A passport is an official document issued by authorized authorities to citizens traveling abroad and serves as an identity document while outside the country. In our country, passport booklet fees and passport taxes are determined annually by the Ministry of Finance, and the details are published in the Official Gazette. By examining those publications, we can see the current rates for one-year passport taxes and other fee categories.
Passports are the booklet used as identification by people traveling abroad for work, tourism, education, or health reasons. Each year, fees for passports prepared in English or other languages that contain a person’s identity information are set separately for domestic and foreign issuance.
When obtaining a passport, two separate payments are required: the booklet fee and the tax (harç) fee. If the applicant needs to replace a passport solely due to a change of surname and the current passport is still valid, the change can typically be made by paying only the booklet fee without paying the tax fee.
Current example fees are as follows: the tax for a 6-month passport is 111.7 TL and the booklet fee is 87.5 TL, making the total 199.2 TL. The one-year passport tax is 163.3 TL; with the 87.5 TL booklet fee, the total cost is 250.8 TL. The two-year passport tax is 266.4 TL and with the same 87.5 TL booklet fee the total becomes 353.9 TL. For a three-year passport, the tax is 378.3 TL and the booklet fee remains 87.5 TL, giving a total of 465.8 TL. For four- and ten-year passports, the tax is set at 533.1 TL and the booklet fee remains 87.5 TL, resulting in a total of 620.6 TL.
Documents Required to Obtain a Passport
Passport applications are handled at the Passport Branch of the local police headquarters or at the Passport Office within district police directorates. Regardless of whether the passport requested is short-term or long-term, the same types of documents are generally required. The typical documents needed for a passport application are:
- Two biometric photographs.
- Original Turkish Republic identity card (nüfus cüzdanı).
- Receipt for the passport booklet fee.
- Receipt for the passport tax (harç) fee.
- Any previously issued passport, if available.
Biometric photos for passport applications differ from standard ID photos. The background must be white and the face must be visible clearly from the front. Acceptable dimensions are 45×60 mm or 50×60 mm. The photo must represent the applicant’s current appearance and must not include items that obstruct the face such as heavy hairstyles, hair clips that cover the face, hats, or other accessories.
Payment of Passport Fees
Applicants can pay the passport tax and booklet fee at the treasury offices (Defterdarlık) or finance directorates (Mal Müdürlükleri) affiliated with the Ministry of Finance. Payments may also be made at banks that have agreements with the Ministry. Banks that commonly accept these payments include national and private institutions across the country.
- Akbank
- Alternatif Bank
- Albaraka Türk Katılım Bankası
- Kuveyt Türk Katılım Bankası
- Citibank
- QNB Finansbank
- Denizbank
- Tekstilbank
- Anadolubank
- HSBC Bank
- ING Bank
- Eurobank
- TC Ziraat Bankası
- Halk Bankası
- İş Bankası
- Yapı Kredi Bankası
- Vakıfbank
- Garanti Bankası
- Türkiye Ekonomi Bankası
- Şekerbank
- Fortisbank
- Türkiye Finans Katılım Bankası
After paying the passport-related fees, the receipt must include the applicant’s Turkish ID number, full name, and surname. The amount paid must match the duration of the passport being requested; for example, for a one-year passport, the one-year tax and the booklet fee should be paid. Once the correct payments are made, the passport application proceeds and the passport issuance is confirmed.