Do I need a visa to enter Turkey?

Turkey has concluded a visa-free regime with European Union countries. Citizens of most European countries can travel without a visa for up to 90 days within a 180-day period or no more than 60 consecutive days. This means that there can be a maximum of 180 days in a year. To stay longer than this, you will need to apply for an ikamet or "short-term residence permit" within 30 days of your arrival date. You may be granted a residence permit for a maximum of one year if your passport is valid for that period.

• Foreign nationals who plan to stay in Turkey for up to 90 days must obtain the appropriate visa from the consulate of the country of which they are citizens or whose authority they are officially in. The time of stay in Turkey authorized by the visa must not exceed 90 days in total in every 180 days.
• In order for a Turkey visa application to be considered, the request must be submitted in the correct manner.
• Obtaining a visa does not guarantee an unconditional right to enter Turkey.
• Visas are issued exclusively at consular offices or, in rare cases, visas are issued by the governorate to which the customs post belongs. Applications submitted to the consulate are processed within ninety days.
• For foreign diplomats, visas may be granted at the representative offices of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. Applications for such visas, according to the general visa issuance procedure, are forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately. These visas are not subject to fees.
• In some exceptional cases, foreign nationals may be issued visas at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, depending on the purpose of their stay in the country. Applications for such visas, according to the general visa issuance procedure, are sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs without delay. These visas are not subject to fees.

If you want to stay in the country for a while, you will have to wait a few weeks until you get a new passport. Even getting an express pass can take a long time. However, there are a few cases where you can enter the country even with an expired document.

First, citizens of certain countries can enter Turkey with an expired passport. Specifically, citizens of Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Portugal can enter the country even if they have expired within the last five years. For citizens of other countries, the passport must be valid at the time of entry. This means that if your passport has expired, you must obtain a new document to be able to enter Turkey.

So, if you are buying a vacation trip to Turkey, make sure your passport is valid at the time of travel. If it has already expired, it is best to get a new one in advance to avoid problems when entering the country.

• Free consultations on obtaining a visa to Turkey for all interested persons
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Many tourists arrive in Turkey on cruise ships. However, such voyages have their own peculiarities. Usually, the stops in ports last only a few hours or days. But if you stay in Turkish port cities such as Istanbul, Alanya or Antalya for less than 72 hours, within a six-month period, no visa is required for such exceptional cases. Turkish authorities allow tourists to stay in the country without a visa for up to 72 hours.

Also, no registration with the authorities is required to stay in Turkey for three days. Tourist trips with relatively short stays in Turkey usually do not require registration. However, it is advisable to obtain detailed information about the rules and requirements for entering Turkey before traveling.