Türkiye Tourist Visa or Visa-Free Visit: the rule, how days are counted, examples

Summary

A visa or a visa exemption for Türkiye cannot give you more than 90 days of stay in every 180 days. All your visits are added together, and leaving Türkiye does not reset the count: a day stops counting only when it is more than 180 days old. Some passports have a lower limit for each entry, such as 30 days. To stay longer than your visa or exemption allows, or longer than 90 days, you need a residence permit. The Presidency of Migration Management, under the Ministry of Interior, runs the rule, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the terms for each passport.

Limit: 90 days
Period: Every 180 days, counted back from each day of your stay
A day counts when: You are in Türkiye for any part of it, including arrival and departure days
Lower limits: Some passports get less for each entry, for example 30 days
Law: Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, Article 11
Run by: Presidency of Migration Management, Ministry of Interior

Who it applies to

Visa-exempt tourists, such as citizens of most EU countries, the UK, the US and Japan, who visit Türkiye more than once in half a year.
Holders of a Turkish e-Visa who want to know how long they may stay in total.
People who spend long summers on the Aegean or Mediterranean coast or own a holiday home there.
Remote workers who stay in Istanbul, Izmir or Antalya for months at a time.
People who used to cross to a Greek island or to Georgia and come back to renew their stay.

The rule

Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection has been the base of Turkish immigration law since 2014. Article 11(1) says that foreigners who will stay in Türkiye for up to 90 days come with a visa that states the purpose of the visit. The same paragraph sets the ceiling: the period of stay that a visa or a visa exemption gives in Türkiye cannot be more than 90 days in every 180 days.

This is a rolling period. For each day you are in Türkiye, look at the 180 days that end on that day. Your days in Türkiye inside that period, over all visits, must not be more than 90. A trip out of the country does not start a new count. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes the exemption for many countries in the same words: ordinary passport holders are exempted from visa up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

The 90 days are the most a visa or exemption can give, not what every passport gets. The terms for each country are set by agreement or by presidential decision and are listed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some passports receive 30 days for each visit, some need an e-Visa with a stated duration of stay, and some need a visa from a consulate. The shorter limit for an entry and the 90 days in 180 days both apply.

Article 19 says that a foreigner who will stay longer than the visa or visa exemption allows, or longer than 90 days, must get a residence permit. Under Article 20, a person who came with a visa or exemption for up to 90 days needs no residence permit during that time. There is also a passport rule: under Article 7 your passport must be valid for at least 60 days after the end of your permitted stay. Article 11(3) adds that a visa gives no absolute right to enter, so the border officer decides.

Why it exists

Türkiye receives many millions of visitors a year and keeps entry simple for tourists. The limit of 90 days in every 180 days marks the line between a visit and living in the country. A person who wants to stay longer is moved to the residence permit system, where the authorities check the reason for the stay, the address, health insurance and income. The rolling period stops the practice of leaving for a day and returning for another three months.

Counting the days

You count days of presence in Türkiye in the 180 days that end on the day you check. Any part of a day in Türkiye is one day.

Write down every entry date and exit date for Türkiye in the last 180 days, from your passport stamps.
Pick the day you want to test, for example the last day of the trip you plan.
Count back 179 days from that day. Those days plus the test day are your 180-day period.
Count every day inside that period on which you were in Türkiye, including each arrival day and each departure day.
Check that the total is 90 or less on every day of your stay.
Check the limit for one entry for your passport as well. If it is lower, such as 30 days, it applies to each visit.

How Countr counts it. Countr counts any part of a day in Türkiye as one day, so the day you arrive and the day you leave both count. It adds up the days in the 180 days back from today and compares the total with 90. A day drops out of the count only when it is 180 days old. Countr does not know the limit for one entry for your passport: if your passport gets 30 days for each visit, you must watch that limit yourself. Countr only counts days the phone can see. If your photos or location history have large gaps, the app can show fewer days than you really stayed.

Track Türkiye Tourist Visa or Visa-Free Visit on your phone.

Countr finds your past trips in your photos and keeps counting from there.

