Turk states discuss visa-free travel using national ID cards

The possibility of passport-free travel between Turkic states using national identity cards is being studied, Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy chair Kürşad Zorlu said on Saturday.

Zorlu, the party’s representative for relations with Turkic states, said countries were working to lay the groundwork for such an initiative while speaking at the Turkic World Youth Meeting in Kocaeli province in northwestern Türkiye.

“We currently travel with passports. We are trying to lay the groundwork and establish the conditions to determine whether travel with our identity cards is possible,” Zorlu said.

The initiative is reported to cover five members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS): Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan. Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which hold observer status in the organization, are not expected to be included in the plan.

Citizens of Azerbaijan and Türkiye can already travel between the two countries without passports using biometric identity cards. Citizens of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan can also travel to each other’s countries using national identity cards.

OTS Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev told APA in September that passport-free travel was on the organization’s agenda. Zorlu said in April that the free movement of people was important for the economic and social integration of the Turkic world.

The Turkic World Youth Meeting will continue until Sunday. The event is organized by an institution focused on developing cooperation among Turkic-speaking countries.