In April, what has become known as the “grey passport scandal” raised a new round of questions as to the extent of official corruption in Turkey. Grey (service) passports are temporary travel documents provided for those who travel abroad to represent Turkey. Most countries know the grey passport holder is on official duty and will return shortly.
The scandal revealed that these passports were sold to people whose main goal was to seek refuge in Western Europe. After weeks of news, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu informed the public that since 2018, in 19 different cities municipal governments have organized trips to Europe where “804 people did not return to Turkey after their passports expired.” Soylu also said investigations are being launched at different levels and municipal governments are banned from applying for grey passports.
