UAE Embassy issues travel advisory for Emiratis visiting Turkey

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Embassy in Ankara has issued a set of travel recommendations for Emirati citizens planning trips to Turkey, urging them to take precautionary steps to ensure a safe and smooth journey.

In a statement, the embassy advised travelers to register themselves and their families with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ “Twajudi” service and to verify that passports are valid for at least six months. 

Citizens were also encouraged to check financial transaction systems in Turkey, confirm whether bank cards or cash are preferred, and ensure with their banks that cards are activated for international use.

The embassy further recommended reviewing country-specific travel advisories available on the ministry’s website and mobile app, paying particular attention to visa requirements for domestic workers well ahead of departure. 

Travelers were urged to keep copies of identification documents, comply with traffic laws, and take measures to safeguard personal and public safety.

Additional guidance included verifying that vehicle ownership documents match the name on the passport, meeting any health requirements imposed by Turkish authorities, and reviewing procedures for recognizing or exchanging Emirati driver’s licenses, information for which is also available through the ministry’s travel advisory platforms.

The advisory comes one day after two Emirati citizens were killed and three others injured, all from the same family, when a tourist bus veered off the road and overturned near a riverbed close to Balık Lake in the Çaykara district of Trabzon, northern Turkey. 

According to Turkey’s IHA news agency, gendarmerie units and emergency medical teams were dispatched to the scene after tourists and local residents called the emergency hotline. 

The injured passengers, who were trapped inside the vehicle, were pulled out after an extensive rescue effort.

Preliminary reports identified the deceased as Maryam Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, 18, and Abdul Majid Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, 32. 

The injured,15-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, 53-year-old Samira Mohammed Abdul Rahman, and 60-year-old Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, were transported to a state hospital for treatment.