Turkey e-Visa for citizens of South Africa: online application, fees and processing time 2026

Yes: South African citizens must hold an e-Visa to enter Turkey, including for a short tourist stay. This document, obtained online before departure, allows a maximum of 90 days within 180 days. Other purposes of stay are covered on the official information page mfa.gov.tr.

• Government fee20-50 USD
• Agency or online serviceOptional, added on top

The application requires a valid South African passport, an email address and an online payment method; the portal indicates whether other supporting documents are requested. The observed official price is between 20 and 50 USD, paid directly on the portal. If a website shows you a higher total with “service fees”, you are not on the official portal.

The official application portal is evisa.gov.tr. Select South Africa as the country that issued your passport, enter your planned date of entry and personal details, then check the conditions displayed for your nationality. After payment, download the e-Visa and make sure it shows exactly the details in your passport.

The regime follows your nationality, not where you live. If you reside in South Africa but travel on another country's passport, the rule on this page is not yours. Filing usually still happens from your country of residence, at the post competent for it, but the requirement itself comes from your passport.

The observed processing time is within minutes (instant for most nationalities). It is still wise to apply well before your flight, so you can correct an error without stress. Bring a printed copy of the e-Visa with your passport, and respect the limit of 90 days within 180 days during your stay.

The most common mistakes are paying on an intermediary website, a typo in the passport number, a wrong entry date, or an e-Visa applied for with an old passport after a renewal. In that last case, the document no longer matches the passport presented. Reread every field before paying.