Cypriot travellers heading to Turkey can no longer rely on the decades-old convenience of paying €25 for a "sticker" visa at Istanbul, Antalya or any other Turkish port of entry. Ankara has withdrawn the on-arrival option with immediate effect and now obliges holders of Republic of Cyprus passports to secure an electronic visa in advance or apply at a Turkish embassy or consulate. The change took effect on 2 January 2026 but was only formally confirmed in an advisory published on 4 January, catching many holiday-makers and shipping executives by surprise.
Turkish officials frame the move as part of a wider digital-government push that has already eliminated sticker visas for most nationalities. Diplomats in Nicosia, however, see political undertones: the timing lands six months before Cyprus chairs the EU Council and amid stalled UN-led reunification talks. Either way, mobility managers now have a new compliance checkpoint to build into trip lead-times. Applicants must upload a passport scan, pay the dollar-denominated fee online and download a PDF permit—steps that Turkey’s portal promises to process "within minutes" but that could stretch during Orthodox Easter or the summer peak.
![Turkey Scraps On-Arrival ‘Sticker’ Visas for Cypriots, E-Visa Now Mandatory]()
Cypriot passport holders who prefer not to tackle the new e-visa system on their own can outsource the task to VisaHQ, whose Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) submits applications, tracks status updates and emails the approved PDF permit as soon as it is issued. The one-stop service has proved especially popular with shipping companies and corporate travel teams managing multiple last-minute itineraries.
Corporate mobility teams should update travel policies immediately. Airlines have warned that passengers without a pre-approved e-visa may be denied boarding, and Turkish immigration authorities impose steeper overstay fines than under the old regime. Mixed Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot workforces face additional complexity: Turkish-Cypriots travelling on passports issued by the self-declared TRNC remain visa-exempt, so company briefings must spell out the differential rules by nationality.
Practical advice for business travellers: apply at least 48 hours before departure, print the e-visa or save it offline, and build extra time into connection schedules at Istanbul if a boarding-gate document check is required. Firms organising last-minute ship-management crew changes in Izmir or vessel inspections on the Bosporus should keep contingency staff on stand-by in Cyprus in case an e-visa is rejected. Visa-processing specialists report a spike in Cypriot applications since New Year’s Day, suggesting that the new rule is already driving demand for outsourced visa support.
Turkish officials frame the move as part of a wider digital-government push that has already eliminated sticker visas for most nationalities. Diplomats in Nicosia, however, see political undertones: the timing lands six months before Cyprus chairs the EU Council and amid stalled UN-led reunification talks. Either way, mobility managers now have a new compliance checkpoint to build into trip lead-times. Applicants must upload a passport scan, pay the dollar-denominated fee online and download a PDF permit—steps that Turkey’s portal promises to process "within minutes" but that could stretch during Orthodox Easter or the summer peak.
Cypriot passport holders who prefer not to tackle the new e-visa system on their own can outsource the task to VisaHQ, whose Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) submits applications, tracks status updates and emails the approved PDF permit as soon as it is issued. The one-stop service has proved especially popular with shipping companies and corporate travel teams managing multiple last-minute itineraries.
Corporate mobility teams should update travel policies immediately. Airlines have warned that passengers without a pre-approved e-visa may be denied boarding, and Turkish immigration authorities impose steeper overstay fines than under the old regime. Mixed Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot workforces face additional complexity: Turkish-Cypriots travelling on passports issued by the self-declared TRNC remain visa-exempt, so company briefings must spell out the differential rules by nationality.
Practical advice for business travellers: apply at least 48 hours before departure, print the e-visa or save it offline, and build extra time into connection schedules at Istanbul if a boarding-gate document check is required. Firms organising last-minute ship-management crew changes in Izmir or vessel inspections on the Bosporus should keep contingency staff on stand-by in Cyprus in case an e-visa is rejected. Visa-processing specialists report a spike in Cypriot applications since New Year’s Day, suggesting that the new rule is already driving demand for outsourced visa support.
