Turkey 90/180 Day Rule: How to Count, e-Visa and Extension

Last updated: 8 October 2026. This guide is based on the current texts, as published on mevzuat.gov.tr, of the 6458 sayılı Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu (Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection) and its Uygulama Yönetmeliği (Implementing Regulation), on the visa and residence FAQ pages of the Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı (Presidency of Migration Management, PMM), and on the visa pages of the Dışişleri Bakanlığı (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Time spent in Turkey on a visa, an e-Visa or a visa exemption cannot exceed a total of 90 days in every 180 days. The rule is written both in Article 11, paragraph 1 of Law No. 6458 and in Article 10, paragraph 1 of the Implementing Regulation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs bases the count on "the last 180 days", so leaving Turkey and coming back does not reset the counter. A visa cannot be extended from inside Turkey: anyone who wants to stay longer applies for an ikamet izni (residence permit) before their legal period of stay ends (Law Art. 19/1). A deportation decision is taken against a foreigner who exceeds the permitted period by more than ten days (Art. 54/1-e).

How long can you stay in Turkey without a visa?

How long you can stay without a visa depends on your nationality and your passport type; there is no single number that applies to everyone. A visa exemption is granted by agreements to which Turkey is a party or by a decision of the Cumhurbaşkanı (President of the Republic) (Art. 12/1-a), and the power to set visa periods lies with the President (Art. 18/1-a). The upper limit, however, is written in the Law: a stay under an exemption cannot exceed 90 days in every 180 days.

On the Ministry of Foreign Affairs country list you will see three kinds of wording. Most rows say "90 days in every 180 days". For some nationalities the exemption is limited to 30 or 60 days per stay. In a few bilateral agreements the period is counted "from the date of first entry". Because the Regulation reserves bilateral and multilateral agreements and the principle of reciprocity (Art. 10/7), follow your country's row if it states a different way of counting. Check the list before you travel: Dışişleri Bakanlığı, Yabancıların Tabi Olduğu Vize Rejimi (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Visa Regime Applicable to Foreigners). Umuma mahsus (ordinary) passports and official passports are covered in separate rows.

Some foreigners are not subject to the rule at all. Article 10, paragraph 2 of the Regulation excludes from this rule those holding a valid residence or work permit in Turkey, holders of the Mavi Kart (Blue Card) under Article 28 of Law No. 5901, those exempted from residence permits by agreements, holders of an international protection document, persons under temporary protection, and holders of a stateless person identity document.

Visa-free, e-Visa or consular visa: length of stay by type of entry

Your length of stay depends on the document you used to enter Turkey. The table shows the length of stay and its legal basis for each type of entry.

Whichever way you come, two rules are the same. A visa does not give an absolute right to enter Turkey (Art. 11/3); even with a visa, you will be turned back at the border if there is a circumstance preventing your entry (Regulation Art. 10/3). Your passport must also be valid for at least 60 days beyond the end of your visa or exemption period (Law Art. 7/1-b). If your passport is lost while you are in Turkey, see the page on what to do when a passport is lost for the steps to follow.

A foreigner who comes on a visa for a specific purpose, such as study or work, must also obtain a residence permit; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires this regardless of the visa's period of validity. If you have an entry ban, you must apply for a meşruhatlı vize (annotated visa) even if your nationality is visa-exempt (PMM visa FAQ).

How to calculate 90 days in 180 days: step by step

The Law and the Regulation only say "90 days in every 180 days"; they do not define how the window is counted. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains the rule as "the total length of stay in Turkey within the last 180 days must not exceed 90 days". The calculation is therefore made according to this explanation, with a window that looks backwards.

1. Choose the reference day: today, your planned entry date or the last day you want to stay.
2. From that day, open a 180-day window counting backwards, including that day.
3. Using the entry and exit stamps in your passport, add up the days you spent in Turkey within this window.
4. The total must not exceed 90. If your nationality's exemption is 30 or 60 days per stay, that limit also applies separately.
5. Repeat the check for every day of your stay; the window moves forward by one day every day, so old days drop out one at a time.

