Visa appointments in Türkiye grabbed by bots and resold for hundreds of euros

Turkish authorities have launched an operation in eight provinces against suspects accused of using bots to secure visa appointments and resell them for hundreds of euros while promising customers guaranteed appointments. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is leading the investigation into the alleged black market, which it says shut ordinary applicants out of booking systems.

Key facts

• Operations were carried out in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya, Balikesir, Denizli and Kocaeli.
• Arrest warrants have been issued for 60 suspects, and efforts to apprehend them are continuing.
• Customers were allegedly charged about 300-400 euros ($337-$450) per transaction for purported bot software support.
• Financial reports identified approximately 370 million Turkish Liras ($7.4 million) in collections believed to be linked to visa and consultancy services.
• An earlier operation in August raided 63 addresses across six provinces.

What did investigators find?

The prosecutor's office said visa consultancy firms collected payments through social media and websites by advertising guaranteed visas and appointments. Some of those firms allegedly failed to provide the promised services or refused to issue refunds.

Digital evidence, including WhatsApp messages, indicated that suspects used bots to rapidly book limited appointment slots on consular and authorised visa application centre systems. Investigators believe the practice restricted ordinary applicants' access to appointments and pushed them towards paid intermediaries, effectively creating a black market.

How were applicants charged?

Investigators found evidence that customers paid additional fees of around 300-400 euros ($337-$450) per transaction for purported bot software support. Financial examination reports identified approximately 370 million Turkish Liras ($7.4 million) in collections believed to be linked to visa and consultancy services. Authorities are still calculating losses incurred by customers who received no service, incomplete service or no refunds.

Is this the first operation?

No. The investigation follows a separate operation in August, when authorities raided 63 addresses across six provinces and seized computers and software linked to bot accounts. Suspects were accused of blocking appointment systems through multiple accounts and selling appointments under the banner of "guaranteed visas" for up to 1,000 euros. Investigators previously estimated the total proceeds from the alleged scheme at 918 million liras.

What this means for travellers

The alleged scheme centred on paid intermediaries selling visa appointments that were grabbed from consular and authorised visa application centre systems. Travellers using such systems should be aware that some consultancy firms advertising guaranteed visas and appointments are accused of not delivering the promised service or refunding payments, with extra fees of around 300-400 euros charged per transaction in some cases.

Gendarmerie teams are continuing efforts to apprehend the 60 suspects named in the arrest warrants. No further dates for the investigation have been announced.