Turkey visa & length-of-stay guide for cancer treatment
Most patients from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan don’t need any visa at all for a typical treatment stay — they enter visa-free. Here’s exactly how long that covers, and the official path if multi-cycle treatment runs longer.
Visa-free stay, by passport
| Rule | Russia | Kazakhstan | Uzbekistan | Azerbaijan | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa-free stay (ordinary passport) | 60 days | 90 days | 90 days | 90 days | 90 days |
| Rolling window | — | Any 180 days | Any 180 days | Any 180 days | — |
These are ordinary-passport rules, verified against the official source below on 10 Jul 2026. Bilateral arrangements can change — confirm your specific case with the source directly, especially if you're reading this well after that date.
The passport-validity rule almost everyone misses
Separate from how long you can stay, your passport itself must be valid for at least 60 days beyond your stay’s duration. For a stay near the 90-day maximum, that works out to roughly 150 days of remaining passport validity at entry — check this before you book flights, not at the airport.
If multi-cycle treatment runs longer than your visa-free window
This is the part most guides don’t cover. Some treatment protocols — multiple chemotherapy cycles, staged procedures, or extended recovery — can run past a 60 or 90-day visa-free allowance. The official mechanism for this is a short-term residence permit for medical treatment, and its duration is tied to your actual treatment length, not a fixed cap. Health insurance isn’t required for this permit if you’re certifying that you’re covering treatment costs yourself — and that insurance exemption extends to up to two accompanying caregivers as well.
The application requires a document from your hospital confirming admission and treatment has started, stating the expected duration, signed and sealed by the treating and chief physician — apply online through the official e-ikamet portal once you have it.