We could not find an official statement on whether entry and exit days count as full days. In the examples below we took the cautious approach and counted both as days of stay. The examples are for a nationality whose exemption is "90 days in every 180 days".

To run this count with your own entry and exit dates, use our Turkey 90/180 day calculator. It counts the same way and shows your last legal day, any overstay and the earliest re-entry date.

Three lessons from the examples

In the first example, a person who has used 90 days without a break has to stay outside for 90 days before they can stay 90 days again. This is because old days drop out of the window only one per day.

In the second example, a four-day trip abroad reset nothing. The person had used 42 days and, on the second entry, could use only the remaining 48 days.

The third example shows the most common mistake. Staying outside for more than two months was not enough to remove the 60 summer days from the window. The person arriving in October can stay only 30 days. To stay 45 days, they would have had to enter on 29 October at the earliest; the June days would then have dropped out of the window one by one while the new stay continued.

Does leaving and re-entering Turkey reset the 90 days?

No. The yardstick in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explanation is "the last 180 days". Unless your country's row states a different way of counting, such as "from the date of first entry", neither the start of the calendar year nor your last exit date restarts the counter. Going to a neighbouring country and coming back a few days later only takes the days spent outside out of the calculation. Your earlier days of stay remain in the window.

The calculation has consequences not only while you are in Turkey but also at entry. The Regulation separately regulates the arrival at the border gate of a foreigner who has used up their 90 days and makes entry subject to a condition. We explain this route below, under the heading "Used your 90 days and coming back".

Turkey e-Visa: how many days you can stay and for what purpose

The length of stay on an e-Visa is the length of stay written on the e-Visa, and it varies by nationality. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs list includes single-entry e-Visas with a 30-day stay for some nationalities and multiple-entry e-Visas with a 90-day stay for others. Whichever you have, the Law's cap of 90 days in 180 days cannot be exceeded (Art. 11/1).

• An e-Visa is valid only for tourism and business travel. Those coming to work or study obtain their visa from a dış temsilcilik (Turkish embassy or consulate abroad).
• The e-Visa replaced the visas formerly issued at border gates as a sticker or stamp. You apply at evisa.gov.tr, and the e-Visa is sent to your email address.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks you to print out your e-Visa, show it to airline and customs officials, and keep it until the end of your trip.
• You cannot apply for an e-Visa while you are in Turkey. According to the PMM, the way to keep staying legally in the country is to apply for a residence permit.

Can you extend a tourist visa inside Turkey?

No. Articles 11-18 of the Law, which deal with visas, and Articles 10-18 of the Regulation contain no provision for extending a visa from inside Turkey. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also states that those who wish to stay longer than 90 days can extend their stay by applying to the il göç idaresi (provincial directorate of migration management) for short-term residence. In practice, then, what people search for as a "visa extension" is called a residence permit in Turkey.

The Law requires a foreigner who will stay longer than the period granted by the visa or exemption, or longer than 90 days, to obtain a residence permit (Art. 19/1). As a rule, the application is made to the consulate (Art. 21/1). However, provisional Article 1 of the Regulation states that applications will continue to be received by governorships until consulates start accepting them. The PMM residence FAQ page also says that applications are not yet accepted from abroad. You apply through e-İkamet, the PMM's online residence permit application system; you can find the options and documents in our residence permit guide, and for the most commonly used type, on the page on the kısa dönem ikamet izni (short-term residence permit) application. If you work remotely, the digital nomad visa and residence steps may be a separate route.

The residence permit starts from the date your visa or exemption period ends; on request, it can also start from the application date (Regulation Art. 23/1-ç). Those who came under a visa exemption and apply for the first time within their legal period are also charged a single-entry visa fee, except for fee-exempt country groups (PMM visa FAQ; e-İkamet document list). For current amounts, see the page on residence permit fees.

