GoTürkiye has recently announced a new digital visa scheme in which those working remotely from a number of countries primarily in Europe as well as the U.S. will now be able to obtain a visa that will allow for short-term residency here in Türkiye. The application is submitted via the GoTürkiye website’s new Digital Nomad section and will produce a Digital Nomad Identification Document that can then be taken to any Turkish Consulate or visa center for the visa to be issued.
What’s required?
Those eligible to apply must be between the ages of 21 to 55, a university graduate and must be able to prove that they earn the equivalent of a $3,000 monthly salary or $36,000 annually. Self-employed or not, the application requires submitting a document such as a contract that clearly shows the applicant is employed as a digital nomad category. In addition, applicants are asked to provide documentation of their monthly or annual earnings. This is of course in addition to the usual requirements of having a passport valid for at least six months after the date of entry to Türkiye, submitting a university diploma and of course a biometric photo.
Which nationalities are eligible?
Citizens from the following countries are eligible to apply: France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom, Switzerland, U.S., Canada, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus.
How to apply
GoTürkiye’s Digital Nomad Identification Certificate platform, which is the first step in the process of obtaining a Digital Nomad Visa to Türkiye is accessible at https://digitalnomads.GoTürkiye.com/homepage. In order to apply for a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate, firstly you are required to sign up to the platform. Then you are expected to access your account in order to upload the scanned versions of the required documents. This application will produce a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate, which can then be taken to a local Turkish consulate or visa center for the actual visa to be issued.
What exactly is GoTürkiye?
Operating under the umbrella of Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, GoTürkiye is the web portal for Türkiye’s Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA). GoTürkiye is in essence the country’s promotional website for its foreign audience. With articles on where to see and visit, a blog and even a television channel, GoTürkiye does an excellent job of showcasing Türkiye’s highlights for foreigners. There is a heavy emphasis on sustainable tourism and browsing the website is offered in over a dozen languages.
Interestingly enough, GoTürkiye’s new digital nomad portal appeals to its audience to come to live and work in Türkiye, highlighting Istanbul and Dalaman as ideal bases. For Istanbul, the website highlights the easily accessible coworking and meeting spaces that are now prolific throughout Istanbul. As for Dalaman, the website cites its slower pace of life, turquoise sea and healthy regional products and cuisine coupled with the presence of luxury and boutique hotels as the main draw.
Where are the best spots?
Türkiye truly is one of the best countries to reside in as a digital nomad. The cities of Istanbul, Izmir and Antalya are lively and picturesque, have historical sites and each features the sea. Straddling the two continents of Europe and Asia, Istanbul truly is in a league of its own in terms of history, multiculturalism, modernism and expansiveness. There are a variety of lifestyles that can be experienced in Istanbul depending on which neighborhood to choose from. Ankara, the country’s capital is, of course, a modern metropolis, but it tends to fall off the radar for many a digital nomad who makes residing by the sea a priority. Luckily, cities such as Izmir and Antalya line the sea, are bustling with urban locals and foreigners from all over the world and are more affordable in terms of housing options in relation to Istanbul.
Heading south, the province of Muğla is hands down the most inhabited by Western foreigners. Bodrum, which is the country’s most popular holiday destination, has a wide expat community and multiple neighborhoods and districts that offer different styles of living. Practically a metropolis itself, some areas offer the city center vibe, while others are more laidback and centered around the sea. Either way, rental prices are some of the highest in the country in this most in-demand residential region down south.
The thing is, heading east from Bodrum the temperatures and humidity rise, making the conditions less bearable for some the further you go. From Marmaris, Fethiye and then on to Antalya, the temperatures are admittedly higher. However, the good news is, reflectively the rental prices are lower. And then, of course, the more rural regions surrounding these towns will offer more affordable housing.
What’s up with Dalaman?
The GoTürkiye website features Dalaman as an ideal option following Istanbul for digital nomads. For those familiar with Türkiye, seeing the much lesser-known and certainly less-visited Dalaman presented as an ideal spot for digital nomads is intriguing. For those unfamiliar with Türkiye, Dalaman actually happens to be the least visited town along the southern coast. It is, however, still beautiful yet very quiet and with much fewer amenities.
I believe what the GoTürkiye website is referencing is the regions accessible from the International Dalaman Airport, which is conveniently located an approximate hour’s drive from Marmaris and Fethiye, and even closer to the U.K. expat enclave of Dalyan. That’s right: close to half of the town’s year-long residents are Brits in Dalyan and the rental and restaurant prices there certainly reflect that. And perhaps this is why, the still relatively untouched, unchanged and yet undiscovered region of Dalaman could be an area worth discovering. It still lines the sea, has charter flights flying in directly from cities in the U.K. and is near popular expat hubs.
