Many visitors do not need a visa for Türkiye at all, some can get an e-Visa online in minutes, and some must apply at a consulate. Which group you are in depends on your passport, not on where you live. The only official e-Visa website is evisa.gov.tr. Last checked: 4 November 2026 against the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) visa pages and a Turkish embassy notice, all linked below.
Step 1: Find out whether your passport needs a visa
The MFA page “Visa Information for Foreigners” lists every country one by one, with a separate rule for ordinary passports. Our table below is a sample of what that page said on 4 November 2026. It is not a replacement for it, because rules change and some depend on age or on other visas you hold.
| Ordinary passport from | What the MFA page says |
|---|---|
| United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand | No visa for tourism, up to 90 days in any 180 days |
| United Kingdom | No visa for tourism, up to 90 days in any 180 days. Holders of “British National (Overseas)”, “British Subject” or “British Protected Person” passports need a visa from a Turkish mission |
| Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland | No visa, up to 90 days |
| Japan, Brazil, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates | No visa, up to 90 days |
| China | No visa, up to 90 days in any 180 days, as of 2 January 2026 |
| Russia | No visa, up to 60 days |
| Indonesia, Thailand | No visa, up to 30 days for each entry (Indonesia: no more than 90 days in any 180) |
| India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines | Visa required. An e-Visa is possible if you hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit, and meet other conditions |
| Vietnam | Visa required. A single-entry e-Visa valid for up to 30 days is available |
| Mexico | Visa required. Either a 90-day multiple-entry visa from a Turkish mission, or a 30-day single-entry e-Visa |
| South Africa | Visa required. A multiple-entry e-Visa for a 30-day stay, applied for at the address the MFA page names for South African applicants |
| Egypt, Iraq, Algeria, Libya | Rules depend on your age. Read the country entry in full |
| Nigeria | Visa required. The entry we read does not mention an e-Visa, so ask a Turkish mission |
If your country is not here, open the MFA page and look for it. Visas for work, study or other long stays are not e-Visas. The MFA says an e-Visa is valid only for tourism or commerce.
Step 2: Check your passport
Türkiye’s foreigners law (No. 6458) requires a passport that expires at least 60 days after the end of your permitted stay. For a 90-day stay that means 150 days of validity on arrival. The MFA also recommends six months. Our entry requirements guide explains the exceptions.
Step 3: Apply on the official site
A Turkish embassy notice (New Delhi, dated 1 March 2024) describes the steps. We could not check every screen ourselves, so treat this as an outline:
- Go to evisa.gov.tr and press Apply.
- Choose your country and the type of passport, then Save and Continue. The site shows the fee.
- Save and Continue again to see the conditions and requirements for your passport.
- Enter your identity, passport and travel dates. The MFA says the process takes about three minutes.
- After your application is approved, pay online and download the e-Visa.
The fee depends on your nationality, so we do not quote amounts. The MFA’s own fee table is dated 2014 and no longer matches who needs a visa. Use the figure the official site shows before you pay.
Supporting documents
For some nationalities the e-Visa requires a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit. The embassy notice says the website does not check that document. Airlines and Turkish immigration do. It adds that airlines will not board you if the document does not meet the rules, and that you must carry the original when you enter.
Step 4: Avoid look-alike sites
The same embassy notice warns that only evisa.gov.tr is official. It says other sites claiming to issue e-Visas get the visa from the official site and charge more than twice as much. If you paid one by mistake, you can check the visa at evisa.gov.tr/en/status. The official FAQ is at evisa.gov.tr/en/info.
One thing surprised us. When we opened evisa.gov.tr in a browser it redirected to dtvgroup.com.tr, a company page that describes itself as authorised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The MFA page names that same address for South African applicants, so it may be legitimate, but we cannot say why the redirect happened. If your application leads somewhere unexpected, go back to the MFA page and check the address before you pay.
Rules that catch people out
- You may stay up to 90 days in any 180 days. Two passports do not give you two periods.
- To stay longer you must apply for a short-term residence permit in Türkiye.
- A visa does not guarantee entry, and the fee is not refunded if an application is rejected.
- The MFA says all visa applicants need medical insurance valid for their stay. See our emergency health guide.
- If you need a sticker visa from a consulate, the MFA advises applying at least a month before you travel.
Questions visitors ask
Can I get a visa on arrival at Istanbul Airport?
The MFA says the e-Visa replaced the sticker visa that used to be issued at border crossings, from 17 April 2013. One travel site claims arrival visa windows have closed. We could not confirm that from an official source, so get your visa before you fly if you need one.
Is the e-Visa the same as the sticker visa?
The embassy notice says it is equivalent, and that eligible applicants do not need to give biometrics.
Do I need a visa for a layover?
It depends on whether you leave the airport and on your passport. The MFA lists single and double transit visas among the visa types it grants, and some country entries say the visa exemption covers transit. Check your passport’s entry on the MFA page. Our layover guide covers what to do with your time.
