As of October 29, 2018, Turkey ceased issuing travel visas on arrival at their international airports. All visitors who are required to have a travel visa, including citizens of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, etc., will now have to obtain a travel visa (e-visa) BEFORE their arrival into Turkey. To me, this isn’t really bad news as obtaining an e-visa ahead of time was always cheaper and less time-consuming than obtaining a traditional visa on arrival at the airport.
This policy only applies to tourist and trade visas. If you are traveling to Turkey for work or study abroad purposes, you will still need to obtain a sticker visa from the Turkish Embassy or one of their Consulate Offices. If you have dual citizenship, you must apply as a citizen of the passport you intend to use. Applying for a Turkish e-visa is simple and cheap. It will only cost you $20 (for U.S. citizens) and will take less than 5 minutes of your time.
Here are some important details about Turkish e-visas:
- You can apply for an e-visa up to 3 months in advance of your intended arrival date into Turkey.
- It is advised that you apply for an e-visa at least 48 hours in advance but it looks possible to apply for an e-visa for the next day.
- Your e-visa will be valid for 180 days. However, you can only stay for a total of 90 days.
- E-visas are multiple-entry visas so you can enter/leave as many times as you want during the 180 days of validity.
So for example, if I intend to travel to Turkey on January 20, 2019, my e-visa will be valid from January 20, 2019, to July 18, 2019. I will be allowed multiple-entries into Turkey during that time-frame as long my stay does not last longer than 90 days.
To apply for a Turkish e-visa, go to this website here and enter in your personal details. If you are using a normal passport for citizens, select “ordinary passport.” Make sure the information entered matches your passport information exactly.
Once you make your payment, your e-visa will be emailed to your within a few minutes. The whole process is quick, easy and simple. The e-visa will be electronically attached to your passport but you should still print out a copy and carry it with you just in case.
And that’s it. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns. Thanks for reading!
Hat tip to the guys over at Australian Business Traveller for the info.
