Turkey's 90/180 rule: how long Brits can stay in Fethiye without a visa
A British passport gets you 90 days in any 180 in Turkey, no visa needed; count them carefully, because the border computer certainly will.
The short version
- British citizen passport holders can visit Turkey without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for business or tourism [1].
- This is Turkey's own rule. Turkey isn't in the EU or Schengen, so days in Fethiye don't use up your Schengen allowance, and days in Greece don't count against Turkey [1].
- Your passport needs at least 150 days left when you arrive, plus a blank page [1].
- The visa-free stay doesn't allow work. Anyone planning to work needs the right permits [1].
- To stay beyond 90 days you must apply for a residence permit through e-ikamet before your legal stay ends [3].
How the rule works
The 90/180 rule is a rolling window, not a calendar-year allowance. On any day you're in Turkey, look back over the previous 180 days. If you've already spent 90 of them in Turkey, you're at the limit and must leave or hold a residence permit [1].
The day you arrive and the day you leave both count as days in Turkey. A long weekend in Fethiye in April is four days off your allowance, not two.
Other British passports work differently. The FCDO notes that the visa-free rule applies to British citizen passports, and holders of other kinds of British passport need a visa [1]. If yours says British National (Overseas), British Overseas Territories citizen or similar, check before you book.
A worked example
Say you fly into Dalaman for a winter in Çalış on 1 November and stay until 29 January. Here's how it adds up:
| Trip | Dates | Days in Turkey | Running total in the last 180 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter stay | 1 November to 29 January | 90 | 90: you must leave by 29 January |
| Back home | 30 January to 29 April | 0 | Days from November start dropping off from 30 April |
| Spring visit | 1 to 30 May | 30 | 89 on 30 May: the window now reaches back to 2 December, so 59 winter days plus 30 spring days, just inside |
The easy mistake is assuming the clock resets when you leave. It doesn't: if you came back on 1 March, you'd still have spent 90 of the last 180 days in Turkey, and you couldn't come in visa-free.
Write your dates in a notebook or a spreadsheet and keep your boarding passes. The border computer has the official record, but it's better to know where you stand before the passport officer at Dalaman does.
Before you travel
- Passport validity. At least 150 days left on arrival and one blank page for visitors. Once you live in Turkey, the FCDO says your passport must be valid for six months from the date you arrive [1]. Remember the UK passport rules too: our guide to renewing a British passport from abroad covers that.
- Land borders. If you arrive by land, make sure officials stamp and date your passport [1].
- Day trips to Greece. Fethiye is a ferry ride from Rhodes. The EU's Entry/Exit System applies when you cross into Greece as a non-EU national, so expect extra waiting time [1]. The trip doesn't reset your Turkish days, and Greek days count towards your separate Schengen allowance.
- Children. Children aged 17 and under need a notarised letter of authority to travel without one or both parents or guardians, according to the FCDO's Living in Turkey guide [2]. Dual British–Turkish children may need permission from the Turkish parent to leave Turkey [1].
What overstaying costs
Overstaying in Turkey is taken seriously. If you're still in the country after your 90 days without a residence permit or a pending application, expect:
- A fine at the border. You pay it when you leave, and it grows with the length of the overstay.
- An entry ban. Longer overstays bring entry bans, and the ban gets longer as the overstay does, up to several years. Leaving voluntarily and paying the fine is treated far more leniently than being caught and deported, or leaving without paying.
- Trouble later. An entry ban or removal decision is grounds for refusing, cancelling or not renewing a residence permit [4]. Overstay records stay on file and can come up again when you apply for an ikamet years later.
The migration authority also says that if you let a residence permit lapse without applying to renew it, you're charged the permit fee for the time you spent in Turkey anyway [3].
We've kept the exact fines and ban lengths in words because the official figures change and the tiers depend on circumstances. If you've overstayed, or think you might have, call the Foreigners Communication Centre (YİMER) on 157 from a Turkish phone, or +90 312 157 11 22 from abroad, before you go to the airport [3].
Moving on to an ikamet
If 90 days isn't enough, the answer is a residence permit, not a "visa run". The migration authority says anyone staying beyond their visa, visa exemption or 90 days must apply for a residence permit through the e-residence system, and attend the migration office on the appointment date [3].
- Apply before day 90. The application must be made while your legal stay is still valid [3]. Leave a margin: appointment dates can be weeks away in busy months.
- Pick the right permit. Most Brits in Fethiye apply for a short-term permit as a property owner or for tourism [4].
- Sort health insurance for the full period you're asking for [3].
- Keep the application document. Once you've applied, it lets you stay while your case is decided, and it allows a trip abroad of up to 15 days with the fee receipt. Any longer and the visa rules apply again [3].
The law gives the migration authority up to 90 days to decide once your file is complete [3]. Our guide to the ikamet covers the documents, fees and renewals.
Snowbirds and second-home owners
Plenty of Brits split the year between the UK and Fethiye. If you own property but only spend spring and autumn here, you might stay within 90 in 180 and never need an ikamet. Keep an eye on three things:
- The count. Two three-month stays close together will trip the rule. Space your trips so no 180-day window holds more than 90 days.
- The UK side. If you're spending most of your time in Turkey, check where you're tax resident under the Statutory Residence Test.
- Health cover. Your GHIC doesn't work in Turkey, so take out travel insurance for each trip. Turkey has no reciprocal health agreement with the UK [2].
Is it safe to travel?
When we checked on 8 November 2026, the FCDO travel advice for Turkey was still current at 8 November 2026 and was last updated on 27 October 2026. It advises against all travel to within 10 km of the border with Syria, which is a long way from Fethiye [5]. The British Honorary Consulate in Fethiye can help with lost passports and emergencies, but it can't help with visa questions [6].
Not sure how many days you've got left? Ask in our community group for Brits in Turkey, where plenty of snowbirds have the spreadsheet to prove it.
Sources
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Turkey travel advice – entry requirements (updated 30 October 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Turkey (last updated 31 December 2025)
- Presidency of Migration Management: Residence permit – general information (checked 8 November 2026)
- Presidency of Migration Management: Residence permit types (checked 8 November 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Turkey travel advice (still current at 8 November 2026, updated 27 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: British Honorary Consulate in Fethiye (updated 7 September 2026)