Turkey Visa for UAE Residents: e-Visa Rules, Fees and Who Needs One

The short answer: Emiratis travel to Turkey visa-free, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and so do holders of a full British citizen passport travelling for tourism. Most other UAE residents need a Turkish e-Visa or a visa from a Turkish mission, and the e-Visa has a catch. For Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Filipino passport holders, and Egyptians aged 15 to 45, Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs opens it only to applicants who already hold a valid visa or residence permit from a Schengen country, the United States, the United Kingdom or Ireland. A UAE residence visa or Emirates ID is not on that list. Applicants who don't meet the condition apply in person through VFS Global, at the Turkish Consulate General in Dubai's 2026 fee of AED 225 for a single-entry sticker visa.

Istanbul is about four and a half hours from Dubai, and UAE residents of every nationality fly there for holidays, shopping and family visits. Here is what each passport needs, read on Turkey's own government pages and its missions' notices, as of October 2026.

Turkey visa for UAE residents at a glance

Passport	Answer (October 2026)
United Arab Emirates (Emirati)	Visa-free, up to 90 days in any 180-day period
United Kingdom (full British citizen passport)	Visa-free for tourism, up to 90 days in any 180-day period
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines	One-month, single-entry e-Visa only with a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit; otherwise a sticker visa
Egypt	Under 15 or over 45: e-Visa with no extra condition. Aged 15 to 45: e-Visa with a Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or permit, flying with named airlines
UAE residence visa or Emirates ID	Not a qualifying document for the conditional e-Visa, per Turkey's foreign ministry
Sticker visa fee (Dubai Consulate General, 2026)	AED 225 single entry; AED 700 multiple entry
Visa application centre in the UAE	VFS Global (Dubai and Abu Dhabi)
Passport validity	At least 60 days beyond your stay; missions advise 6 months

Who travels to Turkey visa-free

Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists United Arab Emirates ordinary and official passport holders as exempt from a visa, for travels of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. British nationals travelling for tourism get the same treatment, but only on a full British citizen passport: UK government travel advice says holders of other British passport types, such as British National (Overseas) or British Overseas Territories passports, still need a visa and should check with the Turkish Embassy or Consulate General.

The e-Visa, and the condition that catches UAE residents out

Turkey's Electronic Visa Application System, at www.evisa.gov.tr, lets eligible travellers apply online in about three minutes, for tourism or commerce only; work and study need a visa from a Turkish mission. Turkey's foreign ministry states the general rule plainly: some nationals who hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit can get limited e-Visas, subject to conditions listed for their country.

For the UAE's largest expat communities, that condition is the whole story. The ministry sets the same rule for ordinary passport holders from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines: a one-month, single-entry e-Visa, only for those who hold a valid visa or residence permit from a Schengen country, the USA, the UK or Ireland. The Turkish Embassy in New Delhi's notice of 1 March 2024 adds detail for Indian nationals: the document must be valid on the date you enter Turkey, a used visa still counts if its validity covers that date, and an e-Visa from another country does not qualify as the supporting document.

Neither the ministry's page nor the embassies' notices list a UAE residence visa or an Emirates ID as a qualifying document. It cannot stand in for the Schengen, US, UK or Irish document, whatever validity it still has. This is a common misunderstanding among UAE residents.

Egyptian passport holders have their own rule. The ministry says Egyptians under 15 or over 45 can get an e-Visa with no additional condition. Those aged 15 to 45 can get a 30-day, single-entry e-Visa if they hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit and fly to Turkey with Turkish Airlines, AJet, Pegasus, Egypt Air or Air Cairo. The portal shows the conditions and the fee for your own passport once you select it: check there before you plan around either route.

Applying for the e-Visa

1. Go to www.evisa.gov.tr, the only official e-Visa site. Look-alike websites charge more for the same government form.
2. Select your nationality and passport type. The portal shows whether you are eligible, on what condition, and the fee for your passport.
3. Enter your identity, passport and travel details, then pay online.
4. Receive your e-Visa by email, usually within minutes once eligibility and payment are confirmed.
5. Print it and carry it with your passport. If your eligibility depended on a Schengen, US, UK or Irish document, carry the original too: airlines and Turkish immigration can ask to see it.

