Turks living abroad are expressing satisfaction with measures at Türkiye’s border gates as they return to European countries after spending their annual leave in the country.
Turks who have completed their holidays are continuing their journeys back to the countries where they live, while additional lanes and reinforced staffing at border gates are helping speed up exit procedures.
Osman Orak, who is returning to Germany, said that he had enjoyed a pleasant holiday in Türkiye.
Orak said Turkish border gates provide better service than those in Europe, adding that Türkiye makes the crossing easier when necessary.
Ramazan Korkmaz, who is returning to Belgium, said they arrived in Türkiye with joy but were leaving with sadness.
“Now everyone is returning, so the congestion is normal. There are no problems during the crossing,” Korkmaz said, noting that border procedures were proceeding quickly.
Tuncay Koyuncu, who is returning to France, also said they were sad to leave their homeland and expressed satisfaction with the speed of border procedures and the services provided.
Between June 22, considered the start of the expatriate travel season, and Aug. 24, a total of 2,065,799 passengers entered Türkiye through the Kapıkule, Hamzabeyli, Ipsala, Pazarkule and Dereköy border gates in the Thrace region.
During the same period, 1,759,167 passengers exited Türkiye through the five border gates.
Vehicle traffic followed a similar pattern, with 525,960 passenger cars entering Türkiye and 439,032 leaving the country.
Kapıkule Border Gate, the most frequently used crossing by Turks living abroad, recorded 1,146,894 passenger entries and 814,152 passenger exits.
In terms of passenger exits, Kapıkule was followed by Ipsala with 368,751, Hamzabeyli with 260,860, Dereköy with 167,152 and Pazarkule with 148,252.
Compared with the same period last year, total passenger entries and exits decreased by 3%, while passenger car entries and exits declined by 2%.
The return journeys of Turks living abroad are expected to continue through the first week of September.
