, counted back from the day of entry. Time spent in Türkiye is taken into account whether or not the car was with you; a visit by plane counts too. One foreign-plated land vehicle registered in the country where the driver lives may come in. The guide names an e-Devlet query for checking the test: Yurt Dışında Yerleşiklik Sorgulama.
The guide names who is not resident abroad: Turkish citizens who went abroad for work, study or a temporary post and then returned for good, people who serve on ships or on building sites abroad for a time, and people who stay in a hotel abroad. A person retired abroad who brings a car for the first time is not asked for the test.
Papers at the gate: whose car is it?
- The registration (ruhsat) showing the car is registered in the country where you live.
- Your driving licence (ehliyet).
- Your passport, or an ID that replaces it.
- When customs asks, proof that you live abroad: a residence permit, with the ID or passport.
- A traffic insurance policy valid in Türkiye. A person retired abroad adds the pension paper in Turkish, approved by a consulate or embassy.
- Yabancı plakalı aracımla geçici giriş yapmak istiyorum.I want to enter temporarily with my foreign-plated car.
- Aracın ruhsatı burada; araç yaşadığım ülkede kayıtlı.The car’s registration is here; the car is registered in the country where I live.
- Türkiye’de geçerli bir trafik sigorta poliçem var.I have a traffic insurance policy valid in Türkiye.
- Yurt dışında yaşadığımı gösteren belgem burada.My document showing that I live abroad is here.
- A valid power of attorney (vekâletname) given to customs.
- Both the person bringing the car and the owner live outside Türkiye.
- The car is registered in the bringer’s country of residence. A resident of the EU or EFTA may also bring a car registered in another EU or EFTA country.
- Aracın sahibi bana vekâletname verdi.The car’s owner gave me a power of attorney.
- Hem ben hem de aracın sahibi yurt dışında yaşıyoruz.Both the car’s owner and I live abroad.
- Vekâletname burada.The power of attorney is here.
- The rental contract (kira sözleşmesi), given to customs.
- The same residence rules as for any foreign-plated car.
- Aracı kiraladım; kira sözleşmesi burada.I rented the car; the rental contract is here.
- Araç, yaşadığım ülkede kayıtlı.The car is registered in the country where I live.
- For a car registered to a company, not to a person: the Turkish translation of the paper showing that the driver is a partner or an employee, approved by a notary or a consulate.
- Araç şirket adına kayıtlı.The car is registered in a company’s name.
- Şirketin ortağıyım.I am a partner of the company.
- Şirketin çalışanıyım.I am an employee of the company.
- Belgenin onaylı Türkçe tercümesi burada.The approved Turkish translation of the document is here.
The notary’s side of a translation is covered in Notary in Turkey.
Papers for the car
- Registration
- Ruhsat: the car’s ownership paper, showing it is registered in the country where the driver lives.
- Traffic insurance
- A traffic insurance policy (trafik sigortası) valid in Türkiye. The Green Card, below, is checked at entry.
- The driver’s papers
- Driving licence, and a passport or an ID that replaces it; the previous chapter has the rest.
The Green Card. The Türkiye Motor Vehicle Bureau (Türkiye Motorlu Taşıt Bürosu, TMTB) describes it as the International Motor Insurance Card, valid in the member countries of the system and an annex to the traffic insurance. In Türkiye it counts as the compulsory motor third-party insurance of the country where the accident happens.
- The box for TR must not be crossed out: then the card is valid in all of Türkiye, on the Asian and the European side.
- The start and end dates must cover the car’s days in Türkiye. A note added to the card later is not valid.
- TMTB lists what customs and law enforcement check at entry: the plate, the engine and chassis numbers and the insured’s name match the registration; the country of the card’s bureau matches the car’s registration country; the dates cover the visit. For a tractor with a trailer the tractor’s card is checked.
- A card with TR crossed out is not valid in Türkiye. TMTB’s instruction to officers: entry approval should not be given with it.
One line on Iran: from 1 January 2024 the Turkish Green Card gives no cover in Iran, and an Iranian Green Card is not valid in Türkiye (TMTB notice; Iran is one of the 46 countries of the system). A Green Card may be black and white since 01.07.2020. Turkish traffic insurance is covered in Car insurance in Turkey.
How long the car may stay
730 days at most.
Turkish citizens: up to 730 days.
Foreigners with a residence permit: the period of the permit, up to 730 days; holders of the Mavi Kart (a card for some former Turkish citizens) are the guide’s exception.
Foreigners without one: 90 days in total in 180 days.
The period can be used in one block or in parts.
The full 730 days needs four things at once: being resident abroad on the day of entry; no car brought in during the 185 days before it; the car abroad for those 185 days; and, for a foreigner, a residence permit of 730 days.
- Who may drive
- The person the car was registered to at entry, and that person’s spouse, mother, father and children who live abroad. Nobody else may drive it, even with the owner in the car.
- Leaving the car behind
- Each time you leave Türkiye without it, hand it to customs, or give customs the undertaking (taahhütname) in two copies that nobody else will use it. Customs must find the request suitable. The guide names an e-Devlet service for giving the undertaking: Yurt Dışına Taşıtsız Çıkışlarda Taahhütname Verme ve Kaldırma. A valid power of attorney can also take the car out, if the driver lives abroad and both parties apply together.
