Procedure for Departing to Northern Cyprus by Ferry with a Car
If you decide to arrive to the northern part of the island by car, then our detailed analysis will be useful to you.
The ferry from Turkey to Northern Cyprus departs from the port of Tasucu, which is almost 100 kilometers from Mersin.
REGISTRATION
You can register either at the ferry company office in the city or directly at the port, at the Akgünler office. Registration must be completed 2.5 hours before the ferry departs. You must provide a ticket, passport, and documents for the car. At this stage, you'll be issued your boarding passes.
PASSING CONTROL
It's better to arrive at the port of Seka Limanı immediately after registration. When you enter the gate marked Özel Güvenlik, your tickets and boarding passes will be checked. After checking, you will be shown a queue in which you will need to place your car.
In this case, passengers get out of the car and go through passport control separately from the driver, who goes through passport control after placing the car in a queue.
After passing passport control, the driver with his passport, his ticket, and a car ticket goes to the Vezne/Cash window (outside the building), where a customs officer checks for debts for travel on toll roads and fines, makes a note in the system if there are no debts and accepts payment in cash if there are debts.
After this, the driver with the same documents must proceed to the Araç Kayıt / Car Registration point, where a mark will be placed on the car’s boarding pass indicating that entry to the ferry is permitted.
You can expect to enter the ferry in the car together with the passengers, but the process itself is carried out by the driver alone, the passengers at this moment are accommodated according to the purchased tickets.
ENTRY TO THE FERRY
When the ferry gates open for loading, the manager will check the entry permit stamp and determine the order of entry onto the ferry. If you are among the first three cars, you will have the opportunity to turn around inside the ferry, but you'll be the last one to leave. The remaining cars are loaded onto the ferry in reverse.
You can't be in the car while it is moving - it's secured with wheel chocks and slings, and the driver must be on the deck in the place indicated on the ticket.
DEPARTURE FROM THE FERRY
After mooring at the port of Girne, when departure is allowed, you'll need to park the car at the indicated place. It's recommended, if possible, to park closer to the Araç Giriş İşlemleri / Gümrük booth - if you go through all the queues before others, there is less chance of being blocked by other cars.
After this, you need to leave the car, and go to passport control, and the neighboring booth Araç Ordino ve Sigorta / Delivery Order and Insurance to pay the port tax. Insurance for cars with foreign license plates is also purchased here.
Passengers approach the Araç Giriş İşlemleri / Gümrük booth (the same one near which it's better, if possible, to park when leaving the ferry) after passport control and payment of the port fee. The payment receipt must be presented along with your passport and documents for the car, after which you will be given a stamp and the contents of the car will be randomly checked.
Upon departure, your passports and all necessary stamps will be checked again. Welcome to Northern Cyprus!
FAQ ABOUT FERRIES TO NORTH CYPRUS
Who should be the driver?
The owner of the car must be indicated as the driver, but in fact, any participant in the trip can drive it onto the ferry. If the owner is not among the passengers, then it's necessary to indicate the person to whom the power of attorney was issued by the owner of the car.
Where can I check if I have debts from the Turkish Road Service?
This can be done on the website gib.gov.tr or in the app GIB. You need to select Interaktif Vergi Dairesi, then Yabancı Plakalı Araç Ödemeleri (Foreign Vehicle Payments), enter the car number, and verification code, and get the result.
What is the cost of port tax?
As of September 2023, the port tax is 30 liras for cars with license plates of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and 70 liras for cars with foreign license plates (including Turkish).
Read also:
- How to return a ferry ticket to Turkey?
- How to change a ferry ticket to Turkey?
- Where to buy ferry tickets?
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Author
Born and raised in Yekaterinburg, visited more than 40 countries, lived in the USA for some time, and in 2022, moved to Northern Cyprus. Education: Ural State University (now Ural Federal University), Faculty of Political Science and Sociology. Professional Experience: Since 2008, worked in the…