Turkish e-visa to be procured before leaving India
Indian passport holders, who are eligible for Turkish e-visa, will have to obtain their visas before their departure to Turkey as the e-visa kiosks are not operational at airports in Istanbul. The Embassy of Republic of Turkey had recently scrapped its policy of visa-on-arrival for a number of nationalities, including India. Indian citizens are eligible for e-visa if they have a valid US, UK, Ireland and Schengen visa.
Those who don’t have any of these valid visas, will have to apply for a Turkish via through its embassy. The Turkish embassy in New Delhi posted a message on its website saying that, “e-visa kiosks at any airports in Istanbul will not be available after 28th October 2018.” It has requested Indians to get their e-visa before departure.
Until last month, Turkey allowed Indians to get visa-on-arrival. On October 28, the country scrapped this facility for nationals of 100 countries including India. However, e-visa facility was maintained for India as well as many other countries, provided the applicants fulfill certain criteria.
Indians can apply for e-visa through www.evisa.gov.tr, and, have to fulfill certain mandatory conditions, without which the e-visa will be invalid. Other than the ordinary requirements for getting e-visa, the website asks the applicant if he/she has a valid supporting document. It further elaborates this document as a valid visa or valid residence permit from one of the Schengen countries, the US, UK or Ireland.
“E-visa is only valid when the purpose of travel is tourism or commerce. For other purposes, such as work and study, visas are given by Turkish Embassies or Consulates,” the Turkish embassy said on its website.
Turkey has recently changed its visa policy which states that citizens of over 100 countries, including India, will no longer be able to avail of the Visa-On-Arrival facility. This document permitting entry to and travel within Turkey will have to be obtained prior to arrival in the country by travellers who wish to visit as a tourist or are on short business trips. The process is simple: register yourself on an e-Visa granting website, fill in your details and make a payment. You will be provided a link to download your e-Visa via email, which you must carry at the time of transit to Turkey, either as a soft copy in your smartphone/tablet or as a hard copy. Turkish officials at the airport will then verify information on their system and allow your passage.
The e-Visa is a cheaper option than the sticker visa issued by Turkish Missions. This process also eliminates the need to wait in long queues to obtain a visa as the online process takes about 3 minutes.
So far, the Republic of Turkey has not appointed any company in India to issue e-visa for Turkey. Those who wish to apply for Turkish visa can do so by logging on to the official website.