Download on the App Store

Examples

Three visits that reach the limit

Anna, a Swedish citizen, visits Türkiye three times in 2026: 1 to 20 May (20 days), 1 July to 9 August (40 days) and 15 September to 14 October (30 days). On 14 October the 180 days that end on that day start on 18 April 2026 and hold all three visits. The total is 90 days. She must leave on 14 October, and she cannot come back until days from May begin to drop out of the period.

The trap: a ferry to Greece does not reset the count

David, a British citizen, stays in Bodrum from 1 April to 29 June 2026. That is exactly 90 days. He takes a ferry to Kos, stays a month and returns on 1 August, believing he has a new 90 days. The 180 days that end on 1 August start on 3 February 2026 and contain all 90 days, so 1 August would be day 91. The earliest day he can enter again is 28 September 2026.

A passport with 30 days for each visit

Bat, a Mongolian citizen, is exempt from a visa for tourist visits of up to 30 days. He enters on 3 June 2026. Counting the arrival day, day 30 is 2 July 2026, and he must leave by then, although he has used only 30 of the 90 days in the 180-day period. If he returns later in the year, each new visit is again limited to 30 days, and all visits together to 90 days in every 180.

Exceptions

A foreigner with a valid Turkish residence permit or work permit stays under that permit, not under the 90 days of a visa or exemption.
Some passports have a lower limit for each entry, such as 30 days, set by agreement or presidential decision.
Under Article 20 of Law No. 6458, certain groups are exempt from the residence permit, for example diplomatic and consular officers serving in Türkiye and their notified family members.
Lorry drivers of some countries are under a visa regime that differs from the general one for their country.
An e-Visa is valid only for tourism or commerce. Work and study need a visa from a Turkish embassy or consulate.

Common misconceptions

“I can leave for a day and get another 90 days.”: No. The law limits the stay to 90 days in every 180 days. Leaving does not reset the count. A new 90 days is only free after you have been away long enough for the old days to pass out of the 180-day period.
“My e-Visa is valid for 180 days, so I can stay 180 days.”: No. The validity of an e-Visa is the time in which you may enter. The duration of stay is a separate number, and it cannot be more than 90 days in every 180 days.
“The 180 days start again on 1 January.”: No. The period is not tied to the calendar year. It is counted back from each day of your stay.
“Everyone gets 90 days in Türkiye.”: No. 90 days in 180 is the highest a visa or exemption can give. Many passports receive less for each entry, and some need a visa in advance.

Questions and answers

How long must I stay out of Türkiye after using 90 days?

If you stayed 90 days without a break, you must be away for 90 days. In general you can enter again on the day when the first day of your earlier stay is more than 180 days old, and from then on one day comes back for each day that passes.

Do the arrival day and the departure day count in Türkiye?

Count both. The law does not say that either day is left out, and Countr counts any part of a day in Türkiye as one day. A stay from 1 April to 29 June is 90 days counted this way.

What happens if I overstay my visa or exemption in Türkiye?

You must settle the overstay when you leave, and a fine is charged. Law No. 6458 also allows an entry ban, which Article 9 limits to 5 years in ordinary cases. Article 9 treats people more mildly when they apply to the governorate to leave before the authorities find the overstay.

How can I stay in Türkiye longer than 90 days?

Apply for a residence permit before your permitted stay ends. Article 19 of Law No. 6458 requires a residence permit for anyone who will stay longer than the visa or exemption allows or longer than 90 days. The short-term residence permit is the usual kind for long tourist stays.

How long must my passport be valid to enter Türkiye?

At least 60 days longer than the duration of stay of your visa, e-Visa, exemption or residence permit. For example, for a stay of 30 days your passport must be valid for at least 90 days on the day you enter.

Does a stopover at Istanbul Airport count as a day?

It counts when you pass passport control and enter Türkiye, even for a few hours in the city. If you stay in the international transit area, you have not entered and no day is counted.

Sources

Other rules for Türkiye

Türkiye Tax Residence 183 days in each calendar year

See all trackers

This page explains the rule and how the days are counted. It is not legal or tax advice. The authority decides each case on its own facts.