The Foreign Affairs Foundation will now take over visa procedures for citizens wishing to travel abroad. Until now, only 1.1 billion Turkish Liras had been transferred to the treasury from visa procedures, from which intermediary companies had generated 5.5 billion Turkish Liras in revenue. With the proposal accepted by the parliamentary commission, the Foreign Affairs Foundation will take over visa procedures from now on.
Visa procedures will now be carried out by the Foundation for Strengthening the Foreign Affairs Organization, so that the state will keep most of the visa revenues. Citizens used to apply to intermediary companies for visa procedures. The proposal to establish the Foundation for Strengthening the Foreign Affairs Organization, which was accepted by the TBMM Plan and Budget Commission, stipulates that the foundation will also undertake visa brokerage services.
1
Visa procedures required to travel abroad in Turkey have long been carried out by intermediary companies. With the AK Party’s new proposal, the procedures will now also be carried out by the Foundation for Strengthening the Foreign Affairs Organization, and most of the visa revenues will go to the state.
2
The proposal to establish the Foundation for Strengthening the Foreign Affairs Organization, which was accepted by the TBMM Plan and Budget Commission, stipulates that the foundation will also undertake visa brokerage services. AK Party Balıkesir Deputy Mustafa Canbey, who gave information about the proposal during the negotiations in the commission, said that 1.1 billion lira was transferred to the budget in 2023 due to visa activities carried out by intermediary companies.
3
Stating that this figure is 20 percent of the visa revenues generated by intermediary companies, Canbey said that 80 percent of the revenue remains with the intermediary companies. According to calculations, the annual revenue of visa intermediary companies in 2023 was 5.5 billion liras. Of this figure, 1.1 billion lira was transferred to the treasury, while 4.4 billion lira remained with the companies.
4
“Services are received from 12 different companies”
Yasin Ekrem Serim, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, also gave information about visa brokerage activities. “As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we receive visa brokerage services from 12 different companies in 58 countries. These are local or competent companies according to their geography. They are usually Turkish companies. Foreign missions in Turkey also receive services from them. The reason is this: Since there is a huge amount of applications and documents in visa applications, this visa intermediary service is received for their sorting and processing.” Serim noted that the new proposal envisages that visa brokerage services will also be provided by the foundation.
5
“The most important source of income will be visa procedures”
AK Party Uşak MP İsmail Güneş reminded that the foundation will generate income from donations and aids and visa procedures and said, “The most important source of income will be visa procedures. The foundation will also be able to establish a company, perform visa procedures and generate income.”
