Who needs to apply for a Turkey transit visa?

Do you need a Turkey transit visa?

If you plan to use Turkey as a transit point to reach the destination country and go through immigration or stay overnight in Turkey, you may need a visa.

All persons who need a visa to enter Turkey for tourism and other entry purposes also need a visa for transit-related purposes.

Based on your nationality, you may require one of the following visas to transit Turkey:

• Turkish e-Visa
• Turkish Sticker Visa

The answer to the questions of who needs a Turkey transit visa lies in the following tables. Look at them and find out the country of your residence so you know whether you need a transit visa or not.

The following tables tell whether you need a Turkey transit visa or not:

Short-stay visa-free countries

The people of the following countries don’t need a transit visa and visa for up to 90 days stays in Turkey:

Asia

Georgia	Kyrgyzstan
Hong Kong	Lebanon
Iran	Malaysia
Israel	Qatar
Japan	Singapore
Jordan	South Korea
Kazakhstan	Tajikistan
Kuwait	Uzbekistan

Africa

Morocco

Seychelles

Tunisia

Europe

Albania	France	Lithuania	Serbia
Andorra	Germany	Luxembourg	Slovakia
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Greece	Moldova	Slovenia
Bulgaria	Hungary	Monaco	Sweden
Czech Republic	Iceland	Montenegro	Switzerland
Denmark	Italy	North Macedonia	Ukraine
Estonia	Kosovo	Romania	Vatican City
Finland	Liechtenstein	San Marino	United Kingdom

North America

Belize	Nicaragua
El Salvador	Panama
Guatemala	Saint Kitts and Nevis
Honduras

South America

Argentina	Paraguay
Bolivia	Peru
Brazil	Trinidad and Tobago
Chile	Uruguay
Colombia	Venezuela
Ecuador

Oceania

New Zealand

The following countries are eligible for Turkey’s e-Visa. They can stay for 90 days in six months in the country:

Turkey’s e-Visa

Asia

Armenia	Maldives
Bahrain	Oman
China	Saudi Arabia
Cyprus	Taiwan
Indonesia

Africa

East Timor

Mauritius

South Africa

Europe

Belgium	Norway
Croatia	Poland
Ireland	Portugal
Malta	Spain
Netherlands

Oceania

Australia

Fiji

North America

Antigua and Barbuda	Haiti
Bahamas	Jamaica
Barbados	Mexico
Canada	Saint Lucia
Dominica	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Dominican Republic	United States
Grenada

South America

Suriname

Conditional Turkey e-Visa

The following list of countries are eligible to apply for Turkey e-Visa yet the single-entry one to visit the country for business or tourism purposes and stay for up to 30 days:

Asia

Afghanistan	Pakistan
Bangladesh	Palestine
Bhutan	Philippines
Cambodia	Sri Lanka
India	Vietnam
Iraq	Yemen
Nepal

Africa

Algeria	DR Congo	Lesotho	Rwanda
Angola	Djibouti	Liberia	São Tomé and Príncipe
Benin	Egypt	Libya	Senegal
Botswana	Equatorial Guinea	Madagascar	Sierra Leone
Burkina Faso	Eritrea	Malawi	Somalia
Burundi	Ethiopia	Mali	Sudan
Cameroon	Ghana	Mauritania	Swaziland
Cape Verde	Gabon	Mozambique	Tanzania
Central African Republic	Gambia	Namibia	Togo
Chad	Guinea	Niger	Uganda
Comoros	Guinea-Bissau	Nigeria	Zambia
Côte d’Ivoire	Kenya	Republic of the Congo	Zimbabwe

Oceania

Solomon Islands

Vanuatu

Sometimes, even depending on your nationality, you need one of the above visas to transit Turkey; you may not require one if you belong to a visa exemption category.

How to apply for a Turkey transit visa?

When you want to apply for a Turkey transit visa, you need to complete several procedures. These procedures are mentioned as follows:

1. Find out which Turkey transit visa you need.
2. Check when is the suitable time to apply.
3. Find out where you can apply.
4. Complete the form in Turkey’s pre-application system online.
5. Gather the necessary documents to apply for a Turkey transit visa.
6. Participate in the Turkey transit visa interview.

Ensure that each procedure is completed in accordance with the given standards and sequence. Find the entire process of applying for a Turkey transit visa explained in detail below.

Read our article about moving to Turkey as an English teacher.

Figure out what Turkey Transit Visa you need

Based on your nationality, you may require one of the following visas to transit through Turkey.

