Perhaps one of the most important documents you would need to enter any country is the visa, and Turkey isn’t any different. The visa is the official document issued by the Turkish government which gives you leave to enter and travel within Turkey. Interestingly, Turkey makes access to their visa quite easy by providing an electronic alternative to that issued at the Turkish mission at entry ports-- the e-Visa.
The process is pretty straightforward. Applicants apply electronically for their visa by providing relevant information and making the required payments with a credit or debit card (Mastercard, Visa, or UnionPay). Once the application has been successfully completed, you are taken to the final step where you can download your e-Visa using the provided link. You also get the link in your email, so don’t fret if you miss downloading it at that point. While your e-Visa can easily be verified by passport control officers at the port of entry, it is advised that you have a backup copy (hard or soft copy) to avoid unnecessary delays if there is a failure in their system.
In addition, just as is applicable with every other visa, respective Turkish officials at the ports of entry have the right to deny you entry into Turkey without any explanation. Usually, when this is the case, there are serious grounds for it.
On getting into Turkey you should be aware that you have to make certain payments to get your visa, and the visa government fee is one such fee, which is paid by the applicant to enable the Turkey Immigration Department to process their visa. Note that if you applied for the e-Visa, you have already paid this fee, as it is the same as the application fee. You should also bear in mind that once you have paid the government fee, applying any further changes to the application gets charged as a new application.
Besides the visa government fee, the applicant also has to make an advance payment called the Turkey Visa service fee. This fee caters to the logistics of the visa, including the processing of the e-Visa, receipt and checking of the applicant's personal information, collection of the pre-approval visa letter from the Turkey Government as well as conveyance of the visa to the port of entry so that the applicant gets their visa once they arrive Turkey Airports.
As with most countries’ visa processes, there are different levels of priority when it comes to processing the visa. For Turkey, besides the standard processing pathway, an applicant can choose the urgent and super urgent visa processing pathways, and both come at different prices. As the names imply, opting for urgent or super urgent visa service fee enhances the speed at which your visa is processed. The more urgent your need for the visa, the higher you have to pay for the fee. For instance, if you want to get your visa ready within 24 hours, you can achieve that with the urgent visa fee. This will require that you pay an extra USD 79 to the standard processing fee of USD 69. Let’s do a little math by finding the sum of the two. Well, no prize for guessing; to get your visa within 24 hours, you will need to pay a total visa service fee of USD 148.
If you are opting for the super urgent visa, your visa will be out within 5 business hours, and that would cost you an extra USD 99 to the standard fee of USD 69, coming up to a total of USD 168.
To better understand how the Urgent and Super urgent visa fees work, you have to understand the concept of processing times for visas. There are situations where someone would enter Turkey without their visa, maybe as a result of some unforeseen circumstances. The processing time is then compressed to accommodate these situations using the super urgent and urgent visa service pathways.
Sometimes, it is possible that an applicant is not able to access the electronic Turkey visa. This can happen when the applicant does not satisfy the requirements of the electronic visa or desires to extend their stay in Turkey beyond the period validated by their visa. In that case, getting a sticker passport might be a viable option.
The passport sticker is one type of the Turkey visa which requires that you take your passport to the Turkish consulate for the application. You should bear in mind that you will have to pay more for this visa variant. Besides, not only that the processing time is longer, the procedure is much more complex. So, naturally, this option should be a last resort.
Furthermore, the cost of the sticker visa is different for different people, as it depends on the purpose of the visit. This means that someone coming into Turkey to do business will pay a different fee from someone who is visiting for tourism or for study. The number of entries also implies a change in cost. A single entry for all nationals is about USD 64, while a double entry is about USD 129, and about USD 212 for multiple entries.
Extension of visa, overstaying fee, penalty for overstay, and Online Visa Fees- What you need to know
If you are visiting Turkey and intend to extend your stay in the country beyond the date provided in your visa, then you will need a Turkey Visa Extension. Before anything else, bear in mind that as of the time of this publication, Turkey does not have any provisions for online visa renewal. Again, it is actually very unlikely that you would get approval for an extension if you are on a tourist visa, so, try to round off your tours within the stipulated time and leave Turkey in due time. You can then try and apply again for a new e-Visa.
Another aspect of the visa extension that you need to consider is that you are required to visit the offices of the local immigration authorities, a police station, or your country's embassy to be able to secure an extension. The rules are often different depending on each individual’s nationality and the reason for the visit.
Generally, it is unlikely that you will get a visa extension if the expiry date on the visa is close or if the visa has expired already. In both of these cases, the only direction is home.
Let’s assume then that you have everything in place and are eligible for a visa extension, you need to be aware that you can only extend your visa only once for which you will need to pay a visa extension fee.
Staying beyond the period stipulated in your visa comes with several consequences, one of which is being subjected to paying an administrative fine. For the fine, there is an administrative fine that is different for different people, depending on their nationality. The fee is calculated as double of the permit fee charges. But this is not the only fee you will be subjected to for overstaying; there is the permit fee, residence permit card fee, as well as single entry visa fee.
Paying a fine is not the only outfall from overstaying; you also risk being suspended from re-entering Turkey for a given period under the law. As a foreign national staying beyond the date stipulated on your visa without an appropriate visa or residence permit, you may face a no-entry ban if you have overstayed for less than 10 days. If you are fortunate, however, to present yourself at the border gate to exit on your own accord before a removal decision is taken against you, then will not face an entry ban, although you will be slapped with a fine.
If you are not so lucky, then you will have to face a no-entry ban the length of which will roughly correspond to the duration of overstay. You will be notified of the entry ban period as well as any attendant administrative fine at the border gates. Should you fail to pay the imposed administrative fine, you might face a ban of five years, during which you may not enter Turkey.
