AIRPORT INFORMATION
There are two international airports in İstanbul, İstanbul airport (IST) and Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW). The first and biggest one is the newly opened İstanbul Airport (IST). All major international flights are landing to İstanbul Airport.
And the other one, which works as a sub terminal on the Asian side, is Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW).
AIRLINE INFORMATION
There are direct flights to İstanbul from all major cities of Europe and also direct flights to İstanbul from New York, Los Angeles, Washington & Chicago via Turkish Airlines and from New York via Delta airlines.
The other main direct routes are as follows, flights from central Asian cities such as Askabat, Astana, Baku, Yerevan, Dusanbe, Delhi, Bombay, Karachi; Far east cities such as Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing, Ho Chi Min City, Singapore; Middle East cities such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Damascus, Lebanon, Baghdad, Jeddah, Riyadh, Doha,Dubai, Tel Aviv, Tabriz, Tehra); African cities such as Casablanca (Morocco), Tunus, Cairo (Egypt), Algiers, Hartum (Sudan), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Trablus (Liban),Cape Town & Johannesburg ( South Africa), Addisbaba (Ethiopia)to name a few.
VISAS & ENTRY TO TURKEY
The Electronic Visa (e-Visa) Application System was launched on 17 April 2013 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. This system allows visitors travelling to Turkey to easily obtain their e-Visas online (www.evisa.gov.tr), in approximately three minutes.
It is possible to obtain e-Visa 7/24 in the comfort of your home with internet connection. The applicants can obtain their visa after they fill in the necessary information concerning their identity, passport and travel dates and pay visa fee online.
All travelers are advised to have a travel document/passport valid for at least 6 months as from the date of your arrival in Turkey.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues efforts to strengthen the e-Visa system and to better enable foreign nationals to easily obtain their visas.
In this context,
- In addition to English, French, and Spanish; Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, German, Arabic and Chinese language options will be added to the e-Visa system.
- In addition to Visa and Master Card, payment is accepted from other commonly used credit cards and debit cards.
- Most visitors arriving to Turkey without visas may obtain their e-Visas via interactive kiosks placed in Turkish
airports. - Necessary arrangements will be made to allow foreign visitors to obtain e-Visas from authorized airline companies’ offices, including those companies’ offices in airports.
- Fees for e-Visas obtained via the e-Visa website (www.evisa.gov.tr) are lower than the fees for visas obtained upon arrival to Turkish airports. Information regarding visa fees can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.