Since December 28, 2020, Turkey has required all passengers who want to enter by air to present a negative PCR result, which must not be older than 72 hours. From December 30, 2020, this regulation will also be extended to land and sea routes.

“Now, at the request of the Turkish Ministry of Health, we have a PCR test requirement upon entry from December 28th as part of the fight against Covid-19. All passengers have to present a PCR certificate, which was issued a maximum of 72 hours before check-in ”, Turkish Airlines boss Bilal Eksi wrote in a first reaction on his social media account.

People residing in Turkey can bypass the testing, but will then be immediately quarantined. The regulation should be valid until at least March 1, 2021. The government reserves the right to extend it if necessary. Most recently, connections from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, among others, were officially prohibited.