Turkey has quietly closed the chapter on its three-decade-old “sticker” visa scheme for citizens of the Republic of Cyprus. A government notice published late on 27 December confirms that, as of 2 January 2026, Cypriots will have to secure an electronic visa in advance or lodge an application at a Turkish embassy or consulate. The walk-up window at Istanbul, Antalya and other gateways—long prized by business travellers for its speed—will disappear overnight.
The change has immediate operational consequences for mobility managers. Roughly 80,000 Cypriot nationals entered Turkey in 2025, many tied to the island’s shipping, construction and retail interests in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara. Those travellers must now factor in at least 24 hours—sometimes several days—of lead time to complete the on-line form, pay the US $60 fee and wait for approval. Airlines have already warned they will deny boarding to passengers who arrive at check-in without the e-visa barcode.
Corporate travel teams are scrambling to update policy documents and traveller-tracking systems. Companies that rotate surveyors or offshore-crew members at short notice must either keep standby personnel in EU hubs or negotiate flexible cancellation clauses with Turkish partners. Immigration advisers note that the alternative, a multiple-entry consular visa, can take two weeks—time most project managers do not have.
![Turkey Scraps On-Arrival Visa; Cypriot Travellers Must Obtain E-Visa Before Entry From 2 January 2026]()
In that context, travellers who prefer to offload the paperwork can turn to VisaHQ’s Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) for end-to-end handling of the new Turkish e-visa. The platform lets users upload passport scans, settle fees and track approvals from a single dashboard, while dedicated agents advise on longer-term or multiple-entry strategies should project schedules demand extra flexibility.
Diplomats in Nicosia downplay suggestions that the move is retaliation for Cyprus’ push to join the Schengen Area in 2026. Ankara, they insist, is standardising border-digitisation in pursuit of its own EU visa-liberalisation roadmap. Whatever the motivation, the decision brings Cypriot passport-holders into line with most other non-EU visitors to Turkey and underscores a regional trend toward pre-travel screening.
Practical tips: (1) budget extra processing time over the New-Year period when approval queues lengthen, (2) remind assignees that passports must be valid six months beyond arrival, and (3) store digital copies of the e-visa in cloud folders to avoid phone-battery mishaps at immigration. Mobility teams may find it cost-effective to outsource bulk filings to visa specialists during the learning curve.
The change has immediate operational consequences for mobility managers. Roughly 80,000 Cypriot nationals entered Turkey in 2025, many tied to the island’s shipping, construction and retail interests in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara. Those travellers must now factor in at least 24 hours—sometimes several days—of lead time to complete the on-line form, pay the US $60 fee and wait for approval. Airlines have already warned they will deny boarding to passengers who arrive at check-in without the e-visa barcode.
Corporate travel teams are scrambling to update policy documents and traveller-tracking systems. Companies that rotate surveyors or offshore-crew members at short notice must either keep standby personnel in EU hubs or negotiate flexible cancellation clauses with Turkish partners. Immigration advisers note that the alternative, a multiple-entry consular visa, can take two weeks—time most project managers do not have.
In that context, travellers who prefer to offload the paperwork can turn to VisaHQ’s Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) for end-to-end handling of the new Turkish e-visa. The platform lets users upload passport scans, settle fees and track approvals from a single dashboard, while dedicated agents advise on longer-term or multiple-entry strategies should project schedules demand extra flexibility.
Diplomats in Nicosia downplay suggestions that the move is retaliation for Cyprus’ push to join the Schengen Area in 2026. Ankara, they insist, is standardising border-digitisation in pursuit of its own EU visa-liberalisation roadmap. Whatever the motivation, the decision brings Cypriot passport-holders into line with most other non-EU visitors to Turkey and underscores a regional trend toward pre-travel screening.
Practical tips: (1) budget extra processing time over the New-Year period when approval queues lengthen, (2) remind assignees that passports must be valid six months beyond arrival, and (3) store digital copies of the e-visa in cloud folders to avoid phone-battery mishaps at immigration. Mobility teams may find it cost-effective to outsource bulk filings to visa specialists during the learning curve.
