Türkiye e-visa: who needs one and who is visa-free

Türkiye's e-visa system has run since 2013. Today most visitors from North America, Europe and Australia, and since January 2026 from China, can enter Türkiye without any visa for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

The e-visa still matters for a large group of travelers from Latin America, Africa, South and Southeast Asia and elsewhere, some of whom qualify only if they already hold a visa from another country.

Türkiye sets its visa rules country by country, and by passport type. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the regime for every nationality on one long page. Ordinary passports, the kind most travelers carry, are often treated differently from diplomatic and official passports, so read the line for ordinary passports.

The ministry's visa information for foreigners is the page to check for your nationality. The e-visa system was launched by the ministry on 17 April 2013, and the ministry says an application takes about three minutes once you have your passport and travel dates ready.

A Turkish e-visa is not a residence permit. If you want to stay longer than your visa or exemption allows, you apply for a residence permit in Türkiye, and foreigners who will reside, work or study must register locally regardless of their visa.

Ordinary passport holders from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland are exempt for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Austria, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Saudi Arabia are also exempt for 90 days. Chinese ordinary passport holders became exempt for 90 days in any 180 days on 2 January 2026.

For UK travelers there are two details. The exemption is for tourist trips. And holders of British National (Overseas), British Subject and British Protected Person passports are not covered and need a visa from a Turkish mission. Some countries get shorter periods: Thai ordinary passport holders are exempt for 30 days, and Indonesians for 30 days per entry within 90 days in 180.

The 90 days in 180 rule works like the Schengen one: on any day, look back 180 days and count the days you were in Türkiye. Days in Türkiye do not count toward your Schengen total, since Türkiye is outside the Schengen area. Our guide to the Schengen 90/180 rule explains the rolling count.

Several nationalities can buy an e-visa with no extra conditions. Mexican ordinary passport holders can get a 30-day single-entry e-visa, or a 90-day multiple-entry visa from a Turkish mission. South Africans can get a one-month single-entry e-visa, or a three-month multiple-entry visa from a mission. Vietnamese ordinary passport holders can get a 30-day single-entry e-visa.

A second group qualifies only if they hold a valid visa or residence permit from a Schengen country, the United States, the United Kingdom or Ireland. That covers ordinary passport holders from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, among others, who can then get an e-visa, in most cases a single-entry one valid for one month or 30 days. Egyptian citizens have an age-based rule and must fly with named airlines if they rely on the conditional e-visa. Taiwanese passport holders can get a one-month e-visa if they meet the listed conditions.

Some nationalities cannot use the e-visa at all, including Nigerian and Kenyan ordinary passport holders. The ministry's page lists them as visa required, and it also hosts a pre-application system for the Turkish sticker visa. If the ministry's page says visa required and does not mention the e-visa website, that is your route.

Apply only on evisa.gov.tr, the ministry's official system. Fill in your identity, passport and travel dates, then pay the visa fee online. Keep a printed copy or a copy on your phone of the e-visa you receive.

If you are on the conditional e-visa, the officer at the border can ask to see the Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit that made you eligible. It must be valid, and the ministry says certain further conditions must be met; they are shown during the application. If you cannot show it, you can be refused entry.

The ministry says e-visa fees are lower than the fees for visas bought on arrival at Turkish airports. If your nationality can buy a visa on arrival, it is still cheaper and faster to buy the e-visa beforehand.

Tour operators can apply for group e-visas and pay for the whole group in one payment, according to the ministry. If you are traveling on a package tour, ask your operator whether it has already arranged the e-visas before you apply yourself.

The rule that catches travelers is passport validity. Under Türkiye's Law on Foreigners and International Protection, your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your permitted stay. For a 90-day visa-free stay, that is 150 days of validity on the day you arrive. For a 30-day e-visa, it is 90 days.

The ministry also advises having a passport valid for at least six months from your arrival, which is the safer target. Airlines apply these rules at check-in. Some European citizens can enter with a national ID card instead of a passport; the ministry lists the countries separately.

Find your nationality on the ministry page and read the line for your passport type. If it says exempt, you need only your passport, checked against the 60-day validity rule. If it mentions the e-visa website, apply there. If it says visa required with no e-visa, contact the Turkish embassy or consulate that covers your country and allow time for an appointment.

If you rely on the conditional e-visa, check the document that makes you eligible. Your Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit must be valid. Carry it with you, since it is part of what the border officer can check.

Keep the e-visa printout with your passport and check that the details match. If you replace your passport after getting the e-visa, check the ministry's guidance before you fly rather than assuming the old e-visa still works. For trips that combine Türkiye with Greece or Bulgaria, remember that those countries have their own entry rules.

Start with your passport, not your nationality in general. The ministry's page gives separate lines for ordinary, official and diplomatic passports, and the answer for a British National (Overseas) passport differs from the answer for a standard British passport.

If your line says exempt, check two things before you pack: how many days you may stay, and whether the passport has at least 60 days of validity beyond that stay. If your line points to the e-visa without conditions, apply a few days before you fly on the official site and keep the confirmation. If it mentions a Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit, treat that document as part of your travel papers, because the border officer can ask for it.

The mistakes to avoid are buying an e-visa you do not need, relying on a summary for a country with a short exemption such as 30 days, and booking a flight before you know whether your route needs a mission visa with an appointment. If the ministry's page leaves any doubt, contact the Turkish embassy or consulate that covers your country.

US and Canadian ordinary passport holders are visa-exempt, and from 2 January 2026 Chinese ordinary passport holders are exempt for 90 days in any 180. The ministry's page also lists a conditional e-visa for travelers who hold Schengen, US, UK or Irish visas or residence permits.

The ministry's page announced no further dated change on 3 October 2026. Visa rules can change, so check the ministry's line for your nationality in the week before you fly. For the rest of your plans, see our Türkiye guide.