Turkish toll cards to switch to stickers Dec. 31

Published Dec. 28, 2012
By the 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office

INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- The method of paying for tolls on roads in Turkey will change as the Kartlı Geçiş Sistemi toll-payment card is slated to be replaced entirely by the Hızlı Geçiş Sistemi Dec. 31.

While HGS stickers can be purchased at any post office in Turkey, Kelly Bortles, Incirlik Outdoor Recreation Manager, recommends the main post office in Adana, which is located near the train station.

"Go around 2 to 4 p.m.," said Bortles. "This is the same place the local community pays their water and electric bills, so the lines can get kind of long."

To purchase a sticker, the owner of the vehicle must bring proof of registration to the post office and complete a request form. The sticker must be loaded with a minimum of 20 Turkish lira. Any leftover funds from the KGS card can be transferred to the sticker.

Once purchased, the HGS sticker must be placed on the windshield and can only be used with the vehicle it is assigned to. Scanners will pick up the sticker automatically while driving through any toll gate. For convenience, money can be added to stickers at any toll stop.

Drivers will incur fees up to three-times the original toll if they fail to obtain a sticker before driving through a toll gate after Dec. 31. Fees must be paid before vehicles can be deregistered.

Below are directions to the main post office in Adana from the front gate.

· Take D400. Go past the Seyhan hotel.
· Make a right turn on Ataturk Street.
· At the end of Ataturk Street, make a left.
· You will see the post office across the parking lot from the train station.

For more information, contact Outdoor Recreation at DSN 676-6044.