What documents do I need to travel to Turkey?
Turkey needs a passport valid six months beyond entry, plus either visa-free status or an official Turkish e-visa. Here is the full checklist for your trip1 stay.
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Entering Turkey - what you need
Turkish border control moves quickly when your paperwork lines up. Run through this list before your trip1 hotel dates arrive, because most problems at the airport come from a passport that is a few weeks short on validity.
- A passport valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your permitted stay (six months from your entry date is advised).
- Blank pages for the entry and exit stamps. Officers can refuse entry if there is no room to stamp.
- A Turkish e-visa, printed or saved on your phone, unless your nationality is visa exempt.
- A return or onward ticket dated inside your permitted stay.
- Proof of where you are staying, which your trip1 booking confirmation covers.
- Evidence that you can support yourself during the trip, such as a recent bank statement, if an officer asks.
Do you need a Turkish visa or an e-visa?
Your nationality decides this, and travellers fall into three groups. Ordinary passport holders from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and most EU countries enter without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
A second group applies for an e-visa online. The application runs on Turkey's official government e-visa portal, it often clears within minutes, and the e-visa is emailed to you as a PDF.
A third group gets a conditional e-visa. The application only succeeds if you also hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Ireland visa or residence permit, and you may be asked for a return ticket and a hotel reservation. Check your own passport on the portal before you book flights.
Important: Apply only on Turkey's official government e-visa site. Look-alike sites charge several times the real fee, and a few deliver nothing at all, which leaves you denied boarding at the departure gate.
What changed for Turkey recently
Turkey has adjusted several rules over the past year, and they matter if your passport sits near any of these categories.
- Chinese ordinary passport holders now enter visa-free for up to 90 days.
- Cypriot nationals can no longer get a sticker visa at the border and have to apply online in advance.
- Some UAE residents holding Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Nigerian passports now face extra e-visa conditions that did not apply before.
Entry rules move country by country and change with little warning, so confirm your own passport on the official Turkish e-visa portal in the week before you travel. If your case looks unusual, the nearest Turkish consulate can confirm it in writing.
Checking into a hotel in Turkey
Turkish hotels have to register every foreign guest with the authorities, so bring your physical passport to the front desk. Staff scan or photocopy it, enter your details, and hand it straight back.
A photo of your passport on your phone is usually not accepted. Everyone on the booking aged 18 or over should carry their own ID.
Your trip1 booking confirmation is what proves the reservation. Keep it on your phone or printed, since it shows the hotel name, address, dates and lead guest, which is exactly what a border officer wants if they ask where you are staying.
One local quirk worth knowing: you need a Turkish entry stamp in your passport to take a domestic flight. Check that you received one before you leave the airport.
Entering Turkey - FAQ
British citizens need a passport that expires at least 150 days after the date they arrive, with at least one blank page. No visa is needed for tourist or business visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Officers can ask where you are staying and when you leave, so keep your return ticket and trip1 booking confirmation handy.
No. British citizens with ordinary passports no longer need a visa for Turkey, so there is no fee to pay at the airport for visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Holders of British National Overseas, British Subject or British Protected Person passports still need a visa, which they must get from a Turkish embassy or consulate.
No. US citizens with ordinary passports can visit Turkey without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and so can Canadian and Australian citizens. You do not need to apply for anything before you fly, but your passport must meet Turkey's validity rule and you may be asked for a return ticket and where you are staying.
No. Turkey does not use an ETA. US, UK, Canadian, Australian and most EU passport holders enter visa-free, while other nationalities apply for an e-visa online at evisa.gov.tr before travelling. Some nationalities can only get an e-visa if they also hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Ireland visa or residence permit, so check your own passport on the portal.
Turkish law requires your passport to be valid for at least 60 days beyond your permitted stay, so a full 90-day visa-free visit needs 150 days of validity when you arrive. Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises having at least six months left, which is the safer target. Citizens of countries allowed to enter Turkey on a national ID card are exempt.
No. Turkish hotels must register every foreign guest with the authorities, so staff scan or photocopy your physical passport at check-in and hand it straight back. A photo of your passport on your phone is usually not accepted, and everyone on the booking aged 18 or over should carry their own ID.