Electronic visa. The process of this visa is simple, fast, and cheap. You need to apply for it online.

Sticker visa. To obtain a transit sticker visa, you must collect documents, go to a visa interview, and pay the visa fee. The transit sticker visa can be:

• Single Transit
• Double Transit

Understand when the most suitable time to apply

The earliest time you can apply for a Turkey transit visa is two months prior to the date you want to travel to Turkey. However, the latest time that you can apply for is one month before the trip. Make sure to apply as soon as possible to avoid possible delays in visa processing.

Find out where to apply

You are able to apply for a Turkey visa at the Turkish embassy in your country of residence, which can be a Turkish consulate, too. Please note that Turkey has outsourced visa submission to a third-party visa processing center in many countries of the world.

You should go and check with the Embassy of Turkey in your country of residence for the exact location of the application.

Fill in the form at the Turkey Visa Pre-Application System online.

When applying for a Turkey transit visa, the first specific step you need to take is to fill out the online form in the Turkey visa pre-application system. This form has some questions about your ID, nationality, and purpose of your travel to Turkey. Answer each question correctly. After completing, the system will provide you with the date and time of the visa interview, which you must attend.

Required Documents to apply for a Turkey Transit Visa

To apply for a Turkey visa, you need to present some documents on the interview day. Make sure these documents meet the standards and specifications set by the Turkish Embassy.

The documents required for the Turkey transit visa application are:

1. A completed Turkey transit visa form of application, travel insurance, evidence showing tour occupational status, etc.
2. Passport or other travel documents. Documents have to be valid for six months, at least from the day you arrive in Turkey.
3. Two identical photographs that meet the photo requirements for a Turkish visa.
4. Proof of income or savings. You have to show that you have enough money to stay/transit in Turkey and the destination country. For each and every day you plan to spend in Turkey, you should have approximately 50 Euros.
5. Proof of purchase of travel medical insurance.
6. Onward ticket. Show proof of a ticket that will take you to the destination country.
7. Visa for your final destination. If applicable, please present a visa or other document authorizing you to enter the destination country.
8. Proof of accommodation in Turkey. It can be a hotel reservation or an invitation letter from a Turkish host.
9. Police clearance certificate. The document must indicate that you have not participated in any criminal activity in recent years.

Please keep in mind that other documents may be required depending on your nationality and country of residence, including those currently listed.

Turkey Transit Visa Interview

The interview is mandatory for sticker visas for transiting through Turkey. You must attend the interview on the correct date and at the appointed time. The interview is just a short meeting with a consular officer, who will ask you some questions about your trip.

How Long Does it Take to Get a Transit Visa for Turkey?

The Embassy of Turkey in your country of residence will process your visa application within approximately fifteen working days. In a few countries, this period may be as short as only three business days.

You are able to track the application process status on the same website where you started your application.

How to apply for a Turkish e-Visa for Transit?

If you are eligible for a Turkish e-visa, you do not need to go through the entire process to obtain a sticker visa. Instead of this, you can apply for the e-Visa in a few minutes, allowing you to enter Turkey for transit purposes.

1. To obtain an e-Visa, you must first fill in the application form online on the Turkish e-Visa website. After just a few minutes, you will get an email asking you to confirm that you have started applying for an e-Visa. This email might be stored in your inbox or spam folder of email.
2. You will confirm the application through email, and it’s going to take you to the same website to pay your e-visa fee.
3. You will get another email with a button that will take you back to the same website where you need to download your electronic visa.
4. Print this document so that you can show it at the port of entry in Turkey.

Do I require a different visa to transit through the airports of Istanbul city?

You may need a Turkey transit visa to pass through Istanbul Ataturk Airport on the European part of Turkey or Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the Asian part.

Therefore, you will need an Istanbul transit visa to reach the destination country through Istanbul Airport, but only if you require a Turkey visa for tourism or commercial purposes.

The Istanbul transit visa is actually considered a transit visa. Its only official name is the Turkey transit visa. However, this type of visa is also called Istanbul transit among passengers passing through one of these two airports.

Let’s sum up…

If you are going to pass through Turkey or one of the Turkish airports on your way to another destination, you might need a Turkey transit visa.

The article explained who needs a transit visa, requirements, different types, the application process, FAQs, and all you need to know.

If you need to know about other types of Turkey visas, go through the left sidebar. In case you need to find out about other country’s visas, look at the top menu.

Visa applicants would appreciate it if you share your experience or knowledge with visas in the comment section below.