Do You Need a Visa for Turkey?
It depends on your passport. Many travelers can enter Turkey without a visa, others can get an e-Visa online in a few minutes, and a smaller group must apply at a Turkish embassy or consulate before they travel. This guide follows the visa page of Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which we checked in October 2026. Rules can change, so confirm your own passport on the official sites before you book.
The two official sources are the e-Visa portal at evisa.gov.tr and the visa information page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Older blog posts and videos are often out of date, especially about the United States, Canada, Australia and China.
Visa-Free Entry: Who Can Go Without a Visa
Holders of ordinary passports from the following groups can visit Turkey for tourism without a visa, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period:
- North America and Oceania: the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
- Europe: the United Kingdom, all EU member states, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, among others.
- Asia and the Middle East: Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong SAR passports, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Israel, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Holders of ordinary Chinese passports have been visa-free for up to 90 days since 2 January 2026.
- Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and several others.
- Africa: Morocco and Tunisia.
The 180-day window is rolling. Officers count every day you spent in Turkey in the previous 180 days, not only the days of this trip, and leaving the country does not reset the count.
Shorter Visa-Free Stays
Some passports are visa-free for a shorter time. According to the Ministry, Russian citizens can stay up to 60 days. Citizens of Thailand, Mongolia, Brunei, Costa Rica and Macao can stay up to 30 days. Indonesians can stay up to 30 days per entry, as long as they stay no more than 90 days in any 180 days. Belarus citizens can stay up to 30 days, with a limit of 90 days in a year. If your country is not on the lists above, check the official page.
Turkey e-Visa: Who Can Apply Online
If your country needs a visa but is eligible, apply online at evisa.gov.tr. It is the only official site, and it takes only a few minutes. Many look-alike sites charge extra service fees, so check the web address before you pay.
Eligible passports without extra conditions include several Caribbean and Pacific countries, such as the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica and Fiji, as well as the Maldives, Armenia, Vietnam, Suriname and Mexico. The length and type of e-Visa depend on your nationality. For example, the Ministry lists a one-month single-entry e-Visa for South Africa and Vietnam, and a three-month multiple-entry e-Visa for the Maldives and Barbados. The e-Visa is valid only for tourism or commerce, and it is not valid for work or study.
- Choose your nationality and travel dates on the official site.
- Enter your passport details and email address.
- Pay the fee by card. The amount depends on your nationality, and fees online are lower than fees at the border.
- Receive the e-Visa by email and print or save it.
Conditional e-Visa: Valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish Visa
Some passports can get the e-Visa only if they also hold a valid visa or residence permit from a Schengen country, the United States, the United Kingdom or Ireland. According to the Ministry, this is a single-entry e-Visa valid for one month. The supporting visa or permit should be valid when you apply and when you enter Turkey.
The Ministry applies this rule to passports such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Senegal, Cape Verde and Yemen. Some countries, including Egypt, Iraq, Libya and Algeria, also have age rules, so the conditions differ by age group. Egyptian travelers between 15 and 45, for instance, must also fly with certain airlines to use the e-Visa.
If you do not hold one of the supporting documents, you must apply for a sticker visa at a Turkish embassy or consulate before you travel.
Passports That Need a Consulate Visa
Many other passports, for example Nigeria, Syria, Cambodia and Myanmar, require a visa from a Turkish embassy or consulate before travel. Apply well ahead, because decisions can take time, and bring the documents the consulate asks for, such as proof of accommodation, funds and return tickets. Greek Cypriot passport holders can no longer buy a visa at the border from 2 January 2026, so they should use the e-Visa site or a Turkish mission.
Passport types matter too. Diplomatic and official passports often follow different rules from ordinary passports, including for countries that are visa-free for ordinary travelers, so check the official page if you hold one.
Passport and Entry Checks
- Validity: your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond your permitted stay. For a 90-day stay, that means about 150 days of validity on arrival. The Ministry also advises at least six months of validity from the date you arrive.
- Documents: carry a return or onward ticket and your first hotel booking, in case you are asked.
- e-Visa copy: keep a printed or saved copy of your e-Visa.
- Money: keep a card or cash that shows you can pay for your stay.
Staying Longer or Overstaying
The 90 days in any 180 days rule applies to all foreigners, whether you entered visa-free or with an e-Visa. To stay longer, you need to apply for a short-term residence permit at the local migration office before your permitted stay ends. Work and study need the right visa and permits, and you should arrange them before you travel. Overstaying can lead to fines and entry bans.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Relying on old information. The rules for China, Canada, Australia and the Greek Cypriot passports changed recently.
- Using an unofficial site and paying extra fees for a normal e-Visa.
- Forgetting that the 90 days are counted over a rolling 180-day period.
- Booking non-refundable flights before your visa or e-Visa is approved.
- Using the e-Visa for work, study or a long stay, which it does not cover.
- Arriving with a passport that is too close to expiry.
Next Steps
Once your entry is sorted, plan the rest of your trip with the best time to visit Turkey, flights and airports and where to stay. Back to the full Turkey travel guide, or see our general visa guide for other countries. This page is general information, not legal or immigration advice, so confirm the details with the official source.