Should foreign citizens get a visa on entry to Turkey? Information about visa.

Foreign nationals who want to enter Turkey must get a visa. Foreign nationals can come to Turkey by getting a visa from the consulates of the country where they are citizens or where they are legally located. In exceptional cases, visas can be issued by the governorates to which the border gates are connected. This exceptional visa provides the right to stay in Turkey for a maximum of fifteen days. Applications made to consulates are finalized within ninety days. The duration of stay provided by the visa in Turkey cannot exceed ninety days in every hundred and eighty days. Visa Application Form is filled separately for each foreigner. Another issue to be considered is that not every foreign national who gets a visa duly will enter Turkey. When deemed necessary, the foreign national may be detained at the removal center in places such as airports, border gates, ports, by taking an administrative detention decision. In such cases, the foreign national can apply and make objections to the necessary places through his/her legal representative or lawyer.

Who is not required to have a visa to enter Turkey?

• Citizens of countries exempted from visa by agreements to which the Republic of Turkey is a party or by the decision of the President.
• Those who have a valid residence or work permit as of the date of entry into Turkey.
• Holders of passports with stamps for foreigners, which were issued in accordance with Article 18 of the Passport Law No. 5682 and dated 15/07/1950 and have not lost their validity.
• Persons who lost their Turkish citizenship by obtaining permission to leave within the scope of Article 28 of the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 dated 29.05/2009
• Diplomatic and consular officials working in Turkey and their families, limited to their spouses and dependent children, as notified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Those who work at the representations of international organizations in Turkey and whose status is determined by agreements.
• Holders of “stateless person identity document”.
• Those who have a valid “registration document” or “international protection applicant identity document” or “international protection status holder identity document” within the framework of international protection application.
• Those who are temporarily protected within the framework of Article 91 of the Law.
• The driver and his/her assistants who come to our country with a multi-entry visa for transportation purposes.
• Immigrants admitted to Turkey under the Settlement Law.

Who may not be required to have a visa to enter Turkey?

• Persons who will leave the port city among the foreigners in the vehicles that have to use the Turkish air and seaports due to force majeure.
• Persons who come to seaports and visit the port city or the surrounding provinces for tourism purposes, provided that they do not exceed seventy-two hours

     Which foreigners are not granted a visa when entering Turkey?

• Those who do not have a passport or passport substitute document with a validity of at least sixty days longer than the visa period they requested,
• Those who are banned from entering Turkey,
• Those deemed objectionable in terms of public order or public security,
• Those who carry one of the diseases that are considered a threat to public health,
• In accordance with the agreements to which the Republic of Turkey is a party, those who are accused or convicted of the crime or crimes that are the basis for extradition,
• Those who do not have valid health insurance covering the period of stay,
• Those who cannot justify their purpose of entering, transiting, or staying in Turkey,
• Those who do not have sufficient and regular financial means during their stay,
• Those who do not accept to pay the receivables that must be collected arising from the visa violation or previous residence permit, or those who do not accept to pay the debts and penalties followed in accordance with the Turkish Criminal Law No. 5237 dated 26/9/2004.

Who are the citizens of the countries exempted from visas by the agreements to which the Republic of Turkey is a party or by the decision of the President? Which nationality is not exempt from visa? Which nationality is not exempt from visa? How long are these periods for citizens of visa-exempt countries? You can find our article here.

How long are visas issued?

Visas are issued for use within a maximum period of five years. Visas that are not used within six months from the date of issue lose their validity.

Which situations is the visa given to a foreign person cancelled?

• Detection that it is the subject of forgery,
• Understanding that erasure, scraping or tampering has been done on it,
• Banning the visa holder from entering Turkey,
• Strong suspicion that the foreigner may commit a crime,
• The passport or the document that replaces the passport is fake or its validity expires,
• Misuse of visa or visa exemption,
• In cases where it is understood that the conditions or documents that are the basis for the issuance of the visa are not valid, it is canceled by the authorities or governorships that issue the visa.
• Deportation decision regarding the foreigner within the validity period of the visa

Decisions of rejection and cancellation of the visa request are notified to the foreigner. The foreign national can apply and object to the notified decision through himself, his legal representative or his lawyer.