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Turkey tourist Visa
Thinking about a trip to Turkey and wondering about getting your tourist visa? With an Indian passport, which grants visa-on-arrival to fewer than 60 countries, we know the struggle of obtaining a tourist visa with a weaker passport. But don’t fret, we’ve got you covered here!
Heads up : Turkey changed its official name to Turkiye in 2021. So, you’ll notice me using both names in this post.
What is a Turkey Tourist Visa?
So, here’s the deal with Turkey tourist visas: This stamp on your passport gives you the thumbs-up to come into, chill in, and head out of a country. Now, there’s this thing called an eVisa – it’s all tied up with your passport number and lives in the online world. That means no need to actually stamp your passport; the receipt itself works as your visa. Turkey’s been doing this e-visa thing for immigrants since 2013 – Indeed they know their rich history and stunning landscape is a great source of income.
Having said that, Turkiye provides an e-Visa for tourists, but it doesn’t mean that all of us can simply click a button online, get the visa approved, and head to Istanbul or Ankara. The Turkey visa policy and duration of allowed stay vary drastically based on your nationality.
Types of Turkey Tourist Visa
Turkey offers both Multiple Entry and Single Entry Visas. Let’s break it down: Say you hold a non-Turkish passport. You arrive in Istanbul and have a blast for five days. Then, you hop on a train to Izmir, bask in its coastline, and later take a ferry to Athens in Greece. After three days there, you plan to return to Turkey. Since you’ve already exited Turkey but plan to enter again, you’d need a Multiple Entry Visa for this kind of trip.
If you don’t plan on returning to Turkey after leaving the border, then you’ll need a Single Entry Visa.
The visa costs for these options differ, so it’s good to have at least 60% clarity on whether you need a Single or Multiple Entry Turkiye tourist visa when applying.
Turkey E-Visa
The initial buzz online often highlights how amazing it is to snag your Turkey tourist visa online within 5 minutes. Well, the info isn’t wrong, but it might not be the same for everyone, especially Indians and other developing nations. For many Turkiye tourist visa applications, a more detailed procedure is needed beyond just clicking a few buttons on the internet.
After the not-so-great “Four More Shots Please” Season 2, many of my friends and social media followers asked me this: “The girls leave for Turkey within a few minutes after hearing about their lonely friend crying there. But you say it’s a laborious process. How come?” Honestly, I have no idea how those silly characters in the series could just pack their bags and head to Turkey, but in reality, it’s really not that simple.
Eligibility of Turkey e-Visa
Turkey categorises world’s nationalities into four groups and clearly outlines the eligibility for obtaining an e-visa for tourism purposes.
- Countries with Visa-Free entry: The blessed.
- Nations eligible for E-Visa : Fortunate ones
- Nationalities qualifying for E-Visa with additional conditions – Partially Fortunate
- Regular Sticker Visa: Requires submission of extensive 50-page paperwork – Sweat and fret
- The blessed – A few nationalities exempted from Turkey walk into Turkey just with their passport
- Fortunate ones – Those who can apply for an e-Visa online
- Fortunate ones with some terms and conditions applied – tHESE CAN GET AN e-visa if they suffice specific requirements
- “Submit 50 pages paper work” ones – Those who has to go through an elaborate process of getting a sticker Visa, just like you have to do for either Schengen or UK Visa.
You can check which category your nationality falls into on Turkey’s MFA website. Even better, use the iVisa search box below for the latest updates. They’re like tourist visa whisperers, offering day-to-day updates. If they say you’re in the “blessed category” and can stroll into Turkey with your passport, cool! Get started with other planning using our detailed Turkey travel guide.
If they show your nationality falls into the other three categories, go ahead and apply through them. Honestly, unless you are a full time traveller on a tight budget, you don’t want to waste your time getting a tourist visa. Those of us who travel part-time while juggling a 9-5 really need to focus on more beautiful things than visa applications.
What is that special requirement you need to suffice to become eligible for e-Visa?
Over 50 nationalities are eligible for Turkey’s e-Visa. However, about 10 nationalities, including Indians, have specific conditions to fulfill. For instance, having a valid visa or residence permit from at least one of the Schengen area countries, Ireland, the United Kingdom, or the United States qualifies you for an e-Visa.
With the additional qualifications mentioned earlier, proceed to apply for the e-Visa. On their e-Visa portal, fill in all personal details and upload a copy of your passport (valid for at least 6 months from your intended entry to Turkey). Additionally, upload a coloured scan copy of your valid Schengen/UK/Ireland visa. Kaboom! Your Turkey Tourist visa will be approved within a few minutes.
With our Schengen Visa issued by the Republic of Hellenic (AKA Greece) in hand, it took us just 15 minutes to get our Turkey Visa approved online.
We had to submit our Schengen Sticker Visa and an air ticket. Within the next 10 minutes, we received our Turkey Visa.
Heads up: We were advised to carry a printed Turkey Visa permit, and thankfully, we followed through. If your mobile network is weak and airport Wi-Fi isn’t available, you might end up running around to show proof of your E-Visa. So, without fail, carry a printout.
The less fortunates ones who need to get Sticker Visa for Turkey
Though Turkey is neither in the EU nor one among Schengen, Turkey sticker Visa demands the same effort you put into a Schengen Visa. As someone who often goes through rejection/acceptance, we understand you most. As much as we prefer travelling by ourselves, we prefer a company for getting our Visa. Who wants to lose money on booked flights and hotels? We always go through iVisa to ensure we get the documents in line. And we don’t lose our fortune.
Immigration clearance in Turkey
Istanbul being the headquarters of Turkish airlines, two of its airports are always busy and works super efficiently. Somehow the officers didn’t question us a lot like how they do in most western countries. Perhaps the Schengen Visa must have made a difference.
Can I get visa on arrival in port of Turkey
Yep, travelers can show their e-Visa proof at Turkish entry ports enter the nation. Lots of international cruises swing by Turkey for tourism, and there are regular ferries zipping between Turkish cities and Cyprus. Plenty of ports can sort you out with a visa. Just to be safe, check this info from a reliable source?maybe give Turkey MFA a shout to double-check.
Turkish Transit Visa
Many major airlines based at airports like Doha for Qatar Airways offer transit tours to their flyers. If you have a long layover, say 7 hours (which can be pretty dreadful and makes me anxious/angry), you might be eligible to head out to the city for a few hours.
No need for a transit visa in Turkey if you’re chilling in the airport transit lounge, even for, let’s say, 8 hours. But if you plan to crash outside the airport overnight and need to go through immigration, that’s when you’ll need a visa.
So if you are an Indian with a 36 layover in Istanbul and have thought of having a sneak peek in the city, make sure you have a stronger visa such as Schengen in your weaker passport. Otherwise, keep your stomach empty to hog in Istanbul airport and sleep on a cafe couch: because that is all we Indians and other developing nations are allowed to do with our passport.
Found our guide on getting your Turkey tourist Visa detailed and useful? Let us know in the comment section below.
