Travel and Visa Information
US citizens need a visa to travel to Turkey. U.S citizens may obtain their tourist visas upon entry at ANY point in Turkey or from the Turkish consulates around the U.S. However, application for a business visa must be done ahead of time, before entering Turkey. Therefore, we strongly encourage that you apply for a tourist visa. The visa fee for US Passport holders is 20 USD for single entry.
Some Non-U.S Citizens need to apply for their tourist or business visas in advance BEFORE going to Turkey.
Please see The Turkish Embassy web site www.turkishembassy.org that has lots of useful information for travelers. You could practice some simple Turkish phrases before your trip.
During most of the workshop we will be in Istanbul. Most of the participants will arrive by air at Ataturk International Airport. The information regarding how to get to Koc University is under location link. We will try to meet all participants at the airport at international arrivals. If you are lost and desperate, you can reach Selim Unlu at his cell phone +90 536 493 0580 (90 is the country code for Turkey). Ministry of Culture and Education provides information related to sights-to-see and events in Istanbul and other attractions in Turkey.
We have requested arrival information from all participants with the intention of meeting everyone at the airport. We recommend that you wait outside the customs area for a few minutes before you make plans to get to Koc Campus. We recommend that you call Selim at +90(0) 555 640 6346 (the number I listed earlier +90(0)536 493 0580 will be active but will not be with me) if you are unsure about how to get to the campus.
When you arrive at Koc Campus tell the security at the gate that you are attending the Workshop. You will be directed to your Hotel (Henry Ford Bldg) or Dormitory. You will receive an envelope with breakfast and meal vouchers and phone info for Elif Hanim)
Money Exchange
In Turkey, currency exchange is very easy and the exchange rates are extremely favorable. There are many private Exchange Offices (Doviz Burosu) and the difference between buying and selling prices is very small. Most likely, you could use your ATM cards to get cash but there will be fees involved. The best is to use credit cards and exchange USD or Euros into Turkish Lira. In 2005, both Turkish Lira and New (Yeni) Turkish Lira are in circulation. 1 YTL=1,000,000 TL (Turkey dropped 6 zeros). Current exchange rate is 1USD=1.36YTL
and 1Euro=1.65YTL.
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