Turkish truckers hold Kapıkule sit-in over Schengen visas and border queues

Turkish truck drivers held a five-hour sit-in near the Kapıkule border crossing in Edirne province on 21 October, protesting European visa restrictions, long border waits, poor parking facilities and rising costs that they say threaten freight transport to Europe. Kapıkule is the main road link between Türkiye and Bulgaria.

Key facts

• Date and place: 21 October, near the Kapıkule crossing in northwestern Edirne; the protest ended peacefully at 7 p.m.
• Complaints: shortages of Schengen visa appointments, restrictive stay limits, border delays of four to five days, parking conditions and local prices.
• Cause of the backlogs: Edirne Deputy Governor Şevket Atlı attributed them to ongoing renovation works at Bulgarian customs.
• Diversion: part of the heavy vehicle traffic has been redirected to the Hamzabeyli crossing.
• Transit permits: a problem affecting about 1,600 trucks was resolved at 2 p.m., Atlı said.

What are the drivers demanding?

Speaking for commercial drivers, Koray Torun highlighted severe shortages of Schengen visa appointments and stay limits he described as overly restrictive. He called for special passports for truckers with at least five years of qualifying experience, arguing that "Going to Europe is not a holiday for us. We are not tourists."

Torun also demanded strict price audits of local shops, restaurants and parking facilities, and the reinstatement of the appointment-based crossing system introduced in 2021. He asked for the same measures at the Hamzabeyli crossing, saying the gridlock harms nearby residents and overlooks drivers' contributions during natural disasters.

What did officials say?

Demonstrators marched to the entrance of the Customs and Tourism Enterprises (GTİ) truck park, where gendarmerie officers allowed a four-member delegation to meet Edirne Deputy Governor Şevket Atlı before he addressed the crowd. Atlı said the 90-day stay limit within a 180-day period required action by senior officials, and that he would ask transport federation leaders to raise the issue with the European Union while local inspections continue.

On the queues themselves, Atlı said officials were holding daily consultations with Bulgarian counterparts to speed up clearance and hoped the affected trucks could cross within one or two days.

What this means for travellers

The backlogs are being felt at Kapıkule and, with traffic diverted there, at Hamzabeyli. Drivers report waits of four to five days at the border, and heavy vehicles are being routed away from Kapıkule. Anyone planning to cross the Türkiye–Bulgaria frontier by road should take the current congestion at both crossings into account.

The protest concluded peacefully at 7 p.m. No changes to visa rules or crossing procedures have been announced; the drivers' requests, including special passports and the appointment-based crossing system, remain proposals.