Visa Information of Turkey

Who requires a visa?
Ordinary Passport Holders from the following countries require a visa to enter Turkey:
Afghanistan*, Algeria, Angola, Antigua-Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh**, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Greek Cypriot Administration, Haiti, Hungary, India*, Indonesia***, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Northern Mariana Islands, Norway**, Oman, Pakistan**, Palau Republic, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar*, Russian Federation, Rwanda, St Christopher Nevis, St Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia**, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
* Diplomatic passport holders are exempt from visa for their travels up to 90 days.
** Official passport holders are exempted from visa for their travels to Turkey for up to 90 days.
*** Official passport holders are exempt from visa for their travels to Turkey for up to 60 days.

Ordinary Passport Holders from the following Countries are exempt from visa for their travels up to 90 days:

* Ordinary and official “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC ( SAR ) Passport” holders are exempt from visa for their travels up to 90 days. Hong Kong citizens who have “British National Overseas. Passport” are subject to visa and they can obtain three month-multiple entry visas at the Turkish border gates. Holders of “Certificate of Identity-Hong Kong ( C.I. )” and “Document of Identity for Visa Purposes-Hong Kong( D.I. )” must get their visas from the Turkish representations abroad.

Ordinary Passport Holders from the following Countries are exempt from visa for their travels up to 60 days:
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia

Ordinary Passport Holders from the following Countries are exempt from visa for their travels up to 30 days:
Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia*, Macao Special Administration, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,

Ordinary and official passport holders from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are exempt from visa.

* Diplomatic and service passport holders are exempt from visa requirement for their travels up to 90 (ninety) days.

Note: The above information is for tourists. If you are going to study or work in Turkey, you must obtain appropriate visa from Turkish diplomatic/consular missions, prior to proceeding to Turkey.

What documents will be required?
The applicant is required to submit the following documents while applying in person:

- Valid travel document (passport) (It should be valid at least three months longer than the expiry date of the requested visa),
– Completed visa application form,
– One passport size photograph of the applicant (It should be affixed on the top left side of the visa application form),
– Documents supporting the purpose and the conditions of the planned visit (e.g. letter of invitation, travel itinerary, round trip ticket, hotel reservation with payment guarantee etc.),
– Guarantees regarding means of subsistence,
– Non-refundable visa processing fee (the amount differs depending on the nationality and visa type),
– If the person applies from a country other than his/her homeland, then he/she should also submit his/her valid residence permit or any document that proves he/she legally stays in that country.
– If the person applies for a business visa, an invitation letter from the counterpart company is also required in addition to the above mentioned documents.

Note: Please be informed that the requested documents may vary according to the local conditions where the Turkish Embassy/Consulate is based.

Note: If the relevant Turkish Embassy/Consulate exceptionally receives the visa applications by mail or by courier service, the applicant must send the above mentioned documents and also a pre-paid or self-stamped return envelope (DHL, Fed Ex, Express, UPS, or some sort of insured/certified mail is highly recommended, since the original passport will be returned inside that envelope). Please contact with the nearest Turkish Embassy/Consulate to learn whether they receive the applications by mail or not.

If the person prefers to obtain the entry visa at a Turkish border gate, then he/she will be required to have the following documents:
– Valid travel document (passport) (It should be valid at least three months longer than the expiry date of the visa requested.)
– Non-refundable visa processing fee (the amount differs depending on the nationality and visa type)

Only holders of passports from the follwoing countries can apply for entry visa at a Turkish border gate:
USA, Albania, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Armenia, Estonia, Greek Cypriot Adm., Netherlands, Hong Kong (BNO), United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Canada, Lithuania, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Fed., Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Jordan, Malta, Oman, UAE (*), Qatar (*), Kuwait (*), Saudi Arabia (*), Antigua – Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Maldives, St. Christopher Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa, Mauritius, Kosovo.

(*) Only until 31 October 2009.

Time required to issue a visa:
Dependent on nationality of applicant. Minimum of 1 day but some applications may be referred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara which may take much longer.

How do I apply?
Passport holders from the following countries can apply for tourist visas at the Turkish border gate:
USA, Albania, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Armenia, Estonia, Greek Cypriot Adm., Netherlands, Hong Kong (BNO), United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Canada, Lithuania, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Fed., Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Jordan, Malta, Oman, UAE (*), Qatar (*), Kuwait (*), Saudi Arabia (*), Antigua – Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Maldives, St. Christopher Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa, Mauritius, Kosovo.

Alternatively you can apply to your nearest Consulate of Consular section at Embassy; see Contact Addresses section.

What is the cost of a visa?
Tourist/Work Single-entry visa; Tourist/Work Multiple-entry visa; Education, Residence, Study and Long Term Multiple-entry visa; and Transitvisa. Prices vary according to nationality. Some visas must be obtained in advance. Contact the Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy) for the up to date prices (see the link below for embassy contact info);

How long is the visa valid for?
There are two types of visas in the Turkish practice:
1) Entry visa (single entry, multiple entry and entry with special annotations)
2) Transit visa (single and double transit)

- Single entry visa is valid for one year and allows its holder, depending on the nationality and passport type, to stay in Turkey up to three months and to visit the country only one time.
– Multiple entry visa is valid for up to five years and allows its holder to make multiple visits and, depending on the nationality and passport type he/she can stay one to three months each time he/she enters into Turkey.
– Transit visa is valid for up to three months and allows the person to travel to another country through transiting the Turkish territory.

If the connecting flight to the third country does not require an overnight stay in Turkey, then no visa is necessary. In other words, Turkey does not issue Airport Transit Visa (ATV).

The passengers of cruise ships are allowed to enter and stay overnight in the port cities of Turkey upon the permission given by local border police authorities. These passengers are not required to obtain an entry visa to Turkey.

Other information:
Residence Permits:
An entry visa enables the bearer to stay in Turkey for the duration stated on the visa sticker. However, if the person intends or is obliged to stay in Turkey longer than the permitted duration, this extension is subject to the approval of the Ministry of Interior. In this case, the person has to obtain a residence permit.

Applications for residence permits should be made to the Alien’s Branch of Local Police Departments (Emniyet Mudurlugu Yabancilar Subesi) within 30 days upon arrival at Turkey. Applicants are generally required to submit work permit, work visa, education visa or research visa and a letter describing his/her circumstances (i.e. employment, education, marriage to a Turkish citizen).

Once the person is granted with the residence permit, he/she can enter into Turkey multiple times as long as his/her residence permit is valid and thus he/she does not need a visa for entry into Turkey. If the extension of the residence permit is required, the extension or renewal should be made timely before the expiry date. The person is recommended to have the validity of the residence permit extended before leaving Turkey, if the validity of residence permit is to expire or has already expired.