Tired of Schengen visa procedure, Turkish nationals welcome liberalization


Some are sick of waiting in long lines at visa application centers while some give up and change their travel itineraries to other countries. But Turkish nationals' long-continued Schengen visa ordeal is expected to come to an end today with the European Commission's report to EU member states and European Parliament to grant visa liberalization to Turkey.Daily Sabah spoke to Turkish nationals in an effort to take the pulse of Turks who have had problems trying to get a visa and to speak out regarding visa liberalization. Yiğit Şencan, a 30 year-old businessman, said that he has been unable to visit his business partner in Spain due to the deterrent visa procedure."Never mind the business visa, I do not even apply for a tourist visa since I am sick of the tourist visa procedure, the long lines, being interrogated like a criminal in front of visa units," Şencan said.Explaining that he carries out all of his business correspondence online, he said that the struggle to get a visa for a brief stay in another country, coupled by the need to pay non-refundable amounts of money even for weekend holidays is humiliating.Melih Gündüz, 22, gave only one example to clarify the visa procedure, which he described as completely absurd: "I asked the German Consulate for a tourist visa to celebrate the New Year in Germany and my visa application was approved on Jan. 3. Can you believe that?"Nurcan Memiş, 27, said that she had no problem receiving her visa so far, explaining that what matters is not being granted a visa, but the process Turkish nationals have to undergo for tourist purposes."I generally prefer to visit countries that do not ask for visas from Turks when planning my summer holidays abroad. Europe is always the last alternative since I am sick of the procedure," she said.Twenty-five-year-old student Uğurcan Arnaz said: "I remember that I waited four months for the German Consulate to respond to my petition. I had a green passport so I could travel to EU countries easily, but now I lost my rights due to my age."Arnaz said that he strongly supports visa liberalization and that it is pointless when it is not applicable to business and student visas, which are the main areas where people face problems.