A Turkish Song About Visa Hurdles

“Complicated” is a good word to describe Turkey’s relationship with the European Union.

Turkey formally applied for EU membership in 1987.

It was officially recognized as a candidate for full membership 12 years later, but today it remains embroiled in membership negotiations.

Meanwhile, Turkish citizens have to go through a long and bureaucratic process to travel to the EU. Rules make it tough for Turks to get a visa and many spend long hours in line, waiting.

One Turkish musician, Sarp Yeletaysi, decided to tackle the matter with humor and wrote a song about the visa hurdles. It’s called “Schengen Macht Frei.”