Turkey’s digital nomad visa needs a monthly income of USD 3,000 (or USD 36,000 a year), and it works in two steps: you get a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate on the official GoTürkiye platform, then apply for the visa at a Turkish consulate or visa centre. The tracker record also lists an age band of 21 to 55, a university degree, a work contract with a company outside Turkey, and travel health insurance of at least EUR 30,000. Fees are set per consulate. Read on the official platform and two consulate documents on 29 Sept 2026.
What the official sources say
| Item | Official statement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Income | USD 3,000 a month or USD 36,000 a year | GoTürkiye platform |
| Who | Ages 21 to 55, a university degree, a work contract with a company outside Turkey, and a nationality on the eligible list (36 countries, including the US, the UK and EU states) | GoTürkiye platform, as recorded in the tracker |
| Step 1 | Digital Nomad Identification Certificate, issued through the GoTürkiye platform | GoTürkiye platform |
| Step 2 | Visa application at a Turkish consulate or visa centre | GoTürkiye platform |
| Fee | Non-refundable and set per consulate. Houston 2026: single entry USD 60 (USD 185 for US citizens), multiple entry USD 180 (USD 265 for US citizens). Los Angeles asks applicants to email for the fee | Houston PDF |
| Processing | Los Angeles: up to 30 days after the interview, and it cannot be expedited. Houston: apply at least one month before travel, three months in summer | Los Angeles PDF, Houston PDF |
| Insurance | Travel health and accident cover for the whole stay, at least EUR 30,000 (or the USD equivalent), including transfer to the nearest healthcare facility or home and repatriation of remains | Houston PDF |
| Duration | Not stated on the page read | GoTürkiye platform |
| Family | Not stated on the page read | none |
Working out the income test
The platform gives the bar both ways, so the arithmetic is simple: USD 3,000 x 12 = USD 36,000. If your income is uneven, the annual figure is the one to document. What counts as proof (payslips, bank statements, a contract value) is decided at the consulate, so ask the post you will apply to before you collect documents.
The insurance minimum is in euro while the income bar is in dollars. A policy sold in dollars needs a medical limit of at least the dollar value of EUR 30,000 on the day you apply; check both the limit and the repatriation wording, which the Houston list names explicitly. Our insurance comparison shows medical limits and evacuation terms by insurer.
Who it fits and who it does not
- It fits a salaried remote employee or contractor aged 21 to 55, with a degree, a foreign employer or client, and a passport on the eligible list.
- It does not fit (our reading of the contract rule) freelancers without a written contract with a foreign company, anyone over 55 or under 21, or nationals of a country not on the list. For those, Turkey’s ordinary visitor rules or another country’s scheme is the realistic route; the Europe visa table and the lowest-income ranking are the places to compare.
What we could not confirm
The platform page did not state how long the visa lasts, whether family members can join, or how the short-term residence step that its own title mentions works after arrival. Treat any figure for these that you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until it appears on an official page. Tax treatment is not stated either; the tax residency table explains the general day-count tests.
Living there
Istanbul is the city we cover in Turkey: see the Istanbul city page for planning-estimate costs, wifi and neighbourhoods, and the tracker record for every source.
Method
Built from the visa tracker record, which was read on the GoTürkiye platform and the Houston and Los Angeles consulate documents on 29 Sept 2026. We did not apply for the visa. Consulate fees differ by post and nationality, so the Houston figures are an example, not a rule.