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An Indian passport holder with a Schengen visa and UK permanent residency was denied entry at a Northern Cyprus border.
The Redditor, holding an Indian passport, contacted the officials regarding the issue and was informed that no prior visa was required for their travel to TRNC. (Representative Image: Getty Images)
A traveller holding an Indian passport, along with a Schengen visa and UK permanent residency, was denied entry at the Northern Cyprus border. Sharing their ordeal on Reddit, the traveller revealed that the authorities offered no explanation for not allowing them to cross the border.
The Redditor added that they were planning a visit to Famagusta in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). However, when they arrived at the Deryneia border crossing, they were turned away. The situation left them puzzled, as they had successfully entered TRNC just two days earlier through the Nicosia border crossing.
“Travel isn’t always smooth sailing, but I never expected to be outright denied entry without a proper explanation, wrote the Reddit user while sharing their ordeal online.
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They added, “A few days ago, I was planning to visit Famagusta in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). I took the road from Southern Cyprus and reached the Deryneia border crossing, expecting a routine check. Instead, the border officer took one look at my Indian passport and said: Indian passport holders are not allowed.”
The Reddit user, who goes by Brugiamalayi, noted that while they were turned away, two European travellers accompanying them passed through “without a hitch”.
“I was confused—because just two days earlier, I had entered TRNC through the Nicosia border crossing without any issue. When I mentioned this, the officer shouted at me: ‘I don’t care. This is a new rule; the rules have changed now.’,” they explained.
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Seeking clarity on the matter, the Redditor reached out to the officials and was told that no visa prior to their travel was required for TRNC.
“Trying to get some clarity, I later emailed the TRNC embassy specifically about requirements for Indian passport holders. Their response made things even more confusing: ‘Please be advised that except for Syrian, Nigerian, or Armenian passport holders, there is no requirement to obtain a visa prior to travel to TRNC.’,” leaving the Redditor perplexed about “what exactly happened at the border”.
“Honestly, the whole experience felt unfair. Whatever the reason, being singled out like that left a bad taste in my mouth,” they shared. The Redditor went on to mention that they Googled reviews for the Turkish side of the border crossing and came across several one-star ratings. They also noted that another traveller had a similar experience.
