One of the first questions our guests ask while planning is whether they need a visa to visit Istanbul. The answer depends entirely on your nationality, and the rules have changed in recent years. The good news for the five nationalities we welcome most is that, as of 2026, all of them are currently visa-free for short tourist stays. Below is a country-by-country guide.
Please confirm your own status before you travel. Entry rules change, and the only authoritative sources are the Republic of Turkey’s official e-Visa portal, evisa.gov.tr, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mfa.gov.tr. Treat this article as a helpful starting point, not as official immigration advice.
A quick note on what we do — and don’t — do
We are a private tour company. We design and run your days in Istanbul and across Turkey, and we can arrange things like private airport transfers and entrance tickets to the monuments and museums on your itinerary. We do not provide visa services and we do not book international flights — those are personal, official processes you arrange yourself directly. We have written this guide simply to help you plan with confidence; please always verify the details on the official sites above.
United States 🇺🇸
Visa-free. US passport holders can currently enter Turkey for tourism without a visa for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. There is no e-Visa to apply for and no sticker placed in your passport — entry is recorded electronically at the border. Make sure your passport meets the validity rule below.
United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Visa-free. As of 2026, UK passport holders can enter Turkey for tourism without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. This is a relatively recent change — for years UK travellers needed an e-Visa — so if a friend or an older guidebook tells you otherwise, trust the current official portal over their memory.
Australia 🇦🇺
Visa-free. As of 17 April 2026, Turkey lifted the visa requirement for Australian ordinary passport holders travelling for tourism or transit — so there is no longer any e-Visa to apply for or fee to pay. You can enter for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. (Work, study or long-term stays still require the appropriate visa or permit.) This is a recent change, so if older advice tells you to buy an e-Visa, trust the current official portal instead.
Canada 🇨🇦
Visa-free. Canadian passport holders do not need a visa for tourism in Turkey for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. There is no e-Visa to apply for and no fee to pay — entry is recorded electronically at the border. (Work, study or long-term stays still require the appropriate visa or permit.) Make sure your passport meets the validity rule below.
New Zealand 🇳🇿
Visa-free. New Zealand ordinary passport holders can enter Turkey for tourism without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. There is no e-Visa to apply for — entry is recorded electronically at the border. (Work, study or long-term stays still require the appropriate visa or permit.) Make sure your passport meets the validity rule below.
Rules that apply to everyone
Whatever your nationality, keep these in mind:
- Passport validity — Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires your passport to be valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your permitted stay. As an added safeguard, it also advises travelling with at least six months’ validity, which many airlines and border officials prefer to see — so a passport with six or more months remaining is the safest choice. Check yours early; renewals take time.
- The 90/180 rule — tourist entry allows a maximum of 90 days within any rolling 180-day period, and it is enforced.
- Apply on the official site only — if you need an e-Visa, use evisa.gov.tr. Many look-alike websites charge inflated “service fees” for the same document. The official portal charges only the genuine cost.
- Apply before you fly — at least 48 hours ahead is a sensible buffer. Do not leave it until the airport.
- Save a copy offline — keep a printout and a phone screenshot in case of patchy airport Wi-Fi.
Once you have landed, the rest is on us
Your visa and your flights are yours to arrange — but everything that happens after you arrive in Istanbul we are delighted to take off your plate: private airport transfers, a custom itinerary, entrance tickets to the great sights, and the timing to skip the worst of the queues.
When your entry is sorted, tell us your dates and we will build your Istanbul around you.