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I have scheduled a transfer on GetTransfer.com from Istanbul's Ataturk airport to my hotel for two adults (me and my wife) and two infants under two years old and got the following message from the carrier:

Firstly, thank you for choosing us. According to government rules, we need to have the names of the passengers, surnames, passport numbers and where they are from. Could you please send the information to me? Thank you again

I am not familiar with Turkish laws but I'm pretty sure there is no way the government asks taxis or carriers taking people from the airport to record their nationality passport number and full names even for kids under 2 years old.

Besides, there is no privacy policy between me and the carrier so nothing would protect me if I sent him that information directly on private chat.

I sent to gettransfer.com support asking to cancel and haven't got response yet.

Am I missing something?

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    Can this be a temporarily COVID 19 measure? Many governments do ask for registering more details than usual, to be able to contact people who might be affected if someone else happens to have Covid.
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 14:34
  • @Willeke That may be the case, thanks for bringing that up. That would need confirmation from someone from the Turkish government though. But how would I protect myself if I don't have a privacy policy with the carrier.
    – Abdalla
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 14:54
  • I took an official taxi from Istanbul airport several times over the years and it was always relatively cheap, with the driver using the meter. I'd just take a cab from the taxi stand, no passport required. Unless you're going to a far away city where a transfer makes more sense.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 15:41
  • @JonathanReez Thank you. I am going to Bursa and I have kids so a transfer will make things easier.
    – Abdalla
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 16:45
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    Of course, even if they did have a privacy policy, what would you really be able to do if they didn't follow it?
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 17:25

4 Answers 4

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The law enforces agencies to get your passport id and bunch of other information. #36 of the law describes it.In case of missing information, I think in any control point they will be punished by money.

However, The authorized person first fills the electronic ticket without passport information. The legally required information is filled in only after meeting the passenger and getting on the vehicle. Thus, due consideration is given to the sensitivity of the passenger.

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I called another tourist company and told them that I was asked for all this information and that I am not comfortable with it.

I asked them if this was normal and if it was not normal, I would cancel with gettransfer and book with them, so there was a huge incentive for them to tell me that it wasn't normal even if it was.

However they told me to not worry and that it's required by the government there.

It's still a weird requirement that I do not agree with at all, but at least it seems like a required legal procedure and the carrier company didn't come up with it.

I gave them the information and made sure to take the company and its owner's name.

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    I am not sure why this requirement is any more weird than for example the requirement in many other countries to provide the same information to stay in a hotel or to book a flight or a train ticket. You must probably, as a foreigner visiting an authoritarian regime like Turkey, also submit to many other 'weird' regulations. If you are not ok with that, the best solution is not to go there.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 19:37
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Short answer is: Yes it is normal.
Long answer: I had multiple experiences from different countries to Istanbul and when using an airport transfer service they always they asked me for these details. I know this is not really normal situation to give these details to private company but they need it and directly they submitting these details to the government service named UETDS and this is required for private transfer or shuttle services to apply passengers details on their application.

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    Removed the link to a specific transfer service, please avoid advertising companies here.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Sep 26, 2023 at 20:57
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In Turkey, it is normal for private transfer companies to request passenger information, including full names, nationality, and passport numbers. This is due to the requirements of the UETDS (Passenger Transport Monitoring System) implemented by the Turkish government, which mandates that transport companies submit passenger details for security and regulatory reasons. If you have concerns, it’s always good to confirm with the company directly, but this request is standard for legal compliance.

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