Turkey Tourist Visa 2021: How to Apply For Tourist Visa to Turkey?

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Updated 8 November 2021

Turkey, the fairytale-esque Middle Eastern country has several travel restrictions in place for several months to control the spread of COVID-19 and keep checks on the movement of international passengers.

Fully vaccinated travellers can enter Turkey without PCR test and quarantine. Currently, Turkey accepts all vaccines when it comes to international travellers. Hence, travellers can now make the most of their trip to Turkey by visiting local Turkish baths, spas, restaurants, bars, concerts and festivals provided they follow safety measures.

Looking to travel to the charming land of baklava and lokum? Here's a comprehensive guide on how you can apply for a tourist visa to travel to Turkey.

What is the Turkey Tourist Visa (Turkey e-Visa)?

The Turkey Tourist Visa (e-Visa) is an entry authorization document allowing foreign nationals to enter and travel within Turkey for mostly non-essential purposes. This is strictly limited to travel, transit and business purposes. Tourists wishing to study must not apply for this visa type.

On 17 April 2013, the e-Visa replaced the 'sticker visa' and 'stamp-type' tourist visa which was formerly issued at border crossings.

The passport sticker is a variant of the Turkey visa which you can only apply for by taking your passport to the Turkish consulate. It is advised to only make use of this option if either you do not qualify for the electronic variant and for visa-free entry or if you would like to stay longer than your e-Visa's validity.

Who can apply for the Turkey e-Visa?

Countries eligible to apply

Holders of passports of the following countries and territories are eligible to obtain their Turkey e-Visa through an online application. The duration of stay for most of these nationalities is 90 days (30 days for some) within 180 days.

Nationals of the following countries must meet certain conditions in order to apply for an e-visa. Citizens of these countries and territories are eligible to apply for a single entry e-Visa on which they can stay for up to 30 days only if they meet the conditions listed below

The conditions are as follows:

Nationals of the following countries are exempted from a visa for entry and can stay in Turkey for three months within half a year, in an interrupted or uninterrupted period:

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Malaysia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, United Kingdom.

Nationals of the Russian Federation do not require a visa for entry and can stay in Turkey for up to 90 days within half a year, without exceeding 60 days per visit.

Whereas nationals of Belarus, Brunei, Costa Rica, Latvia, Macao, Mongolia, Thailand and Turkmenistan can stay in Turkey for up to 30 days per visit, and 90 days per six months.

For most eligible countries, the Turkish online visa is valid for a 180-day period from the arrival date in Turkey.

Depending on the traveller's country of citizenship, a holder of the Turkey electronic visa may be issued either a single-entry or multiple-entry and can stay in the country between 30 to 90 days. We recommend that all prospective travellers check for details that may apply specifically for their country of residence on the Turkish Government's E-Visa webpage.

What are the application fees for a Turkey e-Visa?

While the fees to apply for a Turkey e-Visa is charged in USD, travellers need not hold a U.S. bank account. The currency will be automatically converted.

However, the fee varies with the nationality of each applicant on account of which we recommend that all prospective travellers check for details that may apply specifically for their country of residence on the Turkish Government's E-Visa webpage.

How long will it take to process a Turkey e-Visa?

The Turkey e-Visa application in itself is a fairly simple process that takes only a few minutes to complete.

The majority of applications are processed between 24 to 48 hours after submitting the application. Despite the speedy processing times and flexible application dates, travellers are advised to file their application at least 72 hours before their trip to Turkey.

Turkey entry requirements

Entry and testing requirements

The visitors must comply with the following special COVID-19 rules to be granted entry into the country:

• All incoming passengers over the age of 6 must complete a "Traveller Entry Form"at least four days before their arrival in Turkey. The purpose of the form is to contact individuals who have been in contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19.
• Passengers over the age of 12 must have a document showing a negative COVID-19 test result to enter Turkey. The document can either be a PCR test taken in the last 72 hours or a Rapid antigen test taken in the previous 48 hours.
• Fully vaccinated and recovered patients will be exempt from providing a negative PCR test report if they can provide either a vaccination certificate showing the last dose was given at least 14 days before arrival or a medical certificate showing recovery in the previous 6 months.
• Passengers, excluding nationals from the UK, Egypt, Singapore and Iran, are subject to PCR testing based on sampling at arrival. These passengers will be able to continue their journey after the test samples are taken.
• If the test results are positive, you'll be treated under the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health COVID-19 guidelines

Rules for entering Turkey from high-risk countries

Please note that flights from Bangladesh, Brazil, Nepal, South Africa, and Sri Lanka are suspended.

Until December 30 2021, passengers who in the last 14 days have been in:

Must submit a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival. Furthermore, they have to quarantine up to 14 days, at their own expense, at designated hotels. Children under 12 years of age are exempt from the quarantine and testing requirement.

Passengers entering Turkey from the United Kingdom, Iran, Egypt and Singapore must present a negative PCR test result taken in the last 72 hours prior to arrival to Turkey.

Hungarian, Serbian, and Turkish citizens with a vaccination certificate stating that they were vaccinated in their home country can enter without a PCR test. Serbian and Turkish nationals under the age of 18 accompanied by citizens of Serbia or Turkey with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate are also exempt.

Quarantine requirements

Travellers arriving from/staying in the following countries considered high-risk for the past 14 days are required to quarantine in Turkey:

Quarantine is carried out at accommodation facilities determined by the Turkish government.

The above-mentioned PCR tests are carried out on a random sample of passengers on arrival. In case of a positive test result, they will be contacted and instructed to quarantine for 14 days.

Other requirements

On arrival in Turkey, passengers and airline crew will undergo a brief medical check, including temperature controls. Individuals who are not displaying any symptoms can continue their journey.

Visitors who test positive for coronavirus will be treated at a medical facility determined by the Turkish authorities or, alternatively, a private medical facility of the traveller's choosing