ISTANBUL: Thousands of Turkish truck drivers are being turned away at European border crossings, caught in a visa rule that was designed for tourists, not for the men and women who keep supply chains moving.
Under the Schengen area’s 90/180 day rule, visa holders can spend no more than 90 days inside the bloc during any rolling 180 day period. For long-haul drivers, that limit is reached quickly: hours spent loading and unloading cargo, plus long waits at checkpoints, eat up the allowance long before their work is done, reported by Daily Hurriyet News.
The impact is being felt from Italy’s port of Trieste to the Kapıkule crossing on Türkiye’s border with Bulgaria. Transport operators and exporters warn that disruptions are growing. Nearly half of Türkiye’s exports go to the EU, and 42 percent of those shipments travel by road. In 2025 alone, some $111 billion worth of goods moved by truck into the European Union.
Şerafettin Aras, head of the International Transporters Association (UND), says about 25,000 of Türkiye’s 50,000 international drivers are now affected. He argues the situation harms not only Turkish firms but also European-owned companies producing in Türkiye and relying on these routes.
“Turkish drivers also reach destinations where EU trucks do not operate,” Aras said. “This is not only a problem for Türkiye. It negatively affects the foreign trade of EU countries.”
In recent months, border checks tied to the 90 day rule have intensified, forcing carriers to reroute shipments. The restrictions also disrupt freight from Europe to third countries, including Syria, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, much of it hauled by Turkish firms.
Although transport contracts include penalties for late delivery, Aras says the current crisis is being treated as force majeure. Even so, some orders are already being cancelled, with more expected if no fix is found.
“This is being treated as if drivers were tourists,” he said. “Commercial vehicle drivers need a D type visa, which allows stays longer than 90 days for work.”
Without such a change, industry leaders warn, the lines of idling trucks at EU borders may grow longer, and the goods they carry may never reach their destination.
