Visa policy of Turkey

The visa policy of Turkey deals with the requirements that a foreign national wishing to enter Turkey must meet to be permitted to travel to, enter and remain in the country.^[1]

Turkish entry passport stamp issued at Istanbul Atatürk Airport.

Visitors to Turkey must obtain a visa from one of the Turkish diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the 90 visa-exempt countries and territories or one of the 31 countries and territories whose citizens are eligible to apply for an electronic visa. Turkish visas are documents issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its subsequent diplomatic missions abroad with the stated goal of regulating and facilitating migratory flows.^[2][3]

Visitors of most nationalities must hold a passport valid for no less than 150 days from the date of arrival. The passport validity requirement does not apply to citizens of Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland who can enter with a passport expired for less than five years, citizens of Germany who can enter with a passport or an ID card expired for less than one year, citizens of Bulgaria who are only required to have a passport valid for their period of stay.^[4] An identity card is accepted instead of a passport for citizens of Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Northern Cyprus, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine. The validity period requirement also does not apply to nationals of countries whose identity cards are accepted.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

Even though Turkey is a candidate country for membership of the European Union, it has a more complex visa policy than the visa policy of the Schengen Area.^[2] Turkey requires visas from citizens of one EU member state (the Republic of Cyprus), as well as Schengen Annex II countries and territories – Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, East Timor, Grenada, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Palau, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates and United States. However, citizens of most of these countries can obtain electronic visas. On the other hand, Turkey grants visa-free access to citizens of other countries and territories – Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco, Qatar, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia and Uzbekistan.

The Turkish government announced that effective from 2 March 2020, visas are not required for passport holders from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Republic of Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.^[10]

Visa policy map

 

Visa free access

Citizens of the following countries and territories who hold ordinary passports do not require a visa to visit Turkey for the durations described below for tourism or business purposes (unless otherwise stated). For visits of up to 90 days within 180 days, an identity card is accepted instead of a passport for citizens of some countries.^[2]

Indefinite period (1)   Northern Cyprus^ID ^[a] 90 days per visit, 90 days within 180 days (82)   European Union^ID ^1(excluding Cyprus)   Albania^T   Andorra   Argentina   Azerbaijan^ID^[12]^[13]   Belize   Bolivia   Bosnia and Herzegovina   Brazil   Chile   Colombia   Ecuador   El Salvador   Georgia^ID^[14]   Guatemala   Honduras   Hong Kong^[b]   Iceland   Iran   Israel   Japan   Jordan^T   Kazakhstan   Kosovo^T   Kuwait   Kyrgyzstan   Lebanon^T   Liechtenstein^ID   Malaysia   Moldova^ID^[15]   Monaco   Montenegro   Morocco   New Zealand   Nicaragua   North Macedonia   Norway   Panama   Paraguay   Peru   Qatar^T   Saint Kitts and Nevis   San Marino   Serbia^[16]   Seychelles   Singapore   South Korea    Switzerland^ID   Tajikistan   Trinidad and Tobago   Tunisia   Ukraine^ID ^[2]   United Kingdom^T ^2 ^[17]   Uruguay   Uzbekistan    Vatican City   Venezuela 60 days per visit, 90 days within 180 days (1)   Russia^3 30 days per visit, 90 days within 180 days (6)   Brunei   Costa Rica   Indonesia^T^[18]   Macao^T   Mongolia   Thailand 30 days per visit, 90 days within 1 year (1)   Belarus^[19]^[20] ID – May enter with an ID card for a stay of up to 90 days per 180-day period. T – Visa free for tourism purposes only. 1 - Entry with an ID card instead of a passport is allowed for citizens of Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. 2 – British citizens only.^[21] 3 – Excluding journalists that are on duty.^[22]^[23]

Conditional visa free access

90 days per visit, 90 days within 180 days (3)^[2]   Algeria^T ^1   Cyprus^T ^2   Libya^T ^3 T — Only for touristic visits. 1 — provided being under the age of 15 or above the age of 65. 2 — provided residing in North Cyprus and directly arriving from Ercan International Airport; or seaports of Famagusta, Gemikonağı, or Kyrenia.^[1] 3 — provided being under the age of 16 or above the age of 45.

