Turkey Drops Visa Requirement for North American Travelers

Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye) has quietly abandoned its annoying and often confusing visa requirement for travelers from North America.

Until Dec. 31, 2023, its government required Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans to apply in advance for an E-Visa, purchasable online from Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various private online vendors. (Prices started at around $50, but many anxious travelers paid far more for expedited service.)

No more. Turkey has joined every other country in Western Europe as a visa-free destination. 

According to a press release issued by Geoffrey Weill Associates, “2023 was the best year ever for American tourism to Türkiye, and with the cancellation of the visa requirement, 2024 is expected to be even bigger.”

Dynamic Istanbul is a magnet for its street life, gastronomic delights, and cultural and historic sites (Pera Palace is perhaps the best-located legacy hotel), while the coastal holiday scene is one of liveliest in the Mediterranean. Among North American and European jetsetters, colorful, pedestrian-friendly Bodrum and Cesme rank as some of the most popular beach resorts. The nearby Greek islands of Rhodes, Chios, and Samos are easily accessible by ferry.

Visitors to the country have experienced, firsthand, the byzantine (pun intended) visa process that Turkey required, only to disembark to discover that no one was particularly interested in examining their “essential” document.

All that is in the past. Now all you need is your passport to experience your baklava and Turkish delight on the way to the hammam.