I never thought that I will visit Turkey in this lifetime. But it turned out as one of the best trips I’ve ever had.
If you asked me about Turkey then, all I knew was Ruffa Gutierrez’s ex-husband was from this country. Aside from that – I had to revisit my high school history book to remember something. It wasn’t a popular tourist destination among Filipinos compared to Southeast Asian countries and European countries. Needless to say, Turkey was not really high on my must-visit places. Then in 2018, I moved to Dubai and I learned more about Middle Eastern countries, Turkey included. It only took me one photo of Cappadocia landscape and I know that I must go there. So when I had the chance to take a quick vacation last November, I didn’t think twice and booked a flight to Turkey. As a Filipino passport holder, we have to obtain a Turkish visa to enter Turkey. Below I will share what you need to prepare and what are the steps to get a Turkish Tourist visa.
Quick links: Requirements for Visa Application | Part 1 – Applying for Turkish E-visa | Part 2 – Applying for a Turkish sticker visa in Dubai | Part 3 – Applying for a Turkish sticker visa in the Philippines | Post-Application
REQUIREMENTS FOR VISA APPLICATION
Before I start any visa application, I always create a checklist to have a visual of what I need to accomplish and to track my progress. By doing this, my visa application is always smooth and fast. I rarely get questions from visa agents and I always have complete documents.
PART 1 – APPLYING FOR TURKISH E-VISA
Applying for Turkish visa is easy, they say. It is actually! But only for those blessed individuals who have Schengen visa, USA, UK and Ireland visa.
- Go to www.evisa.gov.tr
- Ensure that you meet the following requirements:
- Passport that covers the period of your stay in Turkey
- Proof of return ticket, hotel reservation and at least 50 USD per day
- Proof that you are travelling for tourism purposes
- Valid Supporting document (Residence permit or visa from one of Schengen countries, USA, UK or Ireland)
- Fill up the needed personal information online
- Secure the visa fee of 20 USD using Mastercard, Visa, UnionPay, Alipay, American Express Credit Cards, to name some.
- Once completed, you will be directed to a page where you can download your e-visa. Print it and you’re ready to go!
Note: E-visa is valid for a total period of 180 days. Meaning, you can enter Turkey within the next 180 days. But you cannot stay longer than 30 days within Turkey. The 30-day count will begin on the date you entered Turkey.
PART 2 – APPLYING FOR A TURKISH STICKER VISA IN DUBAI
Since I do not have any of the visas mentioned above. I would need to get a sticker visa. I submitted my visa application at VFS Global, Dubai.
Address: WAFI Mall, Level 2, Falcon, Phase 2 – Oud Metha Rd., Dubai UAE
You can follow the steps in order:
- Go to VFS Global website to schedule an appointment.
- Best to schedule an appointment at least 3 weeks before your trip.
- Make sure the schedule you pick gives you enough time to gather all the requirements.
- Appointments between 8 – 9AM and 3 – 4PM are considered Prime Time. They will charge you additional 180 AED.
- Pay the service fee of 193.20 AED online
- You will receive an email from VFS with the Appointment Letter – print this.
- Gather all the requirements
- It is important that you have all the requirements ready before you fill out the application form because you will need to upload all the documents online.
- 3 months validity of the residence permit means it should have at least 3 months remaining before it expires. I worried about this initially because my residence permit was issued Aug 15 and my appointment was Nov 4 — so technically my visa was not yet 3 months old. But I was assured that it is 3 months from expiry date not from issue date.
- Bank account should have at least 50 USD x # of days you’ll be staying in Turkey.
- For hotel reservation, Booking.com is a good platform to book hotels with free cancellation and pay at the property options.
- Approved Leave request is good to have. But the VFS agent didn’t include it in my application
- Once you have all the hard copy of the documents, it is time fill out the application form online.
- Access the application form by going to Turkey Consular website.
- Select United Arab Emirates as the Country and choose whether you will go to Turkish Embassy in Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
- Provide all the needed information — Personal Information, Nationality and Visa Details, Travel Details, Contact Information and upload all the required documents. Make sure that the documents that you upload are similar to the documents that you will submit at VFS Global.
- After you filled out the form online, you have to download the Application form. Please check if all the information entered is correct. I made a minor mistake in my Citizenship which the VFS agent noticed. I had to fill up the online form all over again and upload all the documents again. Hassle!!!
- Once done, compile all the requirements together with your appointment letter and application form and wait for you appointment date.
- Once your appointment date comes, head to Wafi Mall in Umm Hurair 2. VFS Global is located at the 3rd floor of the mall.
- Proceed to the reception and get a number
- Head over to the Mezzanine (upstairs)
- Wait for your number to be called and present all the documents you have
- VFS agent will check everything and will advise you if you missed anything
- Pay the visa fee of 225 AED in cash. They do not accept card payment
- Additional services include:
SMS Update – 8.40 AED/application
Courier Service – 42 AED/application
If you followed and completed my check list, I assure you your appointment will be over in no time! 🙂
PART 3 – APPLYING FOR A TURKISH STICKER VISA IN THE PHILIPPINES
The visa application process and the requirements are almost the same as in Dubai.
(photo)
- Gather all the required documents
- Passport with 6 months validity
- Hotel Booking
- Flight details
- Travel Insurance
- Sufficient funds in your bank account amounting to 50 USD per day
- Payslips/Employment Certificate — any proof that you are employed
- 5 X 6 Photo with white background
- Application Form – available once you completed the online application
- Appointment Letter – will be sent to your email
- Go to the Turkish Consular Website
- On the upper right side of the page, make sure you select the Country: PHILIPPINES; Mission: TURKISH EMBASSY IN MANILA. Then select Make An Appointment.
- Provide all the needed information — Personal Information, Nationality and Visa Details, Travel Details, Contact Information and upload all the required documents. Make sure that the documents that you upload are similar to the documents that you will submit at the Turkish Embassy.
- At the end, you will be able to select the schedule of your appointment.
- Once you are done, you will receive an email confirmation of you application and scheduled appointment. Print these and present at the embassy together with all your required documents.
Embassy: 2268 Paraiso St. Dasmarinas Village Makati City, Philippines
Application Fee: 60 USD
POST APPLICATION
- I received my passport back after 4 business days.
- You have the option to pick it up at VFS Global Office or have it delivered by courier (42 AED/application)
- If a 3rd party will pick up your passport, please provide an authorization letter and your valid ID.
Good luck on your application!
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