- Transfer
- A foreign-plated car in Türkiye cannot be transferred to someone else.
- Pre-declaration
- Before the trip, the car and the driver’s details can be entered in the Trade Ministry’s pre-declaration application (Taşıt Ön Beyan Uygulaması). The guide says the entry makes the car’s entry process quicker, and places the application in the E-İşlemler menu of the Ministry’s site.
To avoid a penalty, take the car out when the time ends. Road tolls and the HGS pass are covered in Car rental in Turkey; a phone you bring has its own rule, in Phone registration in Turkey.
At the gate, step by step
In the order a driver meets them:
- Before the trip Enter the car and the driver’s details in the pre-declaration application if you want the entry to be quicker.
- At the gate Customs asks for the papers of chapters 5 and 6.
- The lanes At the land gates there are a green lane and a red lane. Green: you have nothing to declare. Red: you have goods to declare, or you are not sure.
- A lane is not a permit Using a lane does not let in goods that are banned or that need a permit. Officers may check anyone and anything entering or leaving, at any time; goods above the limit lead to a penalty.
- In Türkiye Keep within the car’s period, and only the people listed in chapter 6 may drive it.
- Leaving Take the car out when its time ends, or hand it to customs or give the undertaking if you leave without it.
Pets arriving with you meet a veterinary check at the gate; the papers are in Travelling with pets to Turkey. The dates of the Turkish public holidays are listed in Turkey Public Holidays.
The Trade Ministry call centre, for complaints and questions, is 444 8 482.
Words at the gate
- Beyan edecek bir şeyim yok.I have nothing to declare.
- Beyan edeceğim eşyam var.I have goods to declare.
- Araç için ön beyan yaptım.I made a pre-declaration for the car.
- Aracın süresi ne zaman doluyor?When does the car’s period end?
- Aracı Türkiye’de bırakıp çıkıyorum. Taahhütname vermem gerekiyor mu?I am leaving the car in Türkiye and going out. Do I need to give an undertaking?
- Gümrük idaresi nerede?Where is the customs office?
- Hangi belgeler gerekiyor?Which papers are needed?
- Pasaportum ve ehliyetim burada.My passport and my driving licence are here.
- sınır kapısı · gümrük
- Border gate; customs.
- ruhsat · ehliyet
- Car registration; driving licence.
- pasaport · kimlik
- Passport; ID card.
- trafik sigortası · yeşil kart
- Traffic insurance; Green Card.
- vekâletname · kira sözleşmesi
- Power of attorney; rental contract.
- taahhütname · ön beyan
- The written undertaking; pre-declaration.
- yeşil hat · kırmızı hat
- Green lane; red lane.
- yabancı plakalı · geçici ithal
- Foreign-plated; temporary import.
- faal · faal değil
- Active; not active.
- daimi · geçici
- Permanent; temporary.
Sources and limits
- Kara Hudut Kapıları — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı; list KARA HUDUT KAPILARIMIZ of 13.05.2026, page of 14.05.2026, checked 30.10.2026
- Demiryolu Hudut Kapıları — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı; list DEMİRYOLU HUDUT KAPILARIMIZ of 13.05.2026, checked 30.10.2026
- Hudut Kapıları Genel Bilgiler — T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı, page of 14.05.2026, checked 30.10.2026
- Geçici İthal Edilen Taşıt Rehberi — Gümrük Rehberi, T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı; revised 4 January 2019, checked 30.10.2026
- Taşıtla Türkiye’ye giriş yaparken sizden hangi belgeler istenir? — Gümrük Rehberi, T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı; revised 5 December 2018, checked 30.10.2026
- Türkiye’ye geçici olarak getirilen taşıtlara verilen süre nedir? — Gümrük Rehberi, T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı; revised 5 December 2018, checked 30.10.2026
- Taşıt Ön Beyan Uygulaması — Gümrük Rehberi, T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı; revised 11 June 2019, checked 30.10.2026
- Yolcu Rehberi — Gümrük Rehberi, T.C. Ticaret Bakanlığı; revised 30 October 2018, checked 30.10.2026
- Yeşil Kart — Türkiye Motorlu Taşıt Bürosu (TMTB), checked 30.10.2026
- İran’ın Yeşil Kart Sistemindeki Üyeliğinin Askıya Alınması — Türkiye Motorlu Taşıt Bürosu (TMTB), home page notice, checked 30.10.2026
- Passport Validity Requirements While Entering Türkiye in Accordance with Law on Foreigners and International Protection — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye (mfa.gov.tr), checked 30.10.2026
- Visa Information For Foreigners — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye (mfa.gov.tr), checked 30.10.2026
Pictures: the cover and the five photographs are from Wikimedia Commons, each credited under it with its licence and file page. Limits: the status of a gate and the rules for a car are those of the day checked and of the dates printed on the pages; the customs guide pages carry revision dates from 2018 and 2019, and a rule can change after its page’s date. This page lists what the state pages say and promises no outcome at the gate. No agent, insurer or shop is named or recommended.
