Article 43 TPR provides that if temporary protection beneficiaries make a request for a travel document, these requests “shall be evaluated” in the framework of Article 18 of the Passport Law. As described in International Protection: Travel Documents, Article 18 of the Passport Law envisions the two types of “passport with a foreign-nationals-only stamp” (Yabancılara Mahsus Damgalı Pasaport) with different durations of validity. Therefore, the current temporary protection framework does not foresee the provision of (Refugee) Travel Documents to temporary protection beneficiaries within the meaning of the 1951 Convention.
Stakeholders are not aware of any such “passports with a foreign-nationals-only stamp” issued to a temporary protection beneficiary. That being said, there are cases of temporary protection beneficiaries being allowed to travel on their Syrian passports to third countries for private purposes, although in some cases these individuals encounter difficulties in entering Türkiye upon return.[1]
In 2022, Ministry of Interior Affairs issued a circular to PDMMs regarding the imposition of a new duty on taxi drivers to check the travel permits of foreigners when transporting passengers between cities. The taxi driver would otherwise be accused of human trafficking.[2] In 2023, there is no information regarding this implementation.
During the road checks of the gendarmerie teams in Gaziantep, 339 foreign nationals traveling between cities without a road permit were identified, and a total administrative fine of 2 million 178 thousand TL was imposed on these people[3].
Even though it was not free from challenges, Syrians who temporarily moved from earthquakes-affected region to other parts of Türkiye were able to obtain and extend their travel permits during their stay. With this permit, they were allowed to access services and rights such as education and healthcare. There were also 90-day extensions on their permits, and no restrictions were imposed if they wanted to return to their provinces[4]. It is thought that approximately 200,000 people who temporarily moved to different provinces after the earthquake, but some of them returned after a while[5]. For example, there were those who returned to Hatay despite the serious destruction in the city.
[1] Information provided by a stakeholder, May 2023.
[2] AA, ‘İçişleri Bakanı Soylu: Taksicilere yabancı yolcuların il dışı seyahat izin belgelerini kontrol yükümlülüğü getiriyoruz’, 2022, available in Turkish here
[3] İzinsiz yolculuk yapan yabancılara 2 milyon 178 bin lira ceza – Son Dakika Haberleri, available here 20 03 2024
[4] Information provided by stakeholders, March – April 2024.
[5] Information provided by a stakeholder, March 2024.