Türkiye Visa Requirements (2026): Who Needs One and How to Apply

Whether you need a visa for Türkiye depends entirely on your passport, not on where you’re travelling from. Every foreign visitor falls into one of three routes: visa-free entry, an online e-Visa, or a sticker visa from a Turkish mission. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Pre-Application System at visa.gov.tr checks your passport against the current rules and tells you which route applies, so that’s the first thing to do before you plan anything else.

Last checked: 26 October 2026, against the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ general visa information and the official e-Visa portal.

Who needs a visa?

Start with your passport, not your itinerary. The Ministry’s Pre-Application System sorts every nationality into one of the three routes above, and it’s the only way to get a reliable answer, because the list changes. Chinese ordinary passport holders, for example, only became visa-exempt on 2 January 2026 — before that they needed an e-Visa.

Three things catch people out:

• Purpose matters as much as nationality. The routes above cover tourism and business visits. Work, study, journalism, medical treatment and family reunification each need a different visa category, applied for in advance.
• Some e-Visa eligibility is conditional. Several nationalities, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, can only use the e-Visa if they already hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit. Without one, they need a sticker visa instead. We cover this in detail for Pakistani and Indian passport holders.
• A visa, or visa-free status, doesn’t guarantee entry. Border officers make the final decision on the day.

For the full country-by-country breakdown, see our guide to countries that can enter Türkiye visa-free.

Visa types available

The Ministry groups visas by purpose, not just by application route:

• Tourist/Businessperson. Covers tourism, transit, business meetings, conferences and short official visits. This is the category behind visa-free entry and most e-Visas.
• Student/Education. Internships, language courses and formal education. Applied for at a Turkish mission before travel, not through the e-Visa system.
• Working. Employment, assigned lecturers, artists and journalists. Requires a separate work permit process, described below.
• Other. Medical treatment, family reunification, seafarers and freight transit, each with its own document requirements.

There’s one further option worth knowing about: a Harbour City Entry Permit, available visa-free to cruise passengers entering through a seaport, valid for up to 72 hours and limited to sightseeing near the port. It isn’t a substitute for a normal visa if you’re staying longer or travelling inland.

Required documents

Requirements vary by category, but a tourist or business application typically needs:

• A passport that meets the validity rule below, plus a completed application form.
• Medical insurance covering the full length of stay.
• For some applications, an invitation letter stating the inviter’s details, the purpose and length of the visit, and who is covering costs. If the inviter is an organisation, it must also provide a tax registration certificate.
• For work visas, an employer’s letter in addition to the passport and form; the employer separately submits documents to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
• For applicants under 18, written approval from both parents, with limited exceptions for divorced or bereaved parents.

Document requirements also depend on nationality. Always check the exact list for your passport on the Pre-Application System or your e-Visa application before you start.

Passport validity

Under Law No. 6458, your passport has to remain valid for at least 60 days beyond your permitted length of stay. For a 90-day stay, that means at least 150 days of validity left on the day you enter. A small number of exceptions apply: some nationalities can enter with a national ID card instead of a passport, some expired passports are accepted depending on nationality, and diplomatic, special and official passport holders have different rules.

This is one of the most common reasons an otherwise valid visa or visa-free entry is refused at the border, because it’s easy to check the expiry date and forget to count the extra margin.

Fees

There’s no single fee, because it depends entirely on your route:

• Visa-free: nothing to pay.
• e-Visa: set by nationality and shown on the portal before you pay. You’re only charged if the application is approved, and the fee isn’t refunded if you don’t end up travelling.
• Sticker visa: set independently by each Turkish mission or its visa application centre, and generally the most expensive and slowest route.

For the full fee breakdown by route, with current examples, see our guide to Türkiye visa fees and processing times.

Processing time

This also depends on the route:

• e-Visa: usually issued within minutes, but apply at least 48 hours before departure in case of delays.
• Sticker visa: weeks, not days. As one example, Pakistani applicants should allow about six weeks or more.
• Work and student visas: longer still. Work permit decisions alone can take up to 30 days once the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has the employer’s application, before any residence permit process begins.

Apply at least a month before you travel if you’re on the sticker-visa route, and earlier for work or study.

Allowed stay

Most visa-free and e-Visa routes allow 90 days in any 180-day period, and this limit applies even to dual-passport holders travelling on different documents. A few visa-free nationalities get shorter stays — 60 days for Russia, 30 days for Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia and Costa Rica, among others.

Staying longer than 90 days requires a Short Term Residence Permit from the Provincial Directorate of Migration Administration, applied for before the 90 days run out. It isn’t something you can arrange at the border.

Application process

1. Check your route on the Pre-Application System at visa.gov.tr. It routes eligible nationalities straight to the e-Visa system at evisa.gov.tr, or tells you to book a consulate appointment.
2. Apply with enough lead time — at least 48 hours ahead for an e-Visa, and at least a month ahead for a sticker visa or work permit.
3. Pay the fee, where one applies. e-Visa fees are charged only on approval; sticker-visa fees are generally non-refundable regardless of the outcome.
4. For work visas, the employer separately submits documents to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which decides within 30 days. After arrival, register with local police within one month to get a residence permit.

Entry checks after approval

Having an approved e-Visa, a valid visa sticker, or a visa-exempt passport doesn’t end the process. Border officers check your passport validity, your supporting documents and your stated purpose of travel on arrival, and can refuse entry even with a valid visa. Keep your return or onward ticket, accommodation details and proof of funds accessible in case you’re asked.

If you plan to stay beyond 90 days, start the Short Term Residence Permit application before your permitted stay runs out — residence permits are also cancelled if you spend more than 120 days outside Türkiye in a single year, which catches out some long-term visa holders who assumed the permit alone was enough.

Official application source

The only official channels are:

• visa.gov.tr — the Pre-Application System that routes every nationality to the correct process.
• evisa.gov.tr — the official e-Visa portal, for eligible nationalities only.
• Your nearest Turkish embassy, consulate or authorised visa application centre — for sticker visas and all non-tourist categories.

Third-party sites that charge a markup for the same e-Visa are common in search results. The official portal’s domain always ends in .gov.tr.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa for Türkiye?

It depends on your passport. Check the Pre-Application System at visa.gov.tr, which will tell you whether you’re visa-exempt, eligible for an e-Visa, or need a sticker visa from a Turkish mission.

How long can I stay in Türkiye without a new visa?

Most visa-free and e-Visa routes allow 90 days in any 180-day period. A few nationalities get shorter visa-free stays, such as 60 days for Russia or 30 days for Thailand, Indonesia and Mongolia.

How long does my passport need to be valid?

At least 60 days beyond your permitted length of stay. For a 90-day visit, that means at least 150 days of validity remaining when you enter.

Can I get a visa on arrival in Türkiye?

Visa on arrival exists only for a short list of nationalities and isn’t available to many of the world’s largest passport-holding populations, including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Egyptian and Filipino travellers. Check your eligibility on the Pre-Application System rather than assuming it’s an option.

Does an e-Visa or visa-free entry guarantee I’ll be let in?

No. A visa, or visa-free eligibility, lets you apply for entry — it doesn’t guarantee it. Border officers can still refuse entry based on your documents, stated purpose or passport validity.