Edirne border crossings see record-breaking influx of expats
EDIRNE
Border crossings in the northwestern province of Edirne have seen the highest number of entries ever recorded, as Turkish nationals living abroad began arriving in large numbers for the summer holidays, the city’s governor has announced.
“We have what we call the ‘expat season,’ which started on June 22 this year, about a week later than usual, but with the same level of intensity,” Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer said in a meeting.
Since then, around 632,744 people have entered through the four border gates, according to Sezer.
He noted that July 13 alone saw a record-breaking 62,263 passengers and 14,730 vehicles entering Türkiye, surpassing the previous record set on July 14 of last year.
Sezer also shared figures for the first half of 2025, stating that around 5.7 passengers and 2.3 million vehicles passed through Edirne’s border gates between January and June.
Preparations are already underway for the return journey of Turkish expatriates, he said, adding that new mobile booths have been completed at the İpsala Border Gate to speed up processing times.
Similar work is ongoing at the Hamzabeyli Border Gate as well, Sezer added.
As the schools go on summer break, expatriates hailing from various European countries embark on journeys with their vehicles to reunite with their relatives in Türkiye, contributing to the steady flow of arrivals.
They typically use border crossings in Edirne and Kırklareli for their entries and exits to Türkiye.
According to official data, around 6 million of the 7.5 million Turkish citizens living abroad reside in Western Europe.
