Türkiye Visa for Indian Citizens (2026): e-Visa Rules and Sticker Visa Changes
Indians need a visa for Türkiye. See who qualifies for the e-Visa with a US, UK, Schengen or Irish visa, how to pay, and what changed for sticker visas in 2026.
Indians need a visa for Türkiye. See who qualifies for the e-Visa with a US, UK, Schengen or Irish visa, how to pay, and what changed for sticker visas in 2026.
Indian citizens need a visa for Türkiye, and there’s no visa on arrival. If you hold a valid US, UK, Schengen or Irish visa or residence permit, you can apply online at evisa.gov.tr for a single-entry e-Visa valid for one month. That’s the fastest route and usually takes minutes. If you don’t, you need a sticker visa from the Turkish mission for your area. That process changed in 2026: Gateway International, which used to handle applications in India, stopped in January 2026. So check the official Pre-Application System at visa.gov.tr before you book anything. Indian diplomatic passport holders are visa-exempt for up to 90 days.
Last checked: 24 September 2026, against the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the official e-Visa portal and Gateway International’s own notice.
| Quick facts | e-Visa (conditional) | Sticker visa |
|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Holders of a valid US, UK, Schengen or Irish visa or residence permit | Everyone else |
| Where | evisa.gov.tr | Turkish Embassy (New Delhi) or Consulates General (Mumbai, Hyderabad), via visa.gov.tr |
| What you get | 1 month, single entry | Depends on the visa granted |
| Visa on arrival | Not available to Indian citizens | — |
| Passport validity | At least 60 days beyond your stay (so 90 days for a 30-day stay); 6 months advised | Same rule |
Do Indians need a visa for Türkiye?
Yes, unless you hold a diplomatic passport. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ country list says Indian ordinary, special and service passport holders need a visa. Indian diplomatic passport holders are exempt for up to 90 days.
India is also on the e-Visa portal’s list of countries whose citizens can’t get a visa on arrival, so you must sort it out before you fly.
Who qualifies for the e-Visa
The e-Visa for Indians is conditional. You need a supporting visa or residence permit from one of four places: the Schengen area, the United States, the United Kingdom or Ireland. The e-Visa portal’s FAQ sets out the rules for that document:
- It must be valid by date on the day you enter Türkiye. Nothing more is required.
- Used and unused single-entry visas both count, as long as their validity covers your entry date.
- “e-Visas of other countries are not accepted as a supporting document.”
| Supporting document | Accepted? |
|---|---|
| US B1/B2, H-1B, F-1 or other US visa, valid on your entry date | Yes |
| US green card (permanent residence) | Yes, as a residence permit |
| Schengen visa (sticker), including a used single-entry one still within its dates | Yes |
| Residence permit card from a Schengen country | Yes |
| UK visit visa (vignette) or UK residence permit | Yes |
| Irish visa or Irish residence permit (IRP) | Yes |
| Canadian, Australian, Japanese or UAE visa or residence | No |
| Any country’s electronic visa (e-Visa, ETA or similar) | No |
| An expired visa, or one that starts after your arrival date | No |
A grey area for UK residents
The UK has moved most residents from physical BRP cards to a digital-only “UK eVisa”. The Turkish portal’s line that “e-Visas of other countries are not accepted” was written before that change. It doesn’t say whether a UK digital immigration status counts. If your only proof of UK status is digital:
- The fee is charged only if the e-Visa is approved, so trying costs nothing.
- If it’s approved, carry proof of your UK status on paper as well as your share code.
- If you have a valid UK visa vignette in your passport, or a Schengen or US visa, use that as your supporting document instead. It’s clearly within the rules.
How to apply for the e-Visa, step by step
- Go to evisa.gov.tr, the government site; check the address ends in .gov.tr. Choose Login / Register and create an account. The 2026 version of the portal requires one.
- Select India as your country of travel document, pick your passport type and enter your travel dates. The portal then lists the conditions for Indian applicants.
- Enter your personal details exactly as they appear in your passport. If you have a middle name, the portal says to type it after your first name in “Given Name(s)”, with a space.
- Enter your supporting visa or residence permit details.
- Verify your email address, then pay within 24 hours, or the application times out.
- Download the e-Visa from the final screen. The same link is emailed to you.
