Turkish Transit Visa

For long-distance travellers who take Turkey as a stopover, there is a very good way to liven up this stopover. The solution is to visit Turkey and take a tour of the magnificent Istanbul in order to get rid of the travel sickness.

In order to be able to take advantage of this opportunity, you must have a Turkish transit visa which is a simple permission that gives you the right to enter the Turkish territory during your stopover.

It is a very simple and lovely initiative which can change the aspect of your trip and give you very beautiful memories, even while waiting for your flight.

What Is The Turkey Transit Visa?

The Turkey transit visa allows you to leave the airport and spend 24 to 48 hours in Turkey before returning to your destination. Thegovernment has launched a Turkey e Visa for travellers who need to stay longer than 24 - 48 hours. A Turkey e visa holder is eligible to stay for 30 days or 90 days depending on the nationality of the holder.

It's very important to understand that you only need a Transit Visa if you want to pass Immigration.

Luckily the Transit Visa is now an online Visa application. 

So you do not have to go to the Embassy or Consular to apply for a "Sticker Visa" (also known as the paper Visa).

Who needs to have a Turkey transit visa?

The turkey transit visa is not required for every traveller who takes turkey as a stopover.

• If the traveller has scheduled to stay in the airport while waiting for his next flight, he is not required to have a transit visa and no laws prohibit him from staying in the airport while waiting for his flight.

• If the traveller had programmed a little more entertainment during his waiting time and chose to leave the airport to visit the city and stay for one or two days, depending on the date of his next flight, in this case the traveller must have a Turkish transit visa to pass beyond the walls of the airport into the city and return for his flight.

Turkish Transit Visa differs according to your nationality.

• Citizens of some countries (around 40 countries) only need a Turkey e-visa, which makes the process faster and easier and cheaper. Making it easier to apply for the e-visa gives citizens of these 40 countries (in addition to 63 others with some conditions) more access to a very fun waiting time in Turkey.

• Citizens of other countries will have to apply for a sticker visa, which can give access to a single transit or double transit. In this case, travellers have to go through a procedure a little more complex than that of e-visa, since the sticker visa requires providing documents, doing an interview and also paying a higher visa fee. 

When to apply for the Turkish transit visa?

The best time to apply for your Turkey transit visa is 24 hours before your flights, since this is the earliest possible time to avoid delays and at the same time to ensure that the visa remains valid.

The last deadline to apply for your Turkish transit visa is 1-5 hours before the trip, but it is still preferable to apply before this if possible to avoid any possible complications.

Where to apply for a Turkish transit visa?

If you are in a country where the Turkish government grants access to the e-visa application, it is easier and more convenient to apply online from your connection tool, before going to the interview and other steps.

If you are in a country where the e-visa is not available, you must proceed with the sticker visa, at the consulate or the embassy, depending on your country.

The Embassy will ask you to submit specific documents on the day of your interview. These documents must comply with the specifications and criteria defined previously.

Although these necessary documents vary from country to country and the requirements may vary, here are some documents which are generally constant and required in most countries.

• You must complete your Turkish transit visa application form.

• Your professional status must be proven by an official document.

• You must have a passport or other document that proves validity of your scheduled travel for six months or more, after your potential arrival in Turkey.

• You must provide informative documents on your income and your financial capacity during your transit or stay in Turkey, and also in the country of destination. These financial capacities are judged at around 50 USD for each day in turkey.

• It is also necessary to give proof of your entry access to the country of destination (Visa or other document that gives access to the territory of this country)

• Provide proof that you have planned your accommodation during the stay in Turkey (hotel reservation / invitation letter by a relative or someone else in Turkey).

• Police clearance certificate. This proves that your record is clean and you have had no indiscriminate activity before.

The Turkish transit visa is a very important option especially for people who often take long trips with stopovers, and who know that waiting in the airport is not very comfortable. With this type of visa, these travellers can stay up to 48 hours in Turkey and visit the beauty of Istanbul or other cities before resuming their flights.