UK Visas for Turkish Citizens

Most Turkish citizens will need a visa to come to the UK.

The type of visa needed will depend on the purpose of your stay. Whether you want to visit friends and family in Britain, or are looking to work or study here, in this guide we explain the most common UK visa options for Turkish nationals.

 

Do Turkish citizens need a visa for the UK?

The Turkish Worker and Turkish Businessperson visas are now closed to new applicants. However, existing visa-holders on these routes can still apply for further leave to remain under Appendix ECAA Extension of Stay of the Rules or, if they have lived in the UK long enough, for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under Appendix ECAA Settlement.

With the exception of citizens who hold a Turkey-issued diplomatic passport, under the UK’s Immigration Rules, most Turkish citizens must apply for a visa in advance of travelling to the UK. This will be the case, even if you are only coming to the UK for a short period of time, for example, for tourism purposes. A visa will also be needed if you plan to study, work, establish a business or join family members in the UK, although Turkish citizens have a wide range of UK visas potentially available to them. These include study visas, temporary and long-term work visas, business visas and family visas.

 

UK visitor visa for Turkish citizens

If you are a Turkish citizen looking to visit the UK, even for a short period of time, you will need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before boarding a UK-bound carrier.

You can come to the UK as a standard visitor for a number of permitted activities, including for the purposes of tourism, for visiting friends and family, for unpaid business-related activities and even for a short course of recreational study. However, you will only usually be able to stay in the UK for up to 6 months at a time. You must also be able to show that:

• you will leave the UK at the end of each visit
• you are able to financially support yourself and your dependants during your trip, or have adequate funding from a third party to support you
• you are able to pay for your return or onward journey, or have adequate funding from a third party to pay for this journey
• you will not try to live in the UK for extended periods of time through either frequent or successive visits, or attempt to make the UK your main home.

 

UK study visas for Turkish citizens

If you are a Turkish citizen looking to pursue a course of studies in the UK unless, for example, this is only a short course of recreational study of less than 6 months, or otherwise permitted under the visitor rules, you will usually need a Student visa.

If you are aged 18 or over and you will be studying at degree level, you can stay in the UK for up to 5 years. If your course of study is below degree level, you can only stay for up to 2 years. However, you may be able to extend your visa to continue your studies or, having successfully completed your course, switch to a Graduate visa to look for work in the UK.

You can apply for a Student visa to be able to study in the UK if:

• you are aged 16 or over
• you have been offered a place on a course of study by a licensed student sponsor
• you have enough money to support yourself and to pay for your course, where the amount can vary depending on your circumstances
• you can adequately speak, read, understand and write English
• you have written consent from your parents if you are under 18.

 

UK work visas for Turkish nationals

If you are a Turkish citizen looking to work in the UK, there are various routes available to you. The Skilled Worker route is one of the most common immigration routes for overseas nationals looking to undertake UK-based paid employment. A Skilled Worker visa will allow you to come to or remain in the UK to do an eligible job role with an approved employer for a period of up to 5 years. You may also be able to extend your visa or apply to settle in the UK on this route. To be eligible for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:

• be at least 18 years old
• have the offer of a suitable job role from a Home Office approved employer
• have a certificate of sponsorship from your employer with information about that role
• be doing a job that appears on the list of eligible occupations
• be paid a minimum salary based on the type of work that you will be doing
• be able to adequately speak, read, understand and write English
• prove that you have enough personal savings to support yourself while you are in the UK.

 

Do Turkish citizens need a visa to set up a business in the UK?

If you are a Turkish citizen looking to set up a business in the UK, you can apply for an Innovator Founder visa. This will allow you to stay in the UK for 3 years, at which stage, provided your business is a success, you can either apply to extend your stay or to settle.

To be eligible for an Innovator Founder visa, you must:

• be at least 18 years old
• have an innovative and viable business idea with the ability to grow, including the potential to create jobs, and to grow into national or international markets, where that business idea has been recently endorsed by a Home Office approved body
• be able to adequately speak, read, understand and write English
• prove that you have enough personal savings to support yourself while you are in the UK.

 

Can Turkish citizens live in the UK?

There are various ways in which Turkish citizens can obtain permission to live in the UK. This could be on a short-term basis on either a study or work visa, or by applying to live indefinitely in the UK on any one of the many immigration routes that provide a path to settlement. This could include on the Skilled Worker and Innovator Founder routes, or as the immediate relative of a British citizen or someone already settled in the UK. If you are already in the UK as a Turkish Worker or Turkish Businessperson, or as the dependant of the primary visa-holder, you may also be able to extend your stay or apply to settle.