•   Maldives and   Turkey signed visa-free agreement which is yet to be ratified.^[24]

Non-ordinary passport holders

Under reciprocal agreements, holders of diplomatic or service passports or laissez-passers issued by the following jurisdictions are allowed to enter and remain in Turkey for up to 90 days in 180 days, unless otherwise noted:

90 days within 180 days (121)   European Union^1 ^D ^S (excluding Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland)   EFTA members^1 ^D ^S   Afghanistan^D   Albania^1 ^D ^S   Algeria^D ^S   Andorra^1 ^D ^S   Angola^[25] ^D ^S   Argentina^1 ^D ^S   Azerbaijan^1 ^D ^S   Bahamas^D ^S   Bahrain^D ^S   Bangladesh^D ^S   Barbados^D ^S   Belarus^1 ^3 ^D ^S   Belize^1 ^D ^S   Bolivia^1 ^D ^S   Bosnia and Herzegovina^1 ^D ^S   Brazil^1 ^D ^S   Bulgaria^1 ^2 ^D ^S   Burkina Faso^D   Burundi^D   Cambodia^2 ^D ^S   Chile^1 ^D ^S   China^D ^S   Republic of the Congo^D   Costa Rica^1 ^2 ^D ^S   Cuba^D ^S   Djibouti^D ^S   Ecuador^1 ^D ^S   Egypt^D ^S   El Salvador^1 ^D ^S   Ethiopia^D   Fiji^D ^S   Gabon^D   Gambia^D   Georgia^1 ^D ^S   Grenada^D ^S   Guinea^D   Guyana^D ^S   Honduras^1 ^D ^S   Indonesia^1 ^D ^S   Iraq^D ^S   Israel^1 ^D ^S   Ivory Coast^D ^S   Jamaica^D ^S   Japan^1 ^D ^S   Kenya^D ^S   Kosovo^1 ^D ^S   Laos^D   Libya^T ^D   Maldives^2 ^D ^S   Mali^D   Mauritania^D ^S   Mauritius^D ^S   Mexico^D   Monaco^1 ^D ^S   Mongolia^1 ^2 ^D ^S   Montenegro^1 ^D ^S   Mozambique^D ^S   Namibia^D ^S   New Zealand^1 ^D ^S   Niger^[26] ^D ^S   Nigeria^D   North Macedonia^1 ^D ^S   Northern Cyprus^1 ^D ^S ^[a]   Oman^D ^S   Pakistan^D ^S   Palestine^D   Panama^1 ^D ^S   Paraguay^1 ^D ^S   Peru^1 ^D ^S   Philippines^D ^S   Russia^1 ^D ^S2   Rwanda^D ^S   Saint Lucia^D ^S   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines^D ^S   San Marino^1 ^D ^S   Saudi Arabia^T ^D ^S   Senegal^D   Serbia ^D ^S   Sierra Leone^[27] ^D ^S   Singapore ^1 ^D ^S   South Africa^2 ^D ^S   South Korea^1 ^D ^S   South Sudan^T ^D   Sudan^T ^D   Tanzania^D ^S   Thailand^D ^S   Togo^[28] ^D   Uganda^D   United Arab Emirates^D ^S   United Kingdom^1 ^4 ^D    Vatican City^1 ^D ^S   Vietnam^D ^S   Yemen^2 ^D ^S   Zambia^D T — only for touristic visits 1 — visa-exempt in general 2 — 30 days within a 180-day period 3 — 30 days per visit, 90 days within a 1-year period 4 — British citizens only D — diplomatic passports S — service passports

•   United Nations (UN) laissez-passer holders who have blue UN travel documents shall be exempted from entry visa requirement for their official visits to Turkey for up to 90 days in 180 days if they can certify their official assignment. Otherwise, general visa provisions shall apply.
  Red UN Travel Document holders, shall be exempted from entry visa and may stay in Turkey for 90 days within the preceding 180 days regardless of their purpose of visit.^[29][2]

Electronic Visas (e-Visa)

Holders of passports from the following 29 countries and territories can apply and obtain an electronic visa (e-Visa) for a fee before arrival. The duration of stay for these nationalities is up to 90 days (30 days per applications)within 180 days.^[30][31]

Antigua and Barbuda   Armenia^1   Australia   Bahamas   Bahrain   Barbados   British National (Overseas)   Canada   China   Cyprus^1   Dominica   Dominican Republic   East Timor^1   Fiji^1   Grenada   Haiti   Jamaica   Maldives   Mauritius^1   Mexico^1 ^2   Oman   Saint Lucia   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   Saudi Arabia   South Africa   Suriname^1   Taiwan^2   United Arab Emirates   United States 1 – May only apply for a single entry e-Visa on which they can stay for up to 30 days per 180-day period. 2 – e-Visas shall be issued free of charge.