Visa expired or about to expire: what to do, in order

First establish the exact day your legal period of stay ends, then decide whether you will stay. If you are not staying, leaving before the last day does not create a violation. If you are staying, the order is as follows:

1. Calculate your last day. Use the window method above; if the period written on your e-Visa or visa is shorter, that date applies.
2. Apply before your period ends. The Regulation requires a residence application made from inside Turkey to be filed before the legal period ends (Art. 21/2). The İstanbul İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü (Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Migration Management) also states that the application must be made within the period granted by the visa or exemption.
3. Carry the application form with you until your appointment. According to the PMM, a foreigner whose period ends before the appointment date may stay in Turkey with the application form until the appointment day.
4. Get the müracaat belgesi (application document) at your appointment. For a first application, the document is issued by the provincial directorate of migration management on the appointment day and gives the right to stay until the application is decided (Regulation Art. 21/9-ç). For leaving the country with this document and the 15-day return rule, see the page on the residence permit application document; when setting out this rule, the Regulation reserves the 90-days-in-180-days provision.
5. If your period ended a few days ago, do not miss the ten-day limit. Applications are also accepted from those who have exceeded their visa or exemption period by up to ten days (Art. 21/2). The PMM also states that online applications made within 10 days after the period ends are taken into consideration. This is, however, a violation: those who have violated their legal period of stay are asked to pay a single-entry visa fee, except for fee-exempt groups, and a deportation decision is taken where the overstay exceeds ten days (Law Art. 54/1-e).

Applying does not mean the permit will be granted. The e-İkamet document list states explicitly that applications from those who cannot base their purpose of stay on justified reasons will be assessed negatively. If the application is refused, you are given a document that only lets you stay for up to ten days (Regulation Art. 22/11). What to do in that case is on the page about what to do after a residence permit refusal.

Used your 90 days and coming back: conditional entry with an application within ten days

A foreigner who has completed 90 days in 180 days may be admitted again if they agree to apply for a residence permit. The basis is provisional Article 1 of the Implementing Regulation (Resmî Gazete, Official Gazette, 17.03.2016): until consulates start accepting residence applications, a foreigner who has used up their 90 days and arrives at the border gate having obtained a visa is allowed to enter, provided that they agree to apply for a residence permit within ten days at the latest (provisional Art. 1/3). The PMM residence FAQ page states that this application must be made through e-İkamet within 10 days of entry.

The PMM calls this entry "şartlı giriş" (conditional entry). According to the announcement of the Bilecik İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü (Bilecik Provincial Directorate of Migration Management) dated 02.11.2015, the foreigner, if there is no other circumstance preventing their entry, fills in the "İkamet İzni Şartlı Giriş Bilgi Formu" (Residence Permit Conditional Entry Information Form) at the border gate and applies to the governorship of the province where they live within ten days of entry. The Regulation provides this option for a foreigner "arriving at the border gate having obtained a visa". We could not find a separate official text showing how it is applied at the border to visa-exempt nationalities.

This entry does not open a new tourist period. If you do not apply within ten days, the whole period from entry to exit counts as a visa violation, the fee is calculated from the date of entry, and the provisions on deportation apply (provisional Art. 1/4). The same count is made for anyone who wants to leave of their own accord without applying (provisional Art. 1/5). The PMM statement dated 09.06.2020 places a foreigner who entered on this condition and did not apply in the group subject to an entry ban of 3 months to 5 years, regardless of whether they paid the fine.

If you overstay: fine, deportation and entry ban

An overstay of a few days is also a violation, but its consequence depends on how long it lasts. According to the PMM visa FAQ page, for an overstay of less than ten days, a foreigner who pays the fine arising from the violation is allowed to leave and no deportation decision is taken. For an overstay of more than ten days, the Law makes a deportation decision mandatory (Art. 54/1-e).

