Turkey is known for its beautiful sights, high mountains, and gorgeous sea views which attract thousands of travellers on a yearly basis. This heavy foot traffic has reflected itself in the Turkish visa, as the Turkish visa is one of the easiest visas to attain, and the process behind the visa is simple and time-efficient.

Visa for Turkey:

Turkey is considered one of the countries which are on every person’s bucket list when visiting Europe or for going on a world tour. This is why the Turkish government has made it easy for people from all around the globe to apply for a Turkish visa without having to worry about many complications. The Turkish visa follows the general visa method like most countries with a few extra steps to ensure the safety of its travellers. You can simply go to the official Turkish e-visa application form sights to get yourself an e-visa and apply for a sticker visa visit Embassy and Consulate.

But, before you apply for a Turkish visa, it is ideal that you search for which kind of visa you are interested in and eligible for. Turkey also blocks a few nationalities from entering the country, while many are allowed to visit Turkey without going through the formalities of a visa in the first place. You should check for your nationality on the website list and see whether going through the formalities of the visa will be necessary in the first place or whether your nationality is welcome in Turkey.

The Turkish government has also officially stated that it is ideal for every traveller to apply for their visa a few weeks prior to their expected trip so any mishaps or errors can be resolved without having to delay your trip. This is also because the process for visa application can vary from 3 days to 3 weeks depending on the traveller’s nationality.

Below are the complete details about Turkey visa requirements:

Requirements of a Turkey e Visa / Visa :

The Turkish government requires several documentation before assigning a visa. These requirements can vary based on the nationality of the tourist but the basic reason for the documents and requirements is to confirm the identity, purpose of stay, and background.

• Required Information for visa Application form: The first step to requesting a Turkish visa is by filling out an application form with the requestor’s basic information. This includes the full name of the requestor, their birth date, year, and nationality, the designated national ID number, the immediate family name, assigned passport, expiry of the passport, type of visa, the reason for visit, and total intended duration of stay.


• Pictorial Requirements for Turkish Visa: The Turkish government has a very strict policy of accepting only those photos which are of high resolution, taken within the past 6th months, have no creases or unnecessary lines, have no staples or staple marks, and the candidate is staring into the camera.


• Passport Requirements for Turkish Visa: The Turkish government requires 3 basic requirements related to the passport for entry into Turkey. The first requirement is that the passport should have at least a 6-month time period for your stay in Turkey, the 2nd and 3rd requirement is that your passport should have at least 1 to 2 blank pages available for stamping your entry and exit in the country.


• Requirement for Payment Method: You are required to distinguish the payment method for the visa processing fee. These methods can include visa, PayPal if it is available to the individual, the American express, or a master card.

These requirements given below are necessary for some countries (Turkey Single-Entry Visa) to obtain Turkey e-visa.

• Required Supporting Document (Valid visa OR valid residence permit from one of the Schengen Countries, USA, UK or Ireland): The eligible countries for a single-entry visa are required to fulfill the supporting document in order to process your Turkey e Visa application.


• Purposes of Tourism or Business: Turkey e Visa is only valid if the purpose of travel is tourism or business. For other purposes, such as work and study, visas are granted by Turkish embassies or consulates.


• Requirements to Show Financial Support During Stay in Turkey: The Turkish government requires the visitor to prove that they will have an available cash flow of 50 Euros per day until their entire stay in Turkey. This can be proven via showing a bank statement of the total amount already stored in your account after deducting the flight costs. The 2nd method to prove finance is by showing a salary slip, your spouse’s salary, or rent. The 3rd method can be by showing the bank statement of your sponsor and a confirmation letter that they will fully fund your trip. If you have a host for accommodation in Turkey and if they allow you to settle the food expenses, your total daily requirement drops from 50 euros.


• Requirement for Proof of Travel to Turkey: A proof of travelling method is also required by the Turkish government for visa processing. If you are planning to travel back and forth from Turkey via plane, a round-trip plane ticket is compulsory to be presented. If you are planning to travel by bus, you are required to show your bus ticket, and if you are planning to travel by car then you are required to show your driver’s license, as well as permission to enter Turkey by car. You are also required to show a ticket if you are attending an event.

These requirements given below are required to obtain Turkey sticker visa from embassy and consulate:

• Requirements to Show Proven Accommodation Availability During Stay in Turkey: The Turkish government requires documentation for the individual to prove his available accommodation in Turkey. The first is to show their hotel booking details with the traveller’s basic details matching the booking details. This should include the name and passport number of the traveller with the name of the hotel, the booker’s details, and entry and exit time from the hotel. 2nd is a letter of invitation from a Turkish resident who will allow the traveller to stay with them in their house and continue personal activities. This should include details of the Turkish resident along with details of the house or the flat.


