Turkey eVisa VS Sticker Visa

Before you plan your departure to visit Turkey, make sure you know what type of visa you will need. There are two types of visas – a sticker visa and an e-visa. The variant of the type of visa depends on your purpose of visit and your nationality. To check what kind of visa you will require, you can check it online.

While the e-visa can be obtained online by filling the online Turkey visa form and paying through debit or credit card. The sticker visa will require you to send your passport to the Turkish embassy whereby an employee there will paste the visa on your passport. The e-visa can be obtained at the last moment but getting a sticker visa will take time. You need enough time to get an appointment and visit the embassy to drop and collect your passport.

What is Turkey Electronic Visa?

The Turkey e-visa is a variant of the sticker visa that visitors of Turkey need before entering the country. The purpose of the e-visa is the same as the sticker visa and is issued by the Turkish immigration services. Since Turkey is not part of the Schengen Agreement, the requirements for different nationalities entering different countries will vary.

However, a few countries have made several agreements with Turkey that allows citizens to enter and exit Turkey without needing an e-visa. Before you decide to apply for an e-visa for Turkey, check online if your country is exempt from requiring a visa.

Turkey e-Visa

Although the e-visa process for Turkey is much simpler and faster, it requires additional requirements as compared to the sticker visa. You need to check before applying online whether you meet the requirements so you can be sure of getting the e-visa quickly. When you meet all the requirements and your country is eligible for an Turkey e-visa, you can apply right away by filling an online form. The application process online takes only a few minutes and you can get the visa within 30 min. The website refers to the e-visa only unless it is mentioned that the visa will be a sticker visa.

Here are some advantages of applying for an e-visa:

Easily Granted

The process of applying for an e-visa is that it can be granted with ease by applying online. You only have to fill the online form, which must be accurate and pay the fee online as well. The payment for the e-visa can be made with your MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, or American Express. The process is so easy that it can be done at a moment’s notice. There is no hassle of standing in queues at a counter or visiting any Turkish consulate. As long as you have internet access, it can be done within minutes.

Lower Cost

The e-visa costs lower than a sticker visa because all the additional service steps and charges are eliminated. The standard cost of the Turkey e-visa is dependent on the nationality. You can check here Turkey visa fees

Fast Processing

If you apply for an urgent Turkey e-visa, it can be granted to you within 30 minutes. You can simply apply for it a few hours before your departure and get the visa right before you take off. The sticker visa takes time as the process is physical and your passport goes to the consulate with a long waiting period. You need to plan your visa weeks before the date of your departure.

Steps for Getting a Turkey e-Visa

If you want to get a Turkey e-visa quickly, the following steps will help you get it.

Carefully fill out the online application form. Make sure there are no mistakes in the form as that can hinder your application process.

Make the payment using a MasterCard, Visa, PayPal or American Express.

Wait for the confirmation email. This email will be received within a few minutes.

Print the email you receive and use the print during your visit to Turkey.

eVisa Validity for All Applicants

The total number of days of stay in Turkey for all applicants cannot be more than 30 or 90 days. This number is within 180 days of the visa granted. This condition is applicable to all foreigners who visit Turkey for specific reasons.

If you need more information about applying for your visa to Turkey, first see if your passport is eligible for an eVisa. If it is not, applying for a sticker visa is the only option for you.

What is the Sticker Visa?

A sticker visa is a standard visa that is pasted on your passport by an official at the Turkish consulate. This method of getting a visa on the passport takes time and costs more than an e-visa. The application process is also quite long whereby the applicant is also required to sit in an interview.Applying for the sticker visa should only be kept an option if the applicant does not qualify for the e-visa.

Who Needs to Apply?

There are a few cases where you will be required to apply for a regular sticker visa. In cases where you are unable to meet all the requirements or when you wish to stay longer than the validity of your e-visa, you can apply for the sticker visa. Usually, the main requirement is your nationality, which must be allowed an e-visa for Turkey. Whenever you wish to extend your stay in Turkey, contact the consulate and they will guide you accordingly if you can get a sticker visa.

Applying for the Turkey Sticker Visa

The embassy is responsible for giving out the tracking information of the visa application process in case of a sticker visa. All the applicants are requested by the embassy to get all updates regarding their application from the visa handling companies.

Important Information

Whether the applicant has applied for a business, student, tourist, research, work, sports, internship or a montage visa, the following information applies to all. After you receive the sticker visa, you need to check the following:

In case of an error of information on the sticker visa, you need to contact the same visa application centre where you first applied. The centre will send the passport to the embassy for correction and additional fees may be applicable depending on the source of the error.
The visa applications for Maldivian, Nepalese, Indian and Bhutanese nationals, period is not very long. Indian visa centres (apart from the Delhi VAC) you can get the visa within four working days.
During busy tourist seasons, an additional five working days can be added to each country’s application.

Refused Applications

A few conditions allow the Turkey embassy and Consulate refuse and reject visa applications. They have the right to refuse any application without giving an explanation. So it is best to ensure that when you apply for your visa you meet all the requirements and have all valid documents. The application fees will not be refunded in cases where the application is rejected.

Following is a list of the most common reasons for visa rejection:

Missing documents.

Unreliable documents i.e. the documents that do not have official stamps.

Copies of original documents that are not attested.

Fake documents.

Turkish internal authorities may not clear the application.

The Turkish embassy may reject the assessment.