Whether an entry ban is imposed, and for how long, depends on the tiers in the PMM statement dated 09.06.2020: on the length of the violation, on whether you left of your own accord before the violation was detected, and on whether you paid the fine. The upper limit in the Law is five years; where there is a serious threat to public order or public security, it can be extended by a further ten years (Art. 9/3). How the fine is calculated, where it is paid and the full set of tiers are on the visa overstay fine calculation page; if your overstay has run on, see the roadmap for foreigners who have fallen into irregular status.

If a deportation decision has been served on you, an action against it is filed at the idare mahkemesi (administrative court) within seven days of notification (Art. 53/3). If you need to come to Turkey while an entry ban is in place, an annotated visa does not lift the ban; it allows entry for a specific period while the ban remains in force (Art. 9/6).

Common myths about the 90/180 rule

• "Everyone entering visa-free can stay 90 days." For some nationalities the exemption is 30 or 60 days per stay; 90 days is only the upper limit.
• "Leaving and re-entering restarts the clock." The yardstick is the last 180 days; earlier days only drop out of the window over time.
• "You can extend your visa at the migration office." Neither the Law nor the Regulation provides a way to extend a visa from inside the country; the route is a residence permit.
• "I have a visa, so my entry is guaranteed." A visa does not give an absolute right of entry (Art. 11/3); circumstances preventing entry are checked separately even if you have a visa (Regulation Art. 10/3).
• "Overstaying by up to ten days is allowed." An overstay of less than ten days is also a violation; a fine is paid on exit. Ten days is only the threshold at which a deportation decision becomes mandatory.
• "Conditional entry gives you a new 90 days." This entry exists only so that you can apply for residence within ten days; if you do not apply, it counts as a violation from the day of entry.

Legal basis and sources

• 6458 sayılı Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu (Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection) Art. 7/1, Art. 9/3, Art. 9/6, Art. 11, Art. 12, Art. 13, Art. 14, Art. 15/1-ğ, Art. 16/1-e, Art. 18/1-a, Art. 19/1, Art. 21/1, Art. 53/3, Art. 54/1-e, Art. 54/1-ğ
• Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanununun Uygulanmasına İlişkin Yönetmelik (Regulation on the Implementation of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection) (Official Gazette 17.03.2016, No. 29656) Art. 10, Art. 11, Art. 14/3-4, Art. 15/3, Art. 16/3-4, Art. 21/2, Art. 21/9, Art. 22/11, Art. 23/1-ç, provisional Art. 1
• Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı: Vize Sıkça Sorulan Sorular (Presidency of Migration Management: Visa FAQ)
• Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı: İkamet Sıkça Sorulan Sorular (Presidency of Migration Management: Residence FAQ)
• Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı: Yasal Kalış Hakkı İhlalinde Bulunan Yabancılara Uygulanacak Giriş Yasaklarına İlişkin Açıklama (09.06.2020) (Presidency of Migration Management: Statement on Entry Bans Applicable to Foreigners Who Have Violated Their Legal Right of Stay)
• Bilecik İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü: Yabancıların Ülkemizde Kalış Süreleri Hakkında Duyuru (02.11.2015) (Bilecik Provincial Directorate of Migration Management: Announcement on Foreigners' Periods of Stay in Turkey)
• Dışişleri Bakanlığı: Vize Genel Bilgileri (Ministry of Foreign Affairs: General Information on Visas)
• Dışişleri Bakanlığı: Yabancıların Tabi Olduğu Vize Rejimi (Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Visa Regime Applicable to Foreigners)
• Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Elektronik Vize Başvuru Sistemi (e-Vize) (Republic of Türkiye Electronic Visa Application System)
• İstanbul İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü: İkamet İzni Hakkında Sıkça Sorulan 34 Soru-34 Cevap (34 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on Residence Permits); e-İkamet: Kısa Dönem İkamet İzni Başvurularında İstenen Belgeler (Documents Required for Short-Term Residence Permit Applications)