Turkey student visa 2026: who needs one, how to apply

Do you need a student visa for Türkiye? It depends on your passport

Türkiye has no single rule for students. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps a visa table for every country, and the answer for a student starts there¹. The table below covers the countries that send the most students, checked on 31 October 2026.

The twelve countries in the table below, the largest sources of students, account for 239,234 of Türkiye's 337,119 international students¹⁰. Seven of them need a visa at student age: Syria, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen. Together they send 136,906 students, 57% of the twelve¹¹⁰.

Visa-free students still need a student residence permit

A visa or a visa exemption only covers a short stay. Law 6458 caps it at 90 days in any 180 days³. Anyone who stays longer must hold a residence permit (Article 19)³.

The law lets students apply for that permit from inside Türkiye, at the provincial migration office (Article 22)³. The Foreign Ministry confirms that degree students who arrive with a visa or visa-free can apply without a study-annotated visa².

• This covers associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral students, and medical and dental specialty trainees².
• The implementing regulation asks for a study-purpose visa only from primary and secondary school pupils who apply in Türkiye⁴.
• You must apply before your legal stay ends; applications up to 10 days late are still accepted⁴.
• Your passport must be valid at least 60 days longer than the permit you ask for³.

Turkey student visa for Iranians: enter visa-free, then apply in Türkiye

Iranian ordinary passport holders are exempt from a visa for stays of up to 90 days¹. So an Iranian student accepted by a Turkish university normally needs no student visa. You fly in on your passport, register at the university and apply for the student residence permit²³.

1. 1

   Get your admission first

   Secure your acceptance letter before you travel. Universities issue it after their own exam or file review; see our guide to applying to Turkish universities.

2. 2

   Check your passport

   At entry it must be valid 60 days beyond your planned stay³. For the residence permit it must outlast the permit by 60 days, so a passport that covers your whole degree saves a second application³⁸.

3. 3

   Enter Türkiye on your passport

   Your 90 days start on the day you enter¹. Days spent in Türkiye in the last 180 days count toward the same limit².

4. 4

   Register and apply for residence

   Complete your enrolment, then apply for the student residence permit on e-İkamet before your 90 days end⁴. Your university's international office usually delivers the file.

Common mistakes Iranian students make

• Arriving early for a holiday and leaving too few visa-free days to apply for the permit²⁴.
• Applying for a tourist e-Visa or a study visa you do not need; Iranians enter visa-free¹.
• Travelling with a passport that expires within a year or two, which shortens the permit³.
• Leaving and re-entering to restart the 90 days; the 90-in-180 rule counts every recent day²³.
• Trusting agency claims of a fixed 30-day deadline; the legal limit is the end of your visa-free stay⁴.

The e-Visa is for tourism and trade, not for study

The e-Visa at evisa.gov.tr is a fast online visa for some nationalities. The Foreign Ministry states that it is valid only when the purpose of travel is tourism or commerce¹. Visas for work and study are given by Turkish embassies and consulates¹.

There is a nuance. The migration authorities accept a degree student's residence application without a study visa, whether the student arrived with a visa or visa-free². Koç University therefore advises students whose nationality qualifies for a visa exemption or an e-Visa to enter that way, which saves time and money⁸. If your nationality has no exemption and no e-Visa, you need a student visa from a consulate¹⁸.

How to apply for a Turkish student visa at a consulate

Under Law 6458 a visa is issued by the Turkish consulate in the country of your nationality or legal residence³. The regulation calls the study visa an education visa (eğitim vizesi) and allows applications online⁴. You must still appear at the mission in person².

1. 1

   Receive an acceptance letter with a YÖK number

   Consulates ask for a barcoded acceptance letter carrying a valid YÖKSİS or YÖK acceptance number⁶⁸. Your university issues it, often after your first payment⁸.

2. 2

   Fill in the online pre-application

   Go to konsolosluk.gov.tr (visa.gov.tr leads to the same site), choose your mission, then Make Appointment and Visa Pre-Application⁵. Enter your details exactly as in your passport.

3. 3

   Upload documents and book an appointment

   Upload the requested papers, submit the form, print it and pick an appointment date⁵. Some missions route applications through an authorised service company⁶.

4. 4

   Attend in person and pay the fee

   Bring the printed form and original documents to the consulate or its service company and pay the visa fee²⁶.

5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   Student visa files are sent to the migration authorities in Türkiye for approval⁷. The legal deadline is 90 days from a complete file⁴.

6. 6

   Travel and apply for residence

   A consulate visa allows at most 90 days of stay². Within that time you register at your university and apply for the student residence permit²⁴.

Documents for a Turkish student visa

Each mission publishes its own list, so read the one for your consulate. The items below appear on the official lists we checked from the Turkish missions in Tashkent and Kigali and on the Foreign Ministry's general page²⁶⁷.

• The printed visa application form from konsolosluk.gov.tr⁵⁷.
• Your original passport, valid at least six months from arrival, plus copies of the identity pages¹⁶.
• The university acceptance letter, barcoded and with a YÖK number⁶⁸.
• Biometric photos; Kigali asks for two at 5 x 5 cm⁷.
• Health or travel insurance covering your stay; Tashkent asks for at least 30,000 EUR of cover²⁶.
• Proof of funds or a sponsor's written commitment to pay your study costs⁶⁷.
• Proof of accommodation and a flight booking, where the mission asks for them⁷.
• Previous passports with Turkish visas or entry stamps, if you have been to Türkiye before⁶.

Student visa fees and processing time

Visa fee at the Tashkent embassy, November 2025⁶

194 USD

Student visa fee at the Kigali embassy⁷

60 USD

Legal maximum for a consulate's decision⁴

90 days

Time Koç University tells students to allow⁸

2 months

There is no single published student visa fee. Each mission charges its own amount, as the two examples above show⁶⁷. The fee is not refunded if the visa is refused².

Admission usually comes in summer, and a visa can take weeks. Start the pre-application on the day your acceptance letter arrives.

What happens after you arrive in Türkiye

At the border, a visa does not guarantee entry³. Carry your acceptance letter and university documents in your hand luggage.

1. Enrol at your university and get your student certificate.
2. Apply for the student residence permit on e-İkamet before your visa or visa-free days end⁴.
3. Hand the file to your university or the migration office; the e-İkamet form gives you the payment and appointment details.
4. Apply for General Health Insurance within three months of first enrolment, or keep private insurance⁴.

The full process, with fees and documents, is in our student residence permit guide.

Students under 18 and scholarship holders

Students under 18

For a student under 18, the migration authorities ask for the consent of both parents, or a document showing who holds custody²⁴. Koç University strongly advises under-18 students to come with a student visa even if their nationality is visa-exempt⁸. Our page on studying in Türkiye under 18 covers the consent papers.

Scholarship holders

Türkiye Scholarships tells its new students to get a student visa from the nearest Turkish embassy or consulate, as soon as they receive their acceptance letter and sign the scholarship agreement⁹. The offer of scholarship goes into the visa file, with a passport, photo and the consulate's form⁹. Students who come through a public body may also get a residence permit for the whole study period³. See our guide to scholarships in Türkiye.