Conditional e-Visa

Citizens of these countries and territories are eligible to apply for a single entry e-Visa on which they can stay for up to 30 days only if meeting the conditions listed below:^[30][2]

Afghanistan   Algeria^[32]   Bangladesh   Cape Verde

Egypt   Equatorial Guinea   India   Iraq^1

Libya   Pakistan   Palestine   Philippines

Senegal   Sri Lanka   Vietnam   Yemen

_{1 – e-Visas are issued free of charge.}

Conditions

All nationalities must hold a valid visa or residence permit from one of the following countries: Schengen area countries, Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States. Electronic visas or e-residence permits are not accepted. Egyptian citizens who are under 20 or over 45 years old do not need to fulfill this requirement. All citizens except for the citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines must travel with one of the airlines that has protocols with Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The following airlines meet the criteria: Pegasus Airlines and Turkish Airlines.^[33] Citizens of Egypt may also travel on flights operated by EgyptAir. Must hold a hotel reservation and adequate financial means ($50 per day). Algerian citizens must be aged below 18 or over 35 years old to be eligible for e-Visa. Otherwise, a sticker visa is required.

Physical visa required in advance

Citizens of the following countries and territories are not eligible for any of the “Visa Free Access” or “Electronic Visa” schemes. Therefore they have to obtain the appropriate type of visa for their intended visits in advance at a Turkish diplomatic mission unless they qualify for any of the “Conditional Visa Free Access” or “Conditional Electronic Visa” schemes:^[2][1][34]

Afghanistan   Algeria   Angola   Bangladesh   Benin   Bhutan   Botswana   Burkina Faso   Burundi   Cambodia   Cameroon   Cape Verde   Central African Republic   Chad   Comoros   Cuba   Democratic Republic of the Congo   Djibouti   Egypt   Eritrea   Eswatini   Ethiopia

Equatorial Guinea   Gabon   Gambia   Ghana   Guinea   Guinea-Bissau   Guyana   India   Iraq   Ivory Coast   Kenya   Kiribati   Laos   Lesotho   Liberia   Libya   Madagascar   Malawi   Mali   Marshall Islands   Mauritania   Micronesia

Mozambique   Myanmar   Namibia   Nauru     Nepal   Niger   Nigeria   North Korea   Pakistan   Palau   Palestine   Papua New Guinea   Philippines   Republic of the Congo   Rwanda   Samoa   São Tomé and Príncipe   Senegal   Sierra Leone   Solomon Islands   Somalia   South Sudan

Sri Lanka   Sudan   Syria   Tanzania   Togo   Tonga   Turkmenistan   Tuvalu   Uganda   United Kingdom: British Overseas Territories citizens British Overseas citizens British protected persons British subjects   Vanuatu   Vietnam   Yemen   Zambia   Zimbabwe

Visitor statistics

Main article: Tourism in Turkey § Development of tourism

Turkey issued 16,199,968 electronic visas between April 2013 and January 1, 2017. The acceptance rate was 87.79% as 18,452,733 applications were filed in this period. Most visas were issued to nationals of the United Kingdom (4.6 million), Iraq (2 million) and the Netherlands (1.8 million).^[35]

See also

•  Turkey portal

 

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Turkey.

• Visa requirements for Turkish citizens
• Visa policy of Northern Cyprus
• Visa policy of the Schengen Area

Notes

1. Citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have the right to enter, reside, study, and work indefinitely in Turkey without any immigration restrictions.^[11]
2. For Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders

References

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18. https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2021/12/20211222-5.pdf 2021-12-22 at the Wayback Machine^{[bare URL PDF]}
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25. https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2021/10/20211017-5.pdf 2021-10-17 at the Wayback Machine^{[bare URL PDF]}
26. "Archived copy" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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28. "Archived copy" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2020-11-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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32. Must be below 18 or over 35 years old.holding valid visa or residence permit issued by Schengen area countries, Ireland or the United Kingdom
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34. https://www.mfa.gov.tr/pre-application-system-for-turkish-sticker-visa.en.mfa
35. "Turkey issued over 16 million online visas since 2013". dailysabah.com. 25 January 2017. from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.

External links

• Turkish E-Visa Government Official Website
• Turkish Sticker-type visa application
• Go Turkiye-Turkish Official Tourism Website