Below we look at the different ways in which you can apply to permanently live in the UK.

 

Under the work rules

There are various work routes which provide a path to settlement in the UK, including the Skilled Worker and Innovator Founder routes. For example, on the Skilled Worker route, provided you have lived in the UK on this route for a continuous period of 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements, including continuing to be employed by a Home Office approved employer, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain. Commonly known as ILR, this will then allow you to live, work and study in the UK without restriction. Having held ILR for a further period of 12 months, you may also be able to apply for British citizenship.

Under the Innovator Founder route, you can apply for ILR after 3 years in the UK on this route, provided you meet the other eligibility requirements, including that your business continues to be endorsed by an approved body having met the requirements for settlement.

 

Under the family rules

Under the family rules, you can apply to come to the UK as the spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner or child of a British or Irish citizen, or someone already settled in the UK, although this can include someone who is in the UK on either a Turkish Worker or Turkish Businessperson visa. You can then subsequently apply for indefinite leave.

If you are applying as an unmarried partner of someone settled in the UK, you must have lived with your loved one for at least 2 years when you first apply and continue to do so. If you are applying as a child, you must be under 18 and not leading an independent life. In addition to meeting the relevant relationship requirements, to be eligible for a Family visa, you may also need to prove that you have a good knowledge of the English language when you apply, and can financially support yourself and any dependants while in the UK.

The length of your initial visa will depend on the basis upon which you apply, as well as whether you apply from inside or outside the UK. However, after continuously living in the UK on this route for a period of 5 years, you can apply to permanently settle.

 

Under the ECAA rules

Following the UK’s departure from the EU, certain directly effective immigration rights under EU law were disapplied, including provisions within the European Communities Association Agreement (ECAA) between the EU and Turkey. However, as a Turkish national or the family member of a Turkish national who was granted leave under the ECAA on or before 31 December 2020 (the end of Brexit’s transitional period), you can apply to extend your stay under Appendix ECAA Extension of Stay of the Rules. You may also be able to apply to permanently settle in the UK under Appendix ECAA Settlement.

You can apply to extend your visa on the ECAA route as many times as you like, provided you meet the eligibility requirements. However, after 5 years continuously living in the UK as either a Turkish Worker or Turkish Businessperson, or dependant, you can apply for ILR.

 

How much does a UK visa for Turkish citizens cost?

The cost of a UK visa for Turkish citizens can vary, depending on the type of visa sought.

For example, for a Standard Visitor visa, the cost is currently £115, while the cost on the study, work or family routes will be significantly higher. You will also be liable on any one of these routes to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year for over 18s, and £776 per year for students and under 18s. If applying to settle, the cost is again much higher, at £2,885 per applicant.

However, if you are applying to simply extend your stay in the UK as either a Turkish Worker or Turkish Businessperson under the ECAA rules, there will be no charge.

 

How long does a UK visa for Turkish citizens take?

The time it takes for the Home Office to make a decision on a UK visa for Turkish citizens will depend on whether the visa application is made from inside or outside the UK, as well as whether that application is for limited or indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

When applying for a time-limited visa from overseas, such as a Standard Visitor or Skilled Worker visa, the wait time is usually up to 3 weeks, compared with up to 8 weeks when applying to switch or stay longer from within the UK. If applying for ILR, or if applying for an extension application under the ECAA rules, the wait time is usually up to 24 weeks.

Importantly, when applying to switch to a visa from within the UK, or for an extension of stay or settlement, you must always apply prior to expiry of your existing visa.

 

UK visas for Turkish citizens FAQ’s

Do Turkish citizens need a visa for UK?

Turkish citizens will typically need to apply for a visa prior to travelling to the UK, even if they are only coming for the purposes of tourism, or if visiting friends and family, for a short period of time.

How much is a visa to UK from Turkey?

The cost of a visa for Turkish citizens looking to travel to the UK will depend on the type of visa sought and the purpose of the applicant’s stay. For a Standard Visitor visa, the application cost is currently £115.

How can my Turkish boyfriend come to the UK?

To come to the UK for a visit, a Turkish citizen would need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa at a cost of £115. This will allow them to visit you in the UK for up to 6 months.

Can someone from Turkey move to the UK?

It is possible for someone from Turkey to move to the UK indefinitely, although they would need to be approved for a valid visa which provides a path to settlement, such as a Skilled Worker or Family visa.

Last updated: 6 January 2024