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Turkish diplomatic passport holders will need UK visa under new rule

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Turkish diplomatic passport holders will be required to obtain a visa to enter the UK starting March 11, 2025, Turkey’s presidential communications directorate said on Friday, claiming that it is part of a broader policy change affecting many diplomatic passport holders worldwide.

There have been no public announcements from the UK on the matter.

Conflicting reports emerged on Friday regarding new UK visa requirements for Turkish diplomatic passport holders, with the Sözcü newspaper initially claiming a measure singling out Turkey, while Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, speaking to the T24 news site, clarified that it’s part of a broader UK policy change affecting all countries.

The discussion arose after the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued an official notice on January 24 to relevant state institutions about the change to UK visa policy related to diplomatic passport holders and exemption criteria.

The ministry said a technical meeting was held at the British Home Office on January 13 where the UK’s Diplomatic Visa Arrangement (DVA) was discussed, after which it was confirmed that the new diplomatic rule would be effective from March 11, 2025, with the acceptance of visa applications starting on February 18.

According to Turkish media reports, until March 11 Turkish diplomatic passport holders can continue to visit the UK without a visa. After that date, only ministers will be exempt for the purpose of an official visit.

While Sözcü accurately reported the change in visa requirements, it incorrectly characterized the measure as being directed against Turkey. Sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry and several reports say the requirement for visas by Turkish holders of diplomatic passports is part of a broader UK policy toward all diplomatic passport holders worldwide.

From March 11, 2025 the UK government is introducing a simplified visa application without a personal appearance, fingerprinting or fees for holders of diplomatic passports, which will be separate from the general Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system.

Starting April 2, 2025, passport holders coming from visa-exempt countries like the European Union and the United States will need an ETA to travel to the UK.

This is part of an update to UK regulations that will force visa-free travelers to seek electronic pre-travel consent before their trips. The regime, scheduled for full operation in April 2025, allows security screenings to be carried out on tourists.

The ETA is not a visa as such, but another layer of pre-travel security to guarantee that non-visa nationals will be in conformity with the new UK immigration rules.

This will not affect the exempt status of accredited diplomats and embassy staff under international conventions.

“The claim in some media outlets that ‘The UK has announced that it will require visas from Turkish citizens holding diplomatic passports as of March 11′ is manipulative. The application in question is not a step taken against our country but a part of the new UK worldwide border policy,” Turkey’s Directorate of Communications’ Center for Countering Disinformation said in a statement posted on X.

“The UK has introduced the program named Transforming Borders and Modernization and introduced the Universal Travel Authorization application. Under the mentioned application, it has introduced a pre-travel authorization requirement for all foreigners traveling to the UK,” the center said.

“In addition, as of March 11, 2025, an easy visa application has been introduced for all countries whose diplomatic passports are exempt from visas. In this context, diplomatic passport holders will be able to carry out visa procedures with a facilitated method, free of charge and without applying in person,” it added.

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