For patients travelling from South Africa
Turkey visa for South Africans: the e-Visa, explained for medical travel
If you hold a South African passport, you need a visa to enter Turkey, and for a short stay that means an e-Visa issued online before you fly. It is quick to get, but it has to fit around your surgery dates, your recovery and the day your surgeon clears you to fly home. This page explains how to apply and how to plan the stay so the visa is never the thing that goes wrong.
In short: Yes, South African passport holders need a visa to enter Turkey. For a short stay, you apply for an e-Visa online on the official government site, evisa.gov.tr, before you fly. It has typically allowed stays of up to 30 days; check the current duration and fee on the official site when you apply. Patients travelling for surgery should make sure their recovery, including any extra days the surgeon asks for, fits inside the permitted stay.
Last updated: October 2026
The short answer
| Do South Africans need a visa? | Yes. Apply for an e-Visa online before departure |
| Where to apply | Only on the official government site, evisa.gov.tr |
| Length of stay | The e-Visa issued to South African passports has allowed short stays of up to 30 days. Confirm the current duration on the official site when you apply |
| Fee | Shown on the official site at the time you apply. Ignore figures quoted by third-party websites |
| Is a medical visa needed? | Not for the typical cosmetic or dental trip that fits within the e-Visa stay. If your treatment plan needs a longer stay, tell us before you book flights |
| When to apply | Once your surgery date and flights are confirmed, and at least a week before you fly |
How to apply, step by step
- Go to evisa.gov.tr and choose South Africa as your country of travel document.
- Enter your arrival date. Use the date you land in Istanbul, not the date you leave South Africa: overnight flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town land the next day.
- Fill in your passport details exactly as they appear in the passport.
- Pay the fee by card on the official site.
- Download the e-Visa, print a copy and keep a copy on your phone. Check the name, passport number and dates before you close the page.
Your passport should have plenty of validity left beyond the date you leave Turkey. If it expires within the next year, renew it before you book: a delayed passport is a far more common reason for a postponed operation than the visa itself.
Fitting the stay around surgery
Most cosmetic procedures keep patients in Turkey for one to two weeks. The flight home to South Africa is roughly twice as long as the flight to the UK, so your surgeon may want you to stay at the longer end of that range before clearing you to fly. Plan your dates so that, even if the surgeon asks you to stay a few extra days, you are still well inside the period your e-Visa allows.
- Book a flexible return ticket, or one you can change for a fee you can absorb.
- Do not book a stopover holiday after surgery without asking the surgeon first. Long walks through airports and cities in the first week are not part of recovery.
- Combined procedures such as a mummy makeover can need a longer stay. Ask how long before you apply.
Mistakes that cost patients money
- Using a look-alike visa website. Several sites charge a service fee for submitting the same form. The official address is evisa.gov.tr.
- Entering the departure date instead of the arrival date. Overnight flights land the following day.
- Assuming the rules have not changed. Entry rules for South Africans have changed at short notice before. Check the official site when you apply, not when you first start planning.
- Relying on standard travel insurance. Most policies exclude planned surgery abroad. Ask your insurer specifically.
What we arrange once you land
Surgery takes place in contracted private hospitals in İzmir. From Istanbul it is a short domestic flight to İzmir, where you are met at the airport and taken to the hospital or your accommodation. What is included in your package, and how recovery at Mandarin Grove works, is set out on the packages page.
Frequently asked questions
Do South Africans need a visa for Turkey?
Yes. For a short stay, South African passport holders apply for an e-Visa online before travelling.
How long can South Africans stay in Turkey on an e-Visa?
The e-Visa issued to South African passports has typically allowed stays of up to 30 days. Confirm the current duration on evisa.gov.tr when you apply, because entry rules can change.
How do I apply for a Turkish e-Visa from South Africa?
Go to evisa.gov.tr, choose South Africa as your country of travel document, enter the date you land in Turkey, fill in your passport details, pay by card and download the e-Visa. Keep a printed and a digital copy.
Do I need a medical visa for cosmetic surgery in Turkey?
Not for a typical cosmetic or dental trip that fits within the e-Visa stay. If your treatment plan needs a longer stay, tell us before you book flights.
What if my surgeon asks me to stay longer?
Plan your dates so that a few extra days still fall well inside the permitted stay, and book a return ticket you can change. If the surgeon asks you to stay beyond that, tell the team immediately.
Before you apply for anything, get your treatment plan and dates confirmed: book a free online consultation. If you are still deciding whether to travel at all, read is Revitalize in Turkey safe? first, and see the full guide for South African patients.