STUDENT VISA

If you are an international student planning to study in Turkey, you’ll need a student visa to do it. The only students exempt from needing a Turkey student visa are:

Students from the Northern Republic of Cyprus
Students whose parents live in Turkey with a work visa and residence permit
Blue Card holders

To get your student visa, you’ll need to apply in person at your nearest Turkish embassy or consulate in your home country. You must have your student visa before you can enter Turkey.
You can check your nearest embassy at www.konsolosluk.gov.tr

If your country is a visa exemption country, for some cases you may come to Turkey and apply for a study permit through with university within Turkey. We strongly suggest communicating with your university before coming to Turkey if this option is possible or not.

Once you have arrived in Turkey, you’ll need to apply for a residence permit in the first 3 weeks that allows you to stay in the country beyond 90 days.

Turkey student visa process

Here are the steps you need to follow in order to get your Turkish student visa:

Be accepted into a program in Turkey

You can only apply for a visa once you’ve received an acceptance letter from ILA Turkey or a university in Turkey.

Arrange an appointment at your local consulate

You can apply for a visa through www.konsolosluk.gov.tr/Visa and you should be able to book an appointment online.

Complete your application and supply documents

When you attend your visa appointment you need to complete and sign a visa application, and submit it with the required documents (listed below).

Await a decision

The processing of your visa application can take between 3 and 15 days, and you can sometimes track the process of your application on the Turkish consulate website.

Apply for a residence permit
When you arrive in Turkey, you will need to apply for a residence permit within 3 weeks. Our solution visa partner can support you during this process with a small service fee.

Attending your visa appointment

On the day of your appointment at the Turkish consulate or embassy, you will attend a short interview with a consular officer. They will ask you a few questions about your plans, and your trip to Turkey.

This interview will influence whether or not you will get your visa, so it’s important you make a good impression. You should also make sure you have all your documents with you when you go to the appointments, as missing just one could mean your application is rejected.

Turkish student visa requirements

When you submit your Turkey student visa application you must provide the following documents:

Your passport, valid for at least 90 days
A completed and signed Turkish student visa application form
2 passport-size photos
Letter of acceptance from your institute, including the duration of your stay
Proof of travel insurance for your entire stay in Turkey
Proof of health insurance
Proof of booked flight tickets to Turkey
Evidence of sufficient financial resources to support your study and living in Turkey
Visa processing fee, this can vary depending on your nationality
Proof of accommodation in Turkey
Previous education certificates or diplomas

Turkey student residence permit requirements

In order to stay in Turkey beyond the 90 days allowed by your student visa, you must apply for a residence permit at the Provincial Directorate of Migration Administration.
After you fill out the application form at https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr, you should go to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management on the day and hour of the appointment or deliver paperwork from your university’s international student office. You will be able to carry out all formal transactions as long as you stay in Turkey with your residence card and foreign identification (YU) number you receive after your application.

If your residence card does not expire, it can be used while entering or leaving Turkey, and thus you do not need to get a new visa. It is important that you renew your residence permit before the validity period expires.

You’ll need to supply the following documents:

Application form
Passport, including photocopies and your student visa
Proof of your university place
Four passport size photographs

Your residence permit will be valid for one year, but you can renew your permit 60 days before it expires by visiting the local authorities and completing a renewal application form.

*This information sheet is just for informational purposes and can’t be used as an official document. Please check always Turkish Embassy or Consulate webpages for the latest updates. TURKISH UNIVERSITIES will not be responsible for any changes which are written above. You can always check;
http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa