Turkey visa for South African citizens
South African citizens need a visa to enter Turkey.
- Status
- Visa required
- Max stay
- Set by visa
- Official cost
- Varies — see notes
- Before departure
- Apply for a visa before you travel
Cost note
Ordinary South African passport holders need a Turkish visa in advance or an eligible official e-Visa.
What you need
- valid passport
- Turkish visa or eligible e-Visa approval before travel
- return or onward ticket may be requested
Official source
https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/Use the government route and fee only. Avoid lookalike agent sites that add markups or mimic official portals.
Why this verdict
Ordinary South African passport holders are not visa-free for Türkiye. The lighter route here is still a visa route: applicants can use Türkiye's official e-Visa channel instead of a mission filing, but that should not be read as visa-free access.
Conditional rules
- Ordinary South African passport holder applying through Türkiye's official e-Visa system for tourism or business travel eVisa
Up to 30 days. Eligible travellers can obtain a 30-day single-entry Turkish e-Visa instead of applying for a sticker visa through a mission. This is still an advance visa authorisation, not visa-free travel, and any nationality-specific checks are shown during the official application flow.
Frequently asked questions
- Do South African citizens need a visa for Turkey?
- South African citizens need a visa to enter Turkey. (Visa required.)
- How long can South African passport holders stay in Turkey?
- The length of stay is set by the visa you are issued.
- How much does the Turkey entry cost for South African citizens?
- The official fee varies — see the official source. This page tracks the official government fee only, not agent markup.