In case your application is rejected, you can apply again without any waiting period. The application will be new and fees to be paid again.

The embassy may ask for additional documents depending on the visa type and the period of issue. In some cases, the applicants may be called for an interview.

Documents Required for Tourist Visa

The applicant when applying for a tourist visa requires the following documents:

The application form filled by the applicant manually by hand using only black or blue ink in capital letters. The form also needs one photograph and duly signed by the applicant.
The passport should be valid for another six months from the date of stay in Turkey. The issue date of the passport should also be beyond 10 years.
Two original and clear passport size photographs with a white background were taken within the last 6 months. The photograph should be new with the entire face, ears, and hair clearly visible without any shadows.
A letter of leave from the employer on the official letterhead of the employed company. In case the applicant is self-employed, a letter should mention that they are going on leave on the official company sealed letterhead.
Valid travel insurance, which should cover the entire duration of the stay.
Reserved flight tickets, which should be return tickets.
Confirmed hotel reservation on a letter or on email.
Bank statement of the last three months of both personal and salaried account. These bank statements should be attested by the designated banks if they are copies. Original statements do not need to be attested.
Employed individuals also need to show salary slips of the last three months including Form 16.
In case the applicant does not have the required funds in the bank, he or she needs to show a letter from the sponsor which should be notarized.
All minor applicants require a consent letter duly signed by both parents. This is a requirement even if the parents are travelling with the minor. In cases where an underage student is travelling, he or she needs this consent NOC on a stamp paper attached to both parents’ pictures.
If a foreign individual is residing in Turkey and invites someone, the applicant will need to provide a written invitation along with the ID card copy, passport number and bank account details of the person who was invited.
If a couple decides to visit Turkey and their relationship is not mentioned on the passport, they need to provide their official Marriage Certificate attested by Notary Public.
If the applicant is applying for the tourist visa through an agent, a letter of authorization is also mandatory from the applicant.
A copy of the first and last pages of the passport is also required.
An itinerary of the tour is optional. But it is recommended to provide that as well since it strengthens the application.

Documents Required for Business Visa

The applicant when applying for a Business Visa needs to provide the following documents:

The application form filled by the applicant manually by hand using only black or blue ink in capital letters. The form also needs one photograph and duly signed by the applicant.
The passport should be valid for another six months from the date of stay in Turkey. The issue date of the passport should also be beyond 10 years.
Two original and clear passport size photographs with a white background were taken within the last 6 months. The photograph should be new with the entire face, ears, and hair clearly visible without any shadows.
A letter of leave from the employer on the official letterhead of the employed company. In case the applicant is self-employed, a letter should mention that they are going on leave on the official company sealed letterhead.
Valid travel insurance, which should cover the entire duration of the stay.
Reserved flight tickets, which should be return tickets.
The invitation letter received from the applicant from Turkey. This should be the original document with the passport number and full name clearly mentioned in this letter.
The details of the business trip if sent from their country for a specified purpose.
Bank statement of the last three months of both personal and salaried account. These bank statements should be attested by the designated banks if they are copies. Original statements do not need to be attested.
Employed individuals also need to show salary slips of the last three months including Form 16.
If the applicant is applying for the tourist visa through an agent, a letter of authorization is also mandatory from the applicant.
A copy of the first and last pages of the passport is also required.
A recommendation or registration letter from the relevant authorities like the Chamber of Commerce. In case the applicant submits a copy, the copy should be notarized.

Documents Required for Medical Visa

The applicant when applying for a Medical Visa needs to provide the following documents:

The application form filled by the applicant manually by hand using only black or blue ink in capital letters. The form also needs one photograph and duly signed by the applicant.
The passport should be valid for another six months from the date of stay in Turkey. The issue date of the passport should also be beyond 10 years.
Two original and clear passport size photographs with a white background were taken within the last 6 months. The photograph should be new with the entire face, ears, and hair clearly visible without any shadows.
A personal letter from the Donor and Recipient that clearly states the purpose of the visit. This letter must include the duration of the stay with the expenses likely to incur. A guarantee clause must also be mentioned in this letter.
Valid travel insurance, which should cover the entire duration of the stay.
Reserved flight tickets, which should be return tickets.
The invitation letter received from the medical institute in Turkey. This letter must include the full name and the passport number of the person applying for the medical visa.
Details of hotel reservations including all the dates of the stay.
The applicant’s bank statement for the three months showing enough balance for stay, medical expenses etc.
If case the donor or the recipient is an employee at a company, they need to show the official granted leave on the company letterhead. The letter needs to be duly signed by the authorized person.
In case the applicant does not have the required funds in the bank, he or she needs to show a letter from the sponsor which should be notarized.
Self-employed applicants must show their designation on their own company’s letterhead and proof of their business. This can be done by showing the company registration number and so on. A recommendation letter from the relevant Chamber of Commerce will also work.
A letter from the doctor or doctors of donor and recipient is required. This letter will mention the medical history and purpose of the visit to Turkey. The letter needs to be at the clinic’s letterhead.
All minor applicants require a consent letter duly signed by both parents. This is a requirement even if the parents are travelling with the minor. This NOC consent has to be notarized with photos of both parents’ pictures attached on the NOC.
If the applicant is applying for the tourist visa through an agent, a letter of authorization is also mandatory from the applicant.
A copy of the first and last pages of the passport is also required.