Turkey is this magical place that is stuck somewhere between Asia and Europe. And with my Turkey online visa, I thankfully was able to visit Istanbul for a lovely 15-hour layover on my way home from Thailand.
Even if one is visiting Turkey for less than 24 hours and plan to leave the airport you MUST get a tourist visa unless you are visa-exempt.
It’s great because the Turkey online visa or eVisa allows one to stay in the country for 6 months (180 days) from the date of application. The electronic visa for Turkey is much cheaper than the visa on arrival if you are wondering.
Let me explain what a Turkey eVisa is, who can get one, and how the whole process works.
If you are a US citizen visiting Turkey, you can definitely take advantage of this eVisa.
There are so many things to see and do in Turkey, be it Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque in Istanbul or beautiful places like Cappadocia, Antalya. But if you don’t have much time like me, you can very well take a free tour of Istanbul.
Nationals of the USA can obtain a Turkey visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 3 months. They must be arriving from a country other than the USA and have a residence permit issued by the country they reside in.
Table of Contents
What Is a Turkey Online Visa or eVisa
Ok, first things first: this is not a visa on arrival for Turkey. And it’s not a sticker visa either, that involves a visit to a Turkish embassy. It’s an e-visa that you apply for online and they send you an email with the visa. As simple as that.
Getting a Turkey electronic visa is quick, easy, and painless. For what it’s worth, you can sip a cup of mocha in a Starbucks casually and fill out the application- and get the e-Visa in a few minutes.
All you need is to fill in a few details and have the means to make an online payment.
With an eVisa, you can go through the land border or fly in.
The eVisa for Turkey is only valid when the purpose of travel is tourism or commerce. For anything else, you need to get a visa from a Turkish embassy.
Who Can Get Turkey eVisa?
Now, this a million-dollar question. If you don’t have a visa waiver for Turkey, big chances are you are eligible for an e-Visa. The best way to know whether you belong to the list is to check on the official website of Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
1. 90-day Turkey e-Visa valid for multiple entries.
Most countries that are eligible for the e-Visa get it for 90 days which would be valid for multiple entries.
Examples- U.S.A, Australia, United Kingdom
2. 30-day Turkey e-Visa valid for Single Entry
If you are a citizen of countries such as Mexico, Indonesia, you can get an e-Visa for 30 days, that too with a single entry.
3. Conditional 30-day Turkey Single Entry e-Visa
Citizens of a lot of countries are eligible only if they already have a valid Schengen or USA, UK, Ireland visa, or residence permit. Please note that they check the validity of the residence permit or visa at the airport.
So even if you have the visa on a different passport, make sure that you have it on you.
Examples- India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Philippines
Do You Need Travel Insurance for Turkey eVisa?
While it is possible to get a Turkey electronic visa without travel insurance, if you are traveling to Turkey, you should definitely have insurance.
So if you have not bought one yet, getting the nomad insurance from Safety Wing is definitely a good idea. You can get it for any time from 4 weeks to 364 days.
This backpacker Insurance covers COVID-19.
How Much is Turkey eVisa?
The Turkey eVisa fees vary a lot depending on which country you are from. While it’s free for a few countries like Malta and Mexico, it can go up to 60$ for some countries. For US citizens, it’s 20$.
Turkey eVisa Processing Time
The Turkish online visa or eTA is one of the fastest eVisas to get. I have applied for evisas for several countries, but the Turkey eVisa only took a few minutes to apply and get.
How to Get a Turkey Online Visa (in less than 10 minutes)
1.Apply at least 48 hours before arrival
You can apply for your e-Visa any time before your travel. However, give yourself at least 48 hours to apply for it before you plan to get to Turkey.
Turkey eVisa official website: https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/apply/.
There are many fake websites making rounds of Internet. Don’t fall into their trap.
Choose your country and click on Save and Continue.
2.Choose the Arrival date
The eVisa for Turkey will be valid for 180 days from the date of your arrival no matter which country you are from. But the number of days you can stay in Turkey, the number of entries you get, and the visa fees will vary for different nationalities.
So choose the date of arrival and continue.
3. Fill in Personal Information
Enter your personal info. Do use the Calendar to choose different dates rather than filling them in manually. There are only specific special characters that you can use with your address. So keep an eye on that. When you click on any field, the portal will tell you the characters that are allowed. After you verify all the information, continue and they will send you an email.
If you are applying as a family, click on Add New Person and fill in the details for every person one after one. Of course, they all have to be from the same country.
4. Verify the Email in an hour
You receive the email almost instantly. If not, you can choose to resend the verification. But do verify it in an hour, otherwise they will cancel the application and you need to start from scratch. If you didn’t receive an email within a minute, look in your spam folder. Once you click on the Approve button, you will be forwarded to the same e-Visa portal to make payment.
5. Pay Turkey eVisa Fees within 48 Hours
You must make the payment within 48 hours, or else your application will be deleted.
You can make payment using a credit card from MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express,CB, JCB, Diner Club or through payment gateways like UnionPay, Alipay, eps, Bancontact, Przelewy, iDeal, WeChatPay, CB, Sofort, Knet, and PayU.
