Turkey has temporarily permitted Norwegian citizens to enter Turkey with just their national identity cards, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

The decision has been taken "to enable Norwegian citizens to visit Turkey during the 2022 tourism season," ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said in a statement.

The arrangement has been made "upon the request of the Turkish tourism sector" because "Norwegian citizens are unable to renew their passports due to the ongoing global chip crisis," the statement said.

"Within the framework of this temporary arrangement, Norwegian citizens will be allowed to travel to Turkey with their biometric ID cards, containing their personal information, for a temporary period of six and a half months," it added.

The spokesperson also clarified that "no agreements were signed" during Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt’s visit to Turkey this week.