To protect the health of both the citizens and other tourists, Turkey has a number of measures in place for visitors. With the COVID-19 pandemic, these measures have been designed to contain the spread of the disease, and so visitors entering Turkey are required to abide by a number of coronavirus rules. One such rule is that all visitors, except children below the age of six, must fill out a “Traveler Entry Form” not less than four days to their arrival. What is the purpose of this form, you might ask? In public health parlance, there is something known as contact tracing, which is a way of contacting people who have had contact with an individual whose test for a communicable, for example, COVID-19, returns a positive result. The Traveler Entry Form is an excellent way of keeping track of such individuals.
The form is easy to fill out and takes just a few minutes. As you might already be guessing, one of the important information you would need to provide on the form is your contact information as well as the address of the place you will be staying in the course of your visit. Try to get this done, as you would have to present this form before you are allowed to board a flight to Turkey. It will also be demanded on your arrival.
This shouldn’t be such a bother, especially when compared to the many stricter measures that used to be in place during the heat of the pandemic. For instance, before June 1, 2022, in the absence of a valid vaccination certificate or alternatively, a recovery document, passengers were required to take a PCR COVID-19 test before they are allowed to enter Turkey.
All in all, you should try to confirm with your airline regarding any further COVID-19 requirements on their part. For example, putting on a face mask is a compulsory practice within the airport and airport terminal. You should also expect your temperature to be taken as you walk through the entrance of the terminal.
Finally, as a general rule, once you have been vaccinated you can enter Turkey without quarantine. On the other hand, failing your medical screening or testing positive for COVID-19 requires that you self-isolate.
According to “the Law on Foreigners and International Protection”, as a foreigner who wishes to enter Turkey, you must come along with a passport or in the absence of which you should have a travel document that can substitute for a passport. Whatever document you have should not have expired for at least another 60 days beyond the “duration of stay” as given in your visa, e-Visa, visa exemption, or residence permit. You may be subject to other requirements if you come from certain countries. Once you select your country, you will be able to see the full requirements as it pertains to your country.
Well, for one, the e-visa arrangement affords you the luxury of getting an e-Visa from wherever you are, as long as you are connected to the internet. You save time and avoid the stress involved in applying at Turkish missions or at the ports of entry into Turkey.
If you are from any one of the countries below, then you are eligible for an e-Visa.
Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bhutan, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Croatia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Fiji, Greek, Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, Grenada, Haiti, Hong Kong (BN(O)), India, Iraq, Jamaica, Kuwait, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, U.S.A, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen
No. As long as the date given on your e-Visa is still valid, you can enter Turkey within this period.
No. Unfortunately, you have to get a new e-Visa.
The information you provide in the course of your application is stored in high-security systems. Besides, the Republic of Turkey neither sells, rents nor uses for commercial purposes any personal information provided by an applicant for the e-Visa to third parties. On the other hand, it is your responsibility to ensure that the soft and hard copies of the e-Visa issued to you at the end of the process is safe and don’t fall into wrong hands.
The e-Visa has a barcode that stores the information provided by the applicant in an encrypted and electronically signed form, designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. What this means is that no one can access the content of the barcode unless they are institutions authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. Note that you will bear the responsibility for any inconveniences arising from any barcode alteration or forgery that may arise from your own fault.
Yes. There has to be a separate visa for each individual traveler.
No. You will not be refunded for an e-Visa you didn’t use.
As long as you are a national of any of the counties below, then yes, you can obtain a multiple-entry e-Visa.
Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, China, Croatia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Grenada, Haiti, Hong Kong (BN(O)), Jamaica, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Netherlands, Oman, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, U.S.A, United Arab Emirates.
No, if this is the case, then your e-Visa is invalid and you must get a new e-Visa.
There is a link provided on the final step prompting you to download your e-Visa, after you have been informed that your application has been successfully completed. This link will also be sent to your email, so you can download it from there too.
No. Simply contact the respective Embassy or Consulate General for information about your application.
No. Having made this mistake, you will have to bear the responsibility.
Yes. However, provided you meet the requirements, it would depend on whether or not you are a citizen of any of the countries listed below.
Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Croatia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, Grenada, Haiti, Hong Kong (BN(O)), Jamaica, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Oman, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain, U.S.A
No. Payments can only be made with a credit or debit card (only Mastercard, Visa or UnionPay). However, the card used for the payment must not bear your name.
There might be several reasons for this. To start with, ensure that the card is either “Mastercard”, “Visa” or "UnionPay", has a 3D Secure System, and is eligible for international transactions. Let’s assume all these are in place and your payment still isn’t going through, then you might just try making the payment at a different time or with a different card. Again, don’t forget to click the “approve” button on the “e-mail address verification message” you would have received before proceeding to make the payment within 24 hours. If you don’t do this, the application will time out without the system accepting your payment, which means you will start from the beginning to create a new application. If you have abided by all these instructions and still can’t pay, then you should reach out to your bank. If all fails, then reach out to the e-Visa Support Desk.
If you check the signature strip at the back of your Visa or MasterCard, the CVV / CVC / CVC2 is the three-digit number printed there.
On the 11th of April 2014, the Law on Foreigners and International Protection entered into force. This law provides that foreigners whose arrival at sea ports are predicated on their intention to visit the seaport city or nearby provinces for the purposes of tourism do not need to obtain a visa as long as their stay doesn’t exceed seventy-two (72) hours. On the other hand, if you have to enter or leave Turkey by air for your cruise tour, then it is imperative that you obtain a visa.
As long as your visa/residence permit is still valid by the time you arrive in Turkey, then it can be presented as a supporting document. If you have a single-entry visa, either used or unused, these are also accepted provided they are still valid by the time you enter Turkey. Keep in mind that e-Visas from other countries do not qualify as supporting document.