• Requirements to Prove Medical Insurance and Police Clearance Certificate: You are also required to present a valid travelling medical insurance certificate as well as a police clearance certificate which can be a maximum of 15 days old.


• Requirements to Show Proof of Work: The Turkish visa requires you to provide a work statement from your employment boss along with the salary slip of the previous 3 months, or the establishment status of your business in case you are a business owner or a business co-owner.


• Additional Requirements for Under-aged Travelers: Along with the above requirements, under-aged travellers are also required to submit their birth certificate, a consent letter from their parent or guardian if they are not accommodating the child, a document to prove the custody-rights if the parents are divorced and a guardian is involved in the child’s life, and the death certificates of the parents in case they have passed away.


• Requirements for a Sticker Visa: The Sticker Visa requirements will be revealed to the individual at the time of the pre-application process or after they visit the embassy to start the process for the Turkish visa.

Additional Visa Requirements to Avoid Spread of COVID-19:

Turkey is one of the many countries that have started to restore its original lifestyle after the COVID-19 breakout like malls have started to re-open, dine-in restaurants are back to normal, and schools, colleges, and offices have gone back to physical interaction. This also means that the tourism bans have been lifted.
After tourism restarted in Turkey, it was not only as busy as before but the tourist rate in turkey increased more than ever and still keeps on increasing.

To support the world in trying to keep the COVID-19 under control and have everything go back to normal, Turkey has enforced a fair share of restrictions to try and keep all the infected people out of the country or in a controllable and manageable area. These requirements vary from different documentation to compulsory tests after landing in Turkey. Turkey is also managing its overall quota for travellers who enter the country at a time.

However, these restrictions also meant that Turkey is not welcoming any people from countries that are still considered highly infectious or have had a large number of cases in the past 6 months.

• Required Lab Exams and COVID Tests: Turkey has made specific lab tests compulsory to ensure that no COVID-infected tourists are allowed into the country. There are 2 main categories of people who are then required different documents or tests. The 1st category has people who have not been infected with COVID-19 in more than the past 6 months from arrival to Turkey. These individuals are required to provide their vaccination certificates. This vaccination will be considered valid if and only if it is accepted by the European standards of a COVID vaccine. It is also necessary that the last dose of the vaccine taken by the individual should not be any less than 3 days. The 2nd category holds people who have been infected with COVID-19 in the past 6 months. These individuals are required to take 2 tests to prove that they are COVID-free. The 1st test is a PCR test which should give a positive result at least 3 days before the trip to Turkey. The 2nd is an antigen test, this test should be taken if the PCR was not positive. If the antigen is negative then a healing certificate will be required. This healing certificate should also be a minimum of 3 days old and prove that the traveller is now COVID-free, their body has healed from the virus, and that they are now healthy enough to manage their travels in Turkey.


• Required Travel Entry Form Before Boarding for Turkey: The required documents involving the COVID-19 test, vaccination, the PCR test, and the antigen test are all applicable to travellers over the age of 12 years old. This is why a Travel entry form has been made compulsory for travellers above the age of 6 years old to ensure everyone’s safety during their trip to Turkey. The Travel Entry form is required to be filled out 3 days before entering the country and should be filled out for every individual over the age of 6 years old. The travel entry form distinguishes every traveller by assigning them a unique HES code. The purpose of this code is to keep track of every traveller, their individual history, their basic data, and their stay time in Turkey. The purpose of this document is to contact the traveller if they have been in contact with a COVID-infected citizen or a COVID-infected traveller. The traveller can be tracked via their activities in the country and they can be tested for the virus. If the traveller ends up with COVID while in Turkey, they will be taken into quarantine by the Turkish government. All expenses of the quarantine will be handled by the government.


• Requirements for Public Transportation: The provided HES code from the Travel entry form has been made compulsory to record when a tourist wants to travel publicly. This step has been selected by the Turkish government to track the activities of the travellers and know who they were in contact with in case the traveller gets infected with COVID. The traveller is required to enter a ticket number and their HES number when boarding the public bus or booking a trip in advance and then enter their ticket number, booking number, and HES code when travelling through a plane, ski jet, sea shuttle, or the public metro trains.


• Required COVID Tests After Landing in Turkey: Every passenger on the plane will get a medical checkup done to ensure that no one on the plane had COVID.


• Requirements for the Istanbul Airport: The Istanbul airport is the heart of travellers who enter Turkey via plane. This is why the Turkish government ensured additional requirements for the airport itself like wearing a mask during the stay at the airport and utilizing the temperature gates when passing security.

