Turkey grants visa exemption to citizens of six countries, including the United States and Canada

The Official Gazette of Turkey published on Saturday, December 23, 2023, a presidential decree granting visa exemption to citizens of six countries: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, the United States, and Canada.

According to this decree, citizens of these six countries who hold ordinary passports are granted a visa exemption for stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period when traveling to Turkey for tourism purposes. This decision aligns with Article 18 of Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection (LFIP), which empowers the President to unilaterally waive visa requirements for citizens of other countries.

Prior to this exemption, citizens of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, the United States, and Canada needed to obtain an electronic visa before traveling to Turkey. However, citizens of over 40 other countries are still eligible to apply for an online Turkish visa. Among these countries, certain nationalities can apply directly without additional conditions, while others are subject to specific eligibility criteria for the Turkish e-visa, such as possessing a visa or residence permit from a Schengen country, the United Kingdom, Ireland, or the United States.

Turkey stands as one of the world’s top tourist destinations, continues to witness a steady rise in tourist arrivals each year. According to the latest statistics from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, by the end of November 2023, Turkey had welcomed over 46 million visitors, surpassing the figure for the whole of 2022, which was just under 45 million international tourists. The majority of visitors to Turkey are from Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom, highlighting Turkey’s broad appeal as a global travel destination.