Turkey scraps visa requirements for...

Citizens of Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE can now travel to Turkey visa-free

In a renewed bid to drive tourism, Turkey has lifted visa requirements for citizens of six countries.

According to a decree, dated 23 December 2023, citizens from Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as those from Canada and the US, can now spend 90 days in every 180 days in Turkey without a visa.

As well as cementing Turkey’s commitment to enhancing diplomatic ties, the move to simplify entry requirements is intended to boost tourism numbers.

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Figures released by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism at the Travel Convention in Bodrum, held from 30 October to 1 November 2023, show that overall visitor arrivals to Turkey from January to September 2023 totalled 45.23 million – an increase of 12% from the same period in 2022. Tourist visitor numbers in 2019, before the pandemic, topped 50 million.

At the same time, Turkish tourism revenues for the nine-month period increased 20% year on year to US$42 billion.