Visiting Turkey from Red Countries:

To visit Turkey as a national of one of the high COVID cases country or enter Turkey after you visit one of these red countries, it is necessary that a few basic requirements are met. The 1st is that the traveller must get a PCR or Antigen test before boarding for Turkey or after landing and should have a negative result. The 2nd is that they go under a 10-day self-funded quarantine cycle after landing in Turkey to ensure the safety of the Turkish public and its visitors. The quarantine should follow all the basic rules applied by the Turkish government and if COVID is found, the traveller will have to increase their quarantine duration.

Kinds of Turkish eVisa / Visa:

• Eligibility for a Tourist Visa: Visiting Turkey as a tourist to enjoy its sceneries and other activities makes you eligible for a Turkish Tourist visa.


• Eligibility for a Business Visa: Visiting Turkey to get involved in a business deal or take part in a business meeting, exchange, seminar, and for official purposes makes you eligible for a Turkish Business visa.


• Eligibility for a Transit Visa: When using Turkey as a by-pass to get to some other country in Europe and you are planning to stay for a few days only, that makes you eligible for a Turkish Transit visa.

Length of Stay on the Turkish Visa:

The Turkish government has strict rules when it comes to the time period assigned on their visas. A Turkish visa can be valid for a maximum time of 180 days only. The traveller must leave Turkey before this time period is over or before their stay time is over. If the traveller is still in Turkey after the end of the permitted time, they can be heavily fined, deported from the country, or even permanently banned from visiting Turkey ever again.

No Turkey eVisa Requirements:

There are several countries or conditions that do not require a visa when entering Turkey. Some of these have been listed below:

• European country nationals who hold the Schengen visa are not required to have a Turkish visa in particular. These individuals can hang around in the country for a total time period of 30 days by simply showing their Schengen visa.


• Countries that have been mentioned in the visa-free rule passed by the Turkish government in 2020 can also enter Turkey and stay in the country for 90 days by showing their national passport given that the passport has a 100-day expiry. This rule was passed to improve the trade relations between Turkey and the exempted countries as well as spread the Turkish culture through the globe.


• Individuals who are travelling via plane and transitioning through Turkey to get to their destination can enter the country without requiring a Turkish visa as long as they will not leave the airport.



• Individuals who are transitioning through Turkey via cruise and are not interested to stay on the shores for any longer than 3 days can also roam around without requiring a Turkish visa.

  Special guests of the Prime minister which are in the country for official reasons or for future improvement for the country and do not plan on staying in Turkey for more than 3 consecutive days.

The Turkish government is always changing its rules to improve the travellers’ experience. It is vice if you do research before requesting your next visa.

Ways to Apply for Turkey Visa Online:

The first step to applying for a Turkish visa online is to decide on what kind of visa you want to process and whether you are eligible for that visa. The next step is to apply for the visa itself. There are 2 ways provided by the Turkish government to have a Turkish visa assigned to the individuals. The 1st type is the Turkish e-visa which requires minimum work, effort, and waiting time. The 2nd type is the Turkish sticker visa which takes more time, effort, and has more steps than the e-visa.

There are few countries that fall under strict overview from the Turkish government. These countries will not be eligible for the Turkish e-visa and thus have to go through the process of a sticker visa. The e-visa requires basic documents, a minimum fee, and within 3 working days to 3 working weeks, your visa will be sent to you via email.

The sticker visa on the other hand requires documentation, a higher fee, an interview for eligibility, and 3 to 4 working weeks for processing after which the visa can be picked up from the Turkish embassy.

The Turkish government offers more different types of visas through Embassy and Consulate to fit your tour. The main twelve types have been listed below:

• Eligibility for a Student Visa: In order to pursue a university, college, institute, a course, or any form of education-related activity in Turkey, the traveller is required to hold a Turkish Student visa. This requirement is unnecessary only if the student has either parent working in Turkey or if the student has had their base education (i.e., middle school, high school, or elementary school) already done in Turkey.


• Eligibility for a Work Visa: When you visit Turkey in order to get involved with their work and its labour cast, the country requires you to hold a Turkish work visa as well as a work permit before entering the country.


• Eligibility for an Archeological Excavation Visa: Starting an archaeological excavation or taking part in some sort of archaeological activity in Turkey requires the tourist to hold an Archeological Excavation visa.


• Eligibility for Exploration Visa: If you are interested to visit Turkey to explore the forests and other unexplored areas, you are required to hold a Turkish Exploration visa.


• Eligibility for Visa for Documentation: Visiting Turkey to sign a document, create a document, or continue some documentation purpose requires the interested party to be eligible for a Documentation visa.


• Other Miscellaneous Visas: Some other types of Turkish visas include visas for representatives who visit for a tour and want to represent their country as the tour guide, eligibility to get a visa for medical treatment, visa to accompany and replace a Turkish citizen for the specific time period, and visas assigned to individuals who have separated families or family members in Turkey.