E-visa– Tourists/Holiday makers
Most nationalities with a few exceptions need a visa to gain entry in to Turkey and to make the process easy you can do it online from the comfort of your own home its called an e-visa. An e-visa is an official document that allows entry in to Turkey and it allows you to travel freely within Turkey. You can obtain the e-visa from home before you leave for Turkey instead of buying it at the ports of entry such as airports, ports or border crossings.
Most nationalities will be given a multiple entry e-visa meaning you can travel in and out of Turkey as many times as you like within the dates specified. If you want to stay longer in Turkey than your e-visa allows you, you must apply for a residence visa. If you do not apply for a residence visa and your e-visa has expired, you face the possibility of a fine, you could be deported or even banned from entering Turkey again for example 5 years (it could be more or less).
An e-visa is valid only for touristic travel and trade purposes. Applications are for an individual person, a family which is a minimum of 2 people to a maximum of 10, or a group such as a school trip which is a minimum of 10 people to a maximum of 300. Children and infants must have their own e-visa which can be applied for under a family application.
A touristic e-visa is valid from the date you apply for it and you can travel on any date to Turkey within this period. If your travel dates change you must apply for another e-visa, they cannot be amended under any circumstances, if you don’t travel at all, you will not be refunded for your e-visa. In fact no refunds are given for your e-visa for whatever reason.
How long does an e-visa last for?
Different nationalities have different e-visa validity dates when you apply you will be told how long your e-visa is valid for. If your nationality is British your e-visa is valid for 180 days from the day you apply. However although it lasts for 180 days you can only stay a maximum of 90 days. You can travel to Turkey multiple times within the 180 days on the same e-visa.
What is the cost of an e-visa?
As of August 2018 the cost for an e-visa for a British national is 20 USD. Fees vary for different nationalities so please check you country of birth for the correct fee. Payments can only be made via debit card or credit card and only on the following cards, Mastercard, Visa or UnionPay. If you don’t have any of these cards the payment can be made on a card under another person’s name.
When do I have to apply for my e-visa?
You can apply for it as soon as you know your travel dates to Turkey, but you must apply for it no less than 48 hours before you travel. You must also ensure that all the information on your travel documents matches the information on your e-visa – otherwise your e-visa is invalid and you will need to apply for another e-visa.
Print your e-visa so you have a copy.
The ports in Turkey will see on their system that you have applied for and paid for your e-visa. However computer systems do go down for whatever reason and if you can show a copy (if asked for it) it is better for you.
Do I have to apply for an e-visa or can I buy it on entry to Turkey?
You can pay for your travel visa in Turkey if you meet certain requirements. You need to check this before you travel. Most travellers choose an e-visa for the convenience.
Student and work visas:
If you are a student or you have a job in Turkey you need to apply for a different type of visa, a student visa or a work visa at the Turkish Embassy or Consulates, you cannot apply for an e-visa.
Residency visa:
If you plan to stay in Turkey longer than 90 days you need to apply for a residency visa. Expats who live full time in Turkey must have a residency visa and you can leave Turkey as often as you wish with no restrictions. If you want your residency visa to continue without any breaks you must apply for your residency visa 60 days before it expires. Residency visas are issued to cover 1 or 2 years and there are companies across Turkey who helps you to do this for a small fee. If you have at least 8 years full time residency you can then apply for a long term residency visa. The fees for a residency visa change often and are different fees for different nationalities. Currently it’s from 400 – 500TL for a British national for a residency visa for 1 year.
Citizenship
Marriage;
You can apply after 3 years of marriage to a Turkish national for citizenship. You are allowed to keep your own citizenship as Turkey allows dual citizenship.
Golden visa:
This is the fast track method of getting citizenship in Turkey. It is by way of investment in Turkey granting residency, citizenship and a second passport to a person who invests in real estate. Originally the amount for investment was $1 million and the investment went into real estate, government issued bonds or shares of Turkish companies. After 3 years of the applicant holding the investment they were granted citizenship. Changes are due in 2018 and it is expected that the investment figure is to be reduced to $300,000 for real estate investment.
- The Turquoise System:
This system allows foreigners to apply for a different type of citizenship, not all rights are given but most are. Skills or attributes in technology, economics, sports, cultural and arts, business executives and investors can apply for citizenship via this system.
