Türkiye (formally Turkey) is an excellent country for vanlifers to explore for up to 3 months outside of the Schengen zone. Coming from Greece we found a peaceful parkup about 10 miles away from the border, we got left the spot at around 9am and headed for the border. We entered Türkiye via the Ipsala border and later crossed into Asia via the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge.
For the border, we only had to present our passports and V5 vehicle logbook. No other paperwork was requested. After passing the first security check you will need to stop to purchase a 3rd party vehicle insurance cover. You must purchase this prior to going through the border, they will request this at the next two booths. To get this pull into the large lay-by on your left and enter the building. Our van cost 74 Euros for 3 months worth of cover (This was paid in Euros and cash). We believe the cost is calculated based on your vehicle type as listed on your V5. Our van is still listed as a commercial vehicle which we also understand is cheaper than a Motorhome. Once you’ve purchased your insurance and have made the crossing you’ll be able to pull back in and re-enter the same building from the other side if you wish. There are toilets, a coffee shop, ATM and duty free here. It is worth noting that you will need to have the V5 of your vehicle in the name that matches your passport. If your vehicle is registered to another keeper you will need a document to prove that you are the legal owner and keeper of the vehicle.
Whilst in the queue someone approached us to check inside the van, they looked in the main living area and opened a few of our overheads. They also wanted to see the back of the van but did not ask for us to move, or remove anything.
We also crossed into Türkiye with our two dogs. No paperwork was requested but we will expect to have to show the results of our titer test, and their EU pet passports in order to enter Greece.
Edit: 84 nights later and we’ve re-entered Greece from Türkiye. The border took us around 50 minutes due to some traffic. For the Turkish check only our passports were required. We had a customs agent open the back doors of the van, we didn’t have to remove or move anything and we were quickly on our way.
For the Greek checks only our passports were requested. No additional checks, no requests for any paperwork for the dogs either on either.
