Turkiye has cancelled visa-free travel for Tajik nationals on Saturdsay, without giving any reason behind the decision.

Russian news agency TASS says Turkiye has canceled the visa-free regime for citizens of Tajikistan holding regular foreign passports, according to a decree by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan published on April 6 in the official state paper Resmi Gazete.

“A decision was made to cancel the visa-free regime for citizens of Tajikistan holding ordinary foreign passports when traveling to Turkiye,” the document said.

The adopted measure was reportedly based on the Law on Foreigners and International Protection.  The decision comes into force from the moment of publication.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan says the visa regime will be reintroduced form Tajik nationals starting from April 20.  

An official source within the Tajik MFA says Ankara officially notified Dushanbe about its plan to scrap the vis-exemption rule on April 6.  

Recall, the visa-exemption rule had been in place since 2018 and allowed Tajik nationals to stay in turkey for up to 90 days without visa.

Meanwhile Turkiye’s Embassy in Dushanbe says that the resumption of the visa regime is presumably a temporary measure.