By Dan Forteza
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So you wanna go to Turkey? That’s right. Turkish tourist visa is the first thing you need to be concerned about in order to set your foot on the Turkish land.
Read also: My Turkish Tourist Visa Interview and How I Answered The Questions.
In this blog, I will show you the step-by-step guide on how to get your tourist visa based on my experience. If you want to know the questions thrown at me during the interview, I created a separate blog post about that.
Click HERE to read the post so you’ll get an idea of what questions you’ll be facing during your interview.
Please note that I will only be discussing here the tourist visa, so if you’re looking for another type of visa other than the tourist visa, then this blog is not the right one for you.
But first, I’d like to start off by saying that no one can give you the guarantee of your Turkish visa’s approval – not me, not even a lawyer or a travel agent. If anyone does, is most likely a scammer.
As a travel blogger, what I can offer you here is just a guide with helpful tips to increase your chances of getting that Turkish visa.
So let’s get started.
Read also: My 3-Day Itinerary in Turkey with Cost Breakdown
TWO WAYS TO GET A TURKISH TOURIST VISA
There are two (2) ways to get a Turkish Tourist visa.
(1) If you have a valid visa or residence permit from any one of the Schengen countries, or you have a valid US, UK or Ireland visa, then you may course your application online at www.evisa.gov.tr . This is the E-Turkish Visa.
The time I applied for my Turkish Visa, I have none of the above and thus I was not eligible, so what I will explain further in this blog is the “long process”.
(2) If you are NOT eligible with (1), then you should prepare your requirements, apply for pre-application via Turkish Consular website, schedule your appointment, personally go to the Turkish embassy and return on the release date of your passport/visa. That is why I call this the “long process” and I have personally experienced this. More details of this application process will be discussed below.
STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURE TO APPLY FOR REGULAR TURKISH TOURIST VISA
PART I: Pre-Visa Application And Scheduling An Appointment
(1) Gather all your documents and scan them. Group them into seven (7).
1 – 2”x2” Biometric photo with white background scanned in jpg;
2 – Proof of Income scanned in pdf, I included ITR, Bank Certificate, and Passbook copies;
3 – Flight reservation scanned in pdf; (you may search Trip below for cheap flights in and out of Turkey)
4 – Hotel Booking scanned in pdf;
NOTE: I booked all my hostel accommodation at booking.com .
Book hostels through booking.com as they have free cancellation or pay-at-the-hotel option.
Or try Airbnb in finding comfy and cozy rooms! I have used Airbnb on some of my other trips and I loved it!
Have you tried Airbnb? Sign up with my link and you will get up to 42 USD (2,200 Php) off your first stay. Click this link to get that discount.
5 – Proof of commitment to return. Certificate of Employment will do just fine.
6 – Passport Copy scanned in pdf. I also included my old passport.
I included not only my passport bio page but also all the passport pages that have stamps
7 – NSO Birth Certificate – NSO original scanned copy in pdf.
You can request an original copy of this through online via PSA website. I got mine which was home delivered after three (3) working days. Click HERE for the link.
(2) Go to visa.gov.tr . Complete ALL the required fields on Nationality and Visa Details, Personal Info, Contact Info, and Travel Info. There is a portion there that will send the reference number to your personal email. Just follow through and when done, proceed to the document upload.
(3) Upload those seven files. Woo hoo! By the way, ensure that each file is 2MB or less! Then proceed!
(4) Review your info first, download your pre-application form, and click submit.
Then you will be prompted to make an appointment.
IMPORTANT: You can expect that the earliest available appointment date is one month after your pre-application date! (At least per my experience.)
(5) You’re done! Screenshot and print your appointment details and show it to the guard on duty on your date of appointment.
