Most visitors may enter Turkey without a visa, or by easily buying a "sticker visa" at the airport, maritime port, or border-crossing point.
You hand the clerk your passport and the fee in CASH, the clerk sticks a stamp in your passport and you're on your way. The clerk doesn't look you up in a database or scan your passport or take your name or anything. The whole thing takes 10 seconds. Basically, the sticker visa fee is just a tourist tax.
Be sure your passport is valid for at least 90 days from the expiration date if your anticipated visa period, or you may not be admitted. That means that if you are entitled to a 90-day visa, be sure your passport is valid for at least 180 days beyond the date you anticipate entering Turkey.
You can obtain your visa in advance, before you arrive in Turkey, from any Turkish consulate, but it entails time, trouble, and extra expense (you'll pay a "visa processing fee.") It's much simpler to just buy your visa at the border if you are allowed to.
The information below was obtained from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (updated August 2009), but we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information! For definitive information you must check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website or contact a Turkish consulate. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa
(S) means you may buy a sticker visa, valid for the number of (30-day) months shown, upon entry to Turkey. Have the exact amount of euros or US dollars or UK pounds sterling—in CASH!—to pay for your visa. No travelers checks, no credit cards, no other currencies, no exceptions!
No (S) means you may enter Turkey for the number of days shown with just a valid passport; you do not need a visa.
