Turkey Visa

Medical tourism in Turkey is booming.  The procedure to avail Turkey’s medical visa is fairly easy and quick and can also be extended in case there is a need. The country is also a great place to relax and unwind. Here we offer detailed guidelines on the visa requirements and procedures.

Types of Medical visa

Presently, the country offers two types of medical visas.

1. Medical Visa issued by the Consulate of Turkey
2. E-Visa or Online Visa that can be availed online through the Turkey government’s online visa portal before your arrival to Turkey. This is valid only if the objective of travel is tourism or business.

Steps to acquire Online Medical Visa (E Visa)

The online system of Turkey’s visa system is safe and secure as well as time-saving.  You need to do the following:

1. Visit evisa.gov.tr for application. Select your country and fill in the query asking the type of your passport or ID proof. The platform is simple and user-friendly guiding you every step automatically.
2. One done with filling up the form, save it and download. You will need it for future reference.
3. You will be asked to pay the required visa fees
4. You need to visit the Turkish embassy near to your place to get approval.
5. After your visa is approved, you can schedule your travel dates as per the requirement.

Eligibility to get the medical visa for Turkey

Eligibility for medical visa in Turkey is not that stringent. Turkey allows citizens from almost every corner of the world to avail its world class medical and wellness facilities for any treatment. However, you need to check the following eligibility criteria while applying for the medical visa:

• Citizens from countries listed in https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/info/who-is-eligible-for-e-visa/ are eligible to apply for E-Visa. It covers almost the entire world.
• Citizens from the listed countries other than the natives of Gabon and Zambia must hold a valid visa or residence permit from any of the countries namely, Ireland, the US, the UK and Schengen countries. You need to confirm this by clicking the check boxes on the successive application steps in the evisa.gov.tr site.
• Citizens from specified countries can opt for a visa on arrival. The list is provided in the site marked above.
• Apart from the natives of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Philippines and Bangladesh, all other citizens must travel with the airline tied up with the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The airlines that meet this criterion are: Turkish Airlines, AtlasGlobal, Pegasus Airlines and Onnur Air. However, citizens from Egypt can go ahead with Egypt Air flight connections.
• You need to have adequate financial capacity minimum US$50 per day to support you and a hotel reservation.
• Citizens of Algeria need to be aged below 18 or above 35 years to be eligible for E –Visa. Else, they can opt for the Sticker Visa.
• To enter Turkey with a 90-day visa, your travel document (or passport) should be valid for another 60 days (this means 90+ 60 = 150 days) from the day of entrance.

Documentation needed for a medical visa to Turkey

You need to submit the following documents while applying for medical tourism visa:

• Valid original passport with minimum 6 months validity. Two blank pages must be available for visa stamps.
• Copies of old passports having the previous travel information duly signed by the applicant.
• Two recent passport sized photographs with matt or semi-matt finish. It’s 80% surface should be covered by face against a white background without any borders or lines. The image dimensions need to be 2.5”x 2.5” and shouldn’t be used earlier for any purpose.
• A cover letter addressed to the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey stating your name, passport details, travel details citing reasons and duration of the stay duly signed by authorized signatory with the company stamp.
• Proof of hotel reservation according to the travel itinerary along with the confirmed return air ticket supporting it.
• Mandatory travel insurance documents.

Additional documents that you need to carry while visiting Turkey for treatment

• Referrals of the doctor and all medical records
• Vital contact details like your residential address, driving license and additional copies of passport.
• Passport sized photographs
• Details of bank statement and health insurance (if any).

Visa Validity & Extension

Normally, the validity of e- Visa is for 90 days in 180-day period.  In case you need to extend your visa during the stay, you will have to visit the immigration officials, police station or an embassy to know about visa extension steps. The possibility of extending your visa will depend upon the reason for extension, your initial cause for visiting and the country you are from. The details of Visa extension and validity are notified in the Turkish government’s visa site.