No more on arrival Turkey visa by April 2014

By 10th April 2014, on arrival visa to Turkey (visa stickers issued at border points) would no longer be issued. But do not worry, you will not need to queue in Turkish Embassies. There is now a better option which seems to be easier and more convenient. Instead of on arrival visa, visitors to Turkey will have to buyTurkish e-visa online before arriving to Turkey.

Turkey’s Culture & Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik has announced this change in London in November:

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Omer Celik stated on Monday that stamp visa or banderole visa system would be lifted on April 10, 2014 so that the use of e-visa would be more widespread.
Celik attended the meeting of G20 Tourism Ministers in British capital London on Monday. Speaking at the meeting, Minister Celik stated that there was a ten percent of increase in the number of tourists who visited Turkey this year when compared to last year. He added, there was a 22 percent rise in tourism revenue compared to last year, and these rises were closely related with the visa applications.
Celik noted, “In the past decade, we have lifted visa procedures with more than 30 countries, made visa agreements with more than 50 countries within the opinion of that visa exemption opens the way for tourism. Only assessing Turkey’s tourism statistics shows us how correct was our visa policy and how much success we made. With the policies that we follow and the close attention that our country receives, the number of tourists who visited Turkey in the year of 2002 was under 13 million and in the ten year period, so in 2012, that increased to 35.7 million people.”
Source : Turkish visa applications to change

With e-visa, applicants now can obtain their visa electronically after entering required information and making payment by credit card instead of waiting in a queue upon arrival to Turkey. To apply e-visa to enter Turkey, visit Turkey e-visa web site.

Turkey electronic visa (e-Visa)

No more waiting in the queue at the Turkish embassies or consulates or upon arrival in Turkey for a visa application. Since early 2013, Turkey has introduced E-Visa, a new endorsement that allows the bearer to enter Turkey, to replace “sticker”- and “stamp-type” visas formerly issued at the border crossing. With e-visa, applicants now can obtain their visa electronically after entering required information and making payment by credit card instead of waiting in a queue upon arrival to Turkey.

To apply e-visa to enter Turkey, visit Turkey e-visa web site. After successful application, e-Visa is e-mailed to the applicant. Applicants must print out their e-Visa, show it to airport officials and customs officers and carry it with them at all times during the travel. E-Visa is only valid for tourism or trade purposes. For other purposes such as work or study, an application through our Embassies or Consulates must be submitted.

All you need to apply for e-visa for Turkey is a minimum 6-month-valid passport, flight (or any other possible means of transportation) reservation and a credit card (Master or Visa).

Each e-visa application online costs $20 and you must apply per person and you can’t not apply for a group of people.

Below is a video showing how to apply Turkey visa online.


Who is eligible for e-visa for Turkey?
Citizens of Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Republic of theCongo, the Democratic Republic of the, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Cyprus, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, U.S.A, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Yemen and Zambia are eligible to apply e-visa.
If you are a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Kuwait, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, U.S.A, United Arab Emirates or United Kingdom; you can apply and obtain multiple-entry e-visa.

Turkey Property Purchasers to be Granted One Year Residence Permits

Extended residence permits for owners of property in Turkey are being introduced by the Turkish government in a move to attract further foreign direct investment.

“This is a welcome and logical move by the Turkish government,” says Suleyman Akbay, MD of the property firm who exclusively specialise in property sales along its popular Aegean and Mediterranean coastline and now Istanbul.

“Spurred by the encouraging effects of the reciprocity law removal which has since seen foreigners purchase some 11,000 properties in Turkey (Source: Turkish Environment and Planning Ministry), and which produced an astounding fourfold increase in acquisitions in the immediate month following enactment, the government is rightly acknowledging that the laws and procedures concerning residency in Turkey are a significant hurdle for foreigners considering investing here”, adds Akbay.

Turkish Law already permits citizens of many countries to obtain a residence permit, but the new ruling recognises ‘property ownership’ as a means for qualifying for longer periods of stay. Formerly, property buyers were subject to tourist visa limitations where they could only stay for three months out of every 180 days before having to apply separately for residency.

The latest ruling adds to a string of favourable law changes being introduced to ease barriers to investment in the country. Last year’s relaxation of restrictions on the amount of land a foreigner could buy and the removal of reciprocity conditions, which had stipulated only citizens or firms of countries in which Turkish nationals could buy property could do likewise in Turkey, has proved the most significant for Turkey's property industry.

“Noting the increasingly prominent march of the Turkish economy which is already conspiring to attract significant foreign investment, we’re confident that this latest announcement will add yet more spring to our overseas investors’ steps – and that’s before we note the fantastic climate, favourable rental opportunities and low cost home ownership options”, concludes Akbay.

The new property residency law is expected to come into force in early 2014.

Oceanwide Properties is currently offering a selection of luxury two, three and four bed frontline sea view villas in Kalkan with an exclusive limited time pre-completion purchase offer and £99 inspection visit, valid until 30 June 2013. The development is located within 90 minutes of Dalaman International Airport and is due to complete in 2014.