Not eligible for the e-Visa: the sticker visa through VFS Global

Applicants who don't qualify for the e-Visa apply for a sticker visa in person. The Turkish Consulate General in Dubai and the Embassy in Abu Dhabi do not take these applications themselves: both currently direct applicants to VFS Global, which runs the visa application centres for the UAE.

The Consulate General in Dubai's fee schedule for the 2026 fiscal year, dated 7 January 2026, gives:

Category	Fee (AED)
Single entry	225
Multiple entry	700
Single transit	225
Double transit	450

VFS Global adds its own service charge on top of this consular fee. Get the current documents list when you book your appointment; expect to be asked for a passport valid well beyond the trip, a passport photo, your UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, a no-objection letter from your employer or sponsor, or your trade licence, bank statements, and confirmed flight and hotel bookings. Confirm the current processing time with VFS Global when you book.

Passport validity and the 90/180 rule

Under Turkey's Law on Foreigners and International Protection, your passport must be valid for at least 60 days beyond your intended stay. For a 90-day stay that means 150 days of validity from your entry date; for a 30-day stay, 90 days. UK government travel advice for Turkey states the same 150-day figure for a 90-day visa-free stay. Turkish missions separately advise carrying a passport valid for 6 months from arrival as a safer margin.

Where a visa, e-Visa or visa exemption allows a stay of up to 90 days, that period runs within any rolling 180-day window, not per calendar year or per entry.

Flights from the UAE

Emirates and Turkish Airlines fly non-stop between Dubai and Istanbul several times a day, in around four and a half hours. flydubai also flies to Istanbul from Dubai. Check the airlines' own timetables for your city and dates.

Frequently asked questions

Do UAE residents need a visa for Turkey?

It depends on your passport, not your UAE residence. Emiratis and full British citizen passport holders travel visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Most other nationalities need an e-Visa, which carries conditions for several large expat groups, or a sticker visa from a Turkish mission.

Does my UAE residence visa help me get a Turkey e-Visa?

No. Turkey's foreign ministry names a Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit as the qualifying document for nationalities whose e-Visa is conditional, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. A UAE residence visa or Emirates ID is not on that list.

Can Indian passport holders in the UAE get a Turkey e-Visa?

Only if they hold a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit, valid on the date they enter Turkey, per Turkey's foreign ministry and its embassy in New Delhi. Without one of those documents, Indian nationals apply for a sticker visa through VFS Global instead.

How much does a Turkey visa cost from the UAE?

The e-Visa's fee is shown on the portal once you select your passport. A sticker visa through the Dubai Consulate General costs AED 225 for a single entry in the 2026 fee schedule, plus VFS Global's own service charge.

Do UAE nationals need a visa for Turkey?

No. Turkey's foreign ministry lists Emirati ordinary and official passport holders as exempt from a visa, for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

How long does a Turkey e-Visa take?

Turkey's missions describe it as issued quickly, often within minutes once your eligibility and payment go through. Apply before you book non-refundable flights or hotels, in case your passport needs the sticker visa route instead.

Planning a trip to Turkey

Once you know which route applies to your passport, see Turkey visa services, browse all our visa destinations, or talk to our visa desk about flights, hotels and the documents you will need.

Related guides

• Schengen visa for UAE residents
• Visa-free countries for UAE residents
• Flight times from Dubai
• Pakistan visa for UAE residents

Last checked 9 October 2026 against Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa information pages (mfa.gov.tr), the e-Visa notices of the Turkish Embassy in New Delhi (1 March 2024) and the Turkish Embassy in Islamabad (7 May 2022), the Turkish Consulate General in Dubai's current visa notices and its 2026 fee schedule, UK government travel advice for Turkey, and Emirates' and Turkish Airlines' own route pages. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements on evisa.gov.tr or with the Turkish Consulate General in Dubai or Embassy in Abu Dhabi before you apply or travel.