Turkey – Entrance into Turkey

Entry into Turkey

To enter and exit Turkey, a valid passport or travel document is required.

Document checks

Foreigners must present their passport or travel document to officials upon entry and exit from Turkey.

Document checks may also be conducted on vehicles during border crossings.

Foreigners using transit areas at airports may undergo document checks by the competent authorities.

Upon entry into Turkey, checks will be conducted to determine if the foreigner falls within the scope of Article 7.

For individuals who require a comprehensive check, the maximum detention period is four hours. During this time, the foreigner has the option to return to their country or wait for the completion of admission procedures, without being limited to the four-hour period.

Foreigners who will be denied entry into Turkey

• Those without a passport, travel document, visa, residence permit, or work permit, or those who have obtained deceptive or false documents or permits.
• Those whose passport or travel document expires sixty days before the expiry date of the visa, visa exemption, or residence permit.

Even if exempt from a visa, the following foreigners will not be issued a visa:

a) Their passport or travel document is not valid for at least sixty days beyond the expiry date of the requested visa. b) They are banned from entering Turkey. c) They are considered undesirable for reasons of public order or public security. d) They have a disease that poses a public health threat. e) They are suspects or have been convicted of crimes subject to extradition agreements with the Republic of Turkey. f) They do not have valid medical insurance for the duration of their stay. g) They fail to provide proof of the purpose of their entry, transit, or stay in Turkey. h) They do not have sufficient and sustainable resources for the duration of their stay. ı) They refuse to pay debts or fines related to overstaying a visa or previous residence permit, as enforced by the Law on the Procedure of Collection of Public Receivables No 6183 or the Turkish Penal Code No 5237.

Implementation of international protection claims

The conditions related to entry into and exit from Turkey, document checks, and the denial of entry for certain foreigners shall not prevent the submission of international protection claims.

Entry ban to Turkey

1. The Directorate General, in consultation with relevant government departments and institutions, may impose an entry ban on foreigners whose entry into Turkey is objectionable due to public order, public security, or public health reasons.
2. The Directorate General or governorates may impose an entry ban on foreigners who have been deported from Turkey.
3. The entry ban shall not exceed five years. However, in cases where there is a serious threat to public order or public security, the Directorate General may extend this period for up to an additional ten years.
4. For foreigners whose visa or residence permit has expired and have applied to the governorates to leave Turkey before their situation is established by competent authorities, the entry ban shall not exceed one year.
5. An entry ban may not be imposed on those who leave the country within the specified period of time after being invited to leave Turkey according to Article 56 of Law No 6458.
6. The Directorate General may revoke an entry ban or allow the foreigner to enter Turkey for a specific period, without prejudice to the entry ban.
7. The Directorate General may introduce advance clearance conditions for the admission of certain foreigners to Turkey based on reasons of public order or public security.

Visa Information For Foreigners

• The Electronic Visa (e-Visa) Application System was launched on 17 April 2013 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye. This system allows visitors travelling to Türkiye to easily obtain their e-Visas online (www.evisa.gov.tr), in approximately three minutes.

It is possible to obtain e-Visa 7/24 at everywhere with internet connection. The applicants can obtain their visa after they fill in the necessary information concerning their identity, passport and travel dates and pay visa fee online.

• Please note that e-visa is only valid when the purpose of travel is tourism or commerce. For other purposes, such as work and study, visas are given by Turkish Embassies or Consulates.
• The term “official passports” covers diplomatic, service, special and official passports.

You are kindly advised to have a travel document/passport valid for at least 6 months as from the date of your arrival in Türkiye.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues efforts to strengthen the e-Visa system and to better enable foreign nationals to easily obtain their visas.

In this context,

• In addition to English, French, and Spanish; Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, German, Arabic and Chinese language options will be added to the e-Visa system.
• In addition to Visa and Master Card, payment is accepted from other commonly used credit cards and debit cards.
• Tour operators may apply for group e-Visas and make lump sum payments for them.
• Necessary arrangements will be made to allow foreign visitors to obtain e-Visas from authorized airline companies offices, including those companies’ offices in airports.
• Fees for e-Visas obtained via the e-Visa website (www.evisa.gov.tr) are lower than the fees for visas obtained upon arrival to Turkish airports. Information regarding visa fees can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

(http://www.mfa.gov.tr/data/KONSOLOSLUK/vize-harc-miktarlari-en.pdf).

Visa regime for truck drivers of a country may differ from the overall visa regime effective for citizens of that particular country. For further information, please contact the nearest Turkish mission.

Regardless of the visa regime applied towards the citizens of a country, the travel document holders of that country need to obtain visa from Turkish missions beforehand.

Foreigners who will shoot a documentary film conduct a research or an archeological excavation should get a special permission from the Turkish authorities in advance.

If you have a valid visa, you do not need a residence permit up to 90 days. On the other hand, foreigners who shall reside, work or study in Türkiye, should register themselves at the nearest local police department upon their arrival in Türkiye, regardless of the validity of their visa.

Information on Work Visa: To work in Türkiye, you must apply to the nearest Turkish mission to obtain work permit and visa. Your passport, visa application form and a letter from your employer are the necessary documents for your application. Other documents should be submitted to the Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) by your employer within ten working days after your application.

You may find the list of those documents in the MLSS’s website (http://www.csgb.gov.tr). Applications are finalized by the MLSS within thirty days at the latest. Right after your arrival in Türkiye (before starting to work), you should be registered at the local police department within one month to obtain the necessary residence permit.

As of 1 January 2015, in accordance with the article 7.1b of “the Law on Foreigners and International Protection” no. 6458, foreigners wishing to enter Türkiye should carry a travel document (passport) with an expiration date at least 60 days beyond the “duration of stay” of their visa, e-Visa, visa exemption, or residence permit.

The citizens of the countries which are stated at the below link are exempted form this Article;

Example A: In order to enter Türkiye having a visa with 90 days “duration of stay”, foreigners should hold a travel document valid at least for an additional 60 days which totals to 150 days (90 days + 60 days) of validity at the time of entrance.

Example B: In order to enter Türkiye having a visa with 30 days “duration of stay”, foreigners should hold a travel document valid at least for an additional 60 days which totals to 90 days (30 days + 60 days) of validity at the time of entrance.”

The following categories are exempted from this provision:

• Citizens of countries who are allowed to enter Türkiye with their national ID’s in accordance with “European Agreement on Regulations governing the Movement of Persons between Member States of the Council of Europe”,

http://www.mfa.gov.tr/countries-whose-citizens-are-allowed-to-enter-turkey-with-their-national-id_s.en.mfa

Holders of diplomatic and official passports are also exempted from this Article.