Ankara has scrapped its decades-old on-arrival visa facility for holders of Republic of Cyprus passports, replacing it with a compulsory electronic visa (e-Visa) requirement that took effect today, 2 January 2026. Cypriot citizens must now obtain the permit online or through a Turkish consulate before boarding, at a cost of US $60 and with a stated processing window of 24–48 hours.
Roughly 80,000 Cypriots visited Turkey last year, many on short-notice business trips tied to shipping, construction and retail supply chains centred in Istanbul and Izmir. Airlines have warned they will deny boarding to travellers lacking the QR-coded authorisation, and HR teams are rushing to update travel-booking platforms. Immigration advisers recommend building a two-day lead time into itineraries and carrying digital and hard copies of the e-Visa when transiting Turkish ports.
Travellers who prefer a guided application experience can tap VisaHQ’s Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), which streamlines the e-Visa process with an intuitive wizard, live status tracker and optional same-day processing. The service also lets companies bulk-upload crew manifests and receive approvals directly into their travel-management systems, shaving precious hours off tight turnaround schedules.
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Turkish officials frame the change as part of a broader border-digitalisation drive rather than a political signal during Cyprus’ EU Council presidency semester. Nevertheless, mobility experts say the move brings Turkey into line with a regional trend toward pre-screening and could presage additional security vetting for seafarers and offshore engineers.
For companies that rotate staff between Limassol ship-management offices and Turkish yards, the switch means revisiting crew-change matrices and considering standby staff in EU hubs. Visa-processing specialists such as VisaHQ report a surge in batch e-Visa orders and advise corporate clients to negotiate service-level agreements that guarantee approval turnarounds within 24 hours.
Longer-term, observers note that the tougher stance may accelerate discussions on reciprocal mobility concessions once Cyprus secures Schengen membership—and could influence the EU’s broader visa dialogue with Ankara.
Roughly 80,000 Cypriots visited Turkey last year, many on short-notice business trips tied to shipping, construction and retail supply chains centred in Istanbul and Izmir. Airlines have warned they will deny boarding to travellers lacking the QR-coded authorisation, and HR teams are rushing to update travel-booking platforms. Immigration advisers recommend building a two-day lead time into itineraries and carrying digital and hard copies of the e-Visa when transiting Turkish ports.
Travellers who prefer a guided application experience can tap VisaHQ’s Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), which streamlines the e-Visa process with an intuitive wizard, live status tracker and optional same-day processing. The service also lets companies bulk-upload crew manifests and receive approvals directly into their travel-management systems, shaving precious hours off tight turnaround schedules.
Turkish officials frame the change as part of a broader border-digitalisation drive rather than a political signal during Cyprus’ EU Council presidency semester. Nevertheless, mobility experts say the move brings Turkey into line with a regional trend toward pre-screening and could presage additional security vetting for seafarers and offshore engineers.
For companies that rotate staff between Limassol ship-management offices and Turkish yards, the switch means revisiting crew-change matrices and considering standby staff in EU hubs. Visa-processing specialists such as VisaHQ report a surge in batch e-Visa orders and advise corporate clients to negotiate service-level agreements that guarantee approval turnarounds within 24 hours.
Longer-term, observers note that the tougher stance may accelerate discussions on reciprocal mobility concessions once Cyprus secures Schengen membership—and could influence the EU’s broader visa dialogue with Ankara.