The e-Visa’s validity starts on the date you choose, and you can arrive on any day within it. Choose a start date on or slightly before your planned arrival. A flight delayed by a day then won’t leave you arriving before your visa starts.
Why Indian cards often fail at payment
The portal accepts Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay credit or debit cards only. That rules out RuPay-only cards, UPI and net banking. Under Reserve Bank of India rules, many Indian cards are issued with international and online international transactions switched off. Before you pay:
- Open your bank’s app and enable international online transactions for the card.
- Make sure the card supports 3-D Secure, the OTP step.
- If it still fails, try another card. The card doesn’t have to be in your name, so a family member’s card is fine.
The fee itself is set by nationality and shown before you enter card details. You’re charged only if the e-Visa is approved. See our breakdown of Türkiye visa fees and processing times for how refunds work.
Sticker visas in 2026: what changed
If you don’t have a qualifying supporting visa, you need a sticker visa, and the process in India isn’t what older guides describe. Gateway International, the visa application centre network many of those guides send you to, ended its Türkiye visa service in India in January 2026 because its contract expired. The notice is still on its website.
At the time of writing, the Turkish Embassy in New Delhi hasn’t posted a replacement arrangement on its announcements page. We haven’t been able to confirm which company, if any, now runs application centres in India, so we’re not naming one. Here is how to find the current process through official channels:
- Start at visa.gov.tr, the Ministry’s Pre-Application System for sticker visas. The Ministry says every sticker visa application must go through it. It also tells you whether applications in your country go through a visa application centre or straight to the mission.
- Check your mission’s jurisdiction. Türkiye has three missions in India, each covering its own area.
- Call the Consular Call Centre on +90 312 292 29 29, available 24/7, or contact your mission directly. Confirm the process before you pay any service fee.
| Mission | Areas covered (as published for the previous centre network) |
|---|---|
| Embassy, New Delhi | Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, New Delhi |
| Consulate General, Mumbai | Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Mumbai, Puducherry, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Consulate General, Hyderabad | Hyderabad |
Be wary of agents who guarantee a Türkiye sticker visa appointment or decision. Visa centres, when they exist, only collect applications. The decision belongs to the mission.
Passport and entry checks
- Validity: under Türkiye’s Law No. 6458, your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond your permitted stay. For a one-month e-Visa, that’s about 90 days from arrival. The Ministry advises six months, and some airlines check against that figure.
- At the border: carry the printed e-Visa and the passport or card that holds your supporting visa or permit. The e-Visa is only valid because you met that condition.
- Purpose: the e-Visa covers tourism and business trips only. Work and study need a visa from a Turkish mission.
- Staying longer: you can’t extend an e-Visa online. To stay beyond it, apply for a residence permit at a Provincial Directorate of Migration Management before it expires.
Mistakes that cost Indian travellers the most
- Using an expired supporting visa. A US visa that expired the week before your trip means the e-Visa route isn’t available to you.
- Name mismatches. An e-Visa that doesn’t match your passport is invalid. There’s no refund, and you have to apply and pay again.
- Booking non-refundable travel before your sticker visa is granted. Wait for the decision.
- Paying a look-alike website. Private sites with names built around “turkey” and “evisa” charge extra on top of the government fee. The official system lives only on evisa.gov.tr.
After you land
Most flights from India arrive at Istanbul Airport (IST). Our guide to getting from Istanbul Airport to the city centre compares the M11 metro, Havaist buses and taxis, with fares checked in September 2026.
To see how Indian passport holders compare with other nationalities, our full list of Türkiye visa-free countries shows who can enter without a visa and who uses the same conditional e-Visa.
Frequently asked questions
Can Indians get a visa on arrival in Türkiye?
No. The official e-Visa portal lists India among the countries whose citizens can apply for an e-Visa but can’t get a visa on arrival.
I have a US visa. Can I get a Türkiye e-Visa?
Yes, if the US visa is still within its validity dates on the day you enter Türkiye. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve used it.
How long can I stay on the Türkiye e-Visa as an Indian?
The Ministry describes it as a single-entry e-Visa valid for one month. Your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond that.
Is Gateway International still processing Türkiye visas in India?
No. Gateway International’s notice says its Türkiye visa service in India ended in January 2026. Check visa.gov.tr and your Turkish mission for the current process.