6. Receive Email with Turkey eVisa link to download it.
Once the payment goes through, you will see the success page. You can download your eVisa right there as a PDF. They also send you an email to download the eVisa ( they don’t email the eVisa as it is). Download it and take a print out to carry it with you when you enter Turkey. Keep it on you with your passport or identity card (whatever you chose while applying) during your stay in Turkey.
If the eVisa is for a business trip and you need an invoice for the eVisa, then click the invoice button.
Applying Turkey Online Visa as a Family?
If you are travelling as a family of 2-10 persons, you can apply for the Turkey online visa together. However the following things must be the same for all of you.
- Country of origin
- Arrival date
- Travel document type – passport or Identity card
The way you can do it is to add new persons by clicking on the Add a New Person button on the Personal Information page. You need to add them one by one and verify. Once you are done with all of them, continue to the next page. Keep the Email address same.
After verifying the Email, you can make a lump sum payment. After you pay, you will be able to download the e-Visas (under the name of the first applicant).
Note- This visa will not contain the names of all the applicants, only the first person.
Immigration in Turkey
At Immigration it was really easy and quick. At Istanbul airport the immigration officer looked me up in the computer and sent me on my way.
Do You Need Onward Ticket for Turkey eVisa?
Although they didn’t ask me for any return tickets at the immigration, it’s always a great idea to get an onward ticket that proves that you are leaving the country after your visa expires.
How many Times Can You Apply for Turkey E Visa?
Keep in mind that you may stay in Turkey up to 90 days every 180 days starting from the first entry date.
You can reapply for an e-Visa 180 days later starting from the first entry date if you consumed all the 90 days within the 180 days period from your first entry. If you consumed only a part of it, you can reapply within the 180 days period.
But if you got a 30-day Turkey e Visa, you can reapply and enter as many times as u like, every time with a new single-entry e-visa, as long as you don’t exceed the maximum length span of 180 days from the first entry.
Have you applied for a Turkish Online Visa?
If you have applied for a Turkey Evisa, let us know in the comments. The visa process is constantly changing and it will help us update the article if there is any change. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have.
Linda (LD Holland) says
Turkey is definitely on our travel wish list for when we start to travel again. I had not looked into the visa process so this is a good starting point. Good to know that it is all done online. Sounds like everything goes smoothly after you have the eVisa.
Deb Pati says
Yeah, although not everyone can get the Turkey eVisa, it’s a great option for the ones who can.
Mayuri Patel says
This is such helpful guide for turkey online visa.As an Indian citizen If we have USA visa we are eligible for this, may be this similar procedure may to follow.
Arnav Mathur says
The first thing that comes to my mind after reading this is that – How I wish, I could have had visited Turkey, when I had a valid UK Residence Permit, thanks to my Student Visa.
One of my friend did a one day layover in Turkey, and experienced Istanbul through the Turkish Airline free city tour, and I was so envious of her.
Definitely going via Turkey, the next time I head to Europe, as I’ll be able to get my Turkish visa because of the Schenzen Visa.
Having a weak passport such as an Indian one, really sucks for travellers like me.
Deb Pati says
Couldn’t agree with you more Arnav. Travelling is not easy for people who have weak passports.
Stephanie says
Considering we travel with our toddler frequently, I love that you can apply for visas as a family! That certainly makes things easier. This has to be one of the easiest visa application systems I’ve ever seen. I think what you are doing on this blog is SO very needed. Everything, including this post, is always so comprehensive and easy to understand!
Deb Pati says
Thanks Stephanie. Yes, Turkey’s visa application system is pretty straight forward and simple.
Iuliana Marchian says
Turkey is such a great country to visit, with lots of history from ancient times to the present. I am planning a road trip through Turkey for a long time but the truth is that it is so big that I estimated a three-month road trip to explore it justice. besides that, the proximity to Syria makes impossible to visit some UNESCO sites in the south of the country, so I have thought that waiting for a little while may be an option. It’s not that I don’t have any other countries to explore around Romania.
Anthony Jacobs says
I’m looking for information about re-applying for an e-visa for Turkey. As my partner (Indonesian) got one in august to september (30 days) and if we would want to meet again this year, I don’t know if it’s possible for her to get another e-visa for 30 days?
If it is possible, are there any rules about it? Because I know you can’t overstay 90 days in a period of 180 days, but I don’t see any rules for e-visa of 30 days.
Thanks in advance
Deb Pati says
Hi Anthony,
If the duration of the 90-day stay on the Turkey e-Visa has expired in the last 180 days starting from the first entry date to Turkey, you can reapply for an e-Visa 180 days later starting from the first entry date. But this applies to 90-day evisas only. Your partner should be able to get a new e visa as it was a 30-day one. We will also update the article with this info.
Carol Seiler says
What is the best secure site to apply for an evisa to Turkey? There are so many and some of them charge well over $100. Thanks
Deb Pati says
Hi Carol,
Turkey eVisa official website: https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/apply/