Hamzabeyli, Lalapaşa

Hamzabeyli
Village
A view of the Hamzabeyli border crossing point with its counterpart Lesovo (note the exclusive truck traffic)
Hamzabeyli Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 41°57′N 26°36′E
Country	Turkey
Province	Edirne Province
District	Lalapaşa
Population  (2011)
• Total	239
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	22950
Area code	0284
Licence plate	22

A queue on the border check point

Hamzabeyli is a village in Lalapaşa town of Edirne Province, Turkey and one of the three border crossing points between Turkey and Bulgaria is situated within here. This border crossing is the newest yet opened between Bulgaria and Turkey in 2006. The counterpart of Hamzabeyli is Lesovo (Bulgarian: Лесово) on the Bulgarian side.

Hamzabeyli border crossing point was previously in use in Ottoman times. But closed after the fall of the empire. By the entry of Bulgaria into EU, the vehicle traffic between Turkey has increased significantly. Therefore, making the reopening of a new border crossing point necessary. Hamzabeyli crossing point is mainly aimed for commercial traffic (e.g. trucks) but non-commercial (e.g. automobile, motorcycle) traffic is also allowed. Hamzabeyli border crossing point features:

• 500.000 vehicle and 1.500.000 passenger capacity, annually.
• 64.000 m² total open area.
• 2.000 m² commercial buildings area.
• 1.800 m² administrative buildings area.
• 4+4 automobile and 4+4 truck platforms (16 in total).
• 2 vehicle weight scales and 2 x-ray vehicle scanners.
• A duty-free shop, a bank, an insurance company and a restaurant.

Hamzabeyli border crossing has relatively less traffic than its neighbours, namely Kapıkule and Dereköy—despite its truck traffic. This is because it provides access to mid-Bulgaria where there are no major cities and connecting roads to neighbouring countries. Whereas Kapıkule is closer to Sofia and thus to Western Europe; Dereköy is closer to Burgas and Varna.