A BRITISH couple has spoken of their shock at being given a six-day deadline to get their foreign-registered car out of Turkey – because of a passport bungle by officials.

Marion and Alan Fairclough, from Preston, had brought their Peugeot 206 over from the UK through Europe and into Turkey to their home in Didim.

Alan with his wife Marion (left) and their daughter Angie

Mr Fairclough’s passport should have been stamped when he entered Turkey via Italy showing that he was bringing in the car. In doing so, foreign-registered cars are allowed to stay in the country for up to two years.

However, when the couple received their new two-year residences, they went to the Kusadasi office to officially re-register the car as a carry-over on to their new documents from the old.

But a custom’s official spotted a major mistake – the car had not been stamped as officially entering Turkey.

To compound matters, the couple had re-entered Turkey after a day out in Kos as part of resetting their driving licences for another six months.

Mrs Fairclough said the official advised them they had a deadline of six days to get their car out of the country, forcing Mr Fairclough to ensure an unscheduled trip to take the car back to the UK.

She said: “It came as a massive shock to us as the initial mistake was not ours. It seems to have been a million-to-one bureaucratic bungle and we have had to carry the responsibility.

“Meaning, Alan’s had to get the car out of the country quickly, otherwise it would have caused more complications.

“The problem appears to have occurred when travelling from Italy where our papers should have been stamped showing that the foreign-registered vehicle was entering the country. It wasn’t.”

On Mr Fairclough’s return, they plan to buy a Turkish-registered car.