After one month…
PART II: Document Filing And Interview At The Turkish Embassy
WHERE: 2268 Paraiso Street, Dasmarinas Village
Makati City, Metro Manila 1222
Philippines
CONTACT NUMBERS: (+632) 843 9705 / (+632) 843 9707 / (+632) 887 6373 / (+632) 888 5699
OFFICE HOURS: Mondays – Fridays; 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM (morning only for visa application)
(1) Make sure that you have printed all the required documents prior to your Interview at the Turkish Embassy, including your passport, a copy of your passport’s data page, and two pieces of 2″x2″ ID photo. Otherwise, your documents will be rejected and you’ll be asked to come back once your documents are complete.
Print out also your day-to-day itinerary in case you were asked by the interviewer. I can send you mine — just let me know in the comment section below.
IMPORTANT: Bring also a copy of your travel insurance. Please make sure to get one because this is often asked by the interviewer on top of your basic requirements. I bought one from World Nomads where most travelers get their travel insurance.
Go to this link to get to your World Nomads travel insurance.
UPDATE: World Nomads is no longer covering residents of the Philippines and the link above was now looped to another travel insurance in the Philippines. Although I was told by World Nomads that they are working their best to get the insurance back in the country, I would suggest for now to go for Safety Wing (this is now my insurance while traveling abroad.) Click here .
(2) Your documents will be collected by the Consular Officer, and he/she may ask you a few questions regarding your trip and financial capacity.
I created a separate blog about my experience during the day of my appointment and interview at the Turkish Embassy.
Click HERE so you’ll know what questions were thrown at me during the interview and how I answered them.
After this, you may pay the visa fee which is 60 USD for a single-entry tourist visa.
NOTE: Please have an exact amount of 60 USD for your payment. Paying in PHP is not accepted.
(3) Then you will be given a claim stub with the date of your passport/visa release. Just wait for it and claim your passport on the scheduled date. This usually takes one to four weeks.
(4) You need to return on the date of your passport release. I do hope by that time, you have a Turkish visa sticker on your Philippine Passport!
WHAT DOES A TURKISH VISA LOOK LIKE?
Here is a single-entry Turkish tourist visa. VISA APPROVED!
SUMMARY:
Visa Type: Tourist
Visa Validity: One (1) month
Entry Type: Single Entry
Visa Fee: 60 USD (USD cash only is accepted)
RECOMMENDED PACKAGE TOURS
In case you’re also looking for package tours to justify your tourism activity in Turkey for visa purposes, I highly recommend booking tours through Viator which is perfect for your Turkey itinerary. See tours and packages I personally handpicked for you:
- 5-Day Istanbul and Cappadocia Tour including Hot Air Balloon Flight
- Istanbul Sightseeing Walking Tour
- Full Day: Classic Istanbul Tour Including Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace
- Small-Group Istanbul in One Day Tour Including Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia
- Best of Istanbul: 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Tour
- Troy Day Trip from Istanbul
- Bursa Full-Day Tour From Istanbul
- Ephesus Trip from Istanbul
(you may choose one or more tours that suit your travel needs)
BOOKING ESSENTIALS
- Hotel / Hostel
- Booking.com. I usually book my hostel accommodation at booking.com . Thus, I recommend you guys trying it as well. Room accommodation ranges from cheap hostels to luxury hotels.
-
- Airbnb. Try Airbnb in finding comfy and cozy rooms! I have used Airbnb on some of my other trips and I loved it!
Have you tried Airbnb? Sign up with my link and you will get up to 42 USD (2,200 Php) off your first stay. Click this link to get that discount.
- Flights
- TRIP. All of my flight bookings are from TRIP. Trip is one of the world’s leading travel search engines and searches hundreds of travel sites.
I suggest you check Trip.com (click HERE ) as they usually offer cheap fare rates compared to other booking sites.
- Travel Insurance
- World Nomads. Please make sure to get travel insurance because this is often asked by the interviewer on top of your basic requirements. I bought one from World Nomads where most travelers get their travel insurance.
Go to this link to get your World Nomads travel insurance.
UPDATE: World Nomads is no longer covering residents of the Philippines. Although I was told by World Nomads that they are working their best to get the insurance back in the country this year, I would suggest for now to go for Safety Wing (this is now my insurance while traveling abroad.)
Dan Travels 