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Turkey

Visa application centres in Turkey

This page contains information about our visa application centres in Ankara, Bursa, Gaziantep, Istanbul or Izmir. It also explains what to bring with you and what will happen when you attend your appointment at a visa application centre. You can find the addresses and opening times of the visa application centres on the WorldBridge in Turkey website.

Unless you are exempt from enrolling your biometric information, you must book and attend an appointment at our visa application centre as part of your application. The Booking an appointment page contains more information.

What will happen when you attend your appointment?

When you attend your appointment, you will:

  • need to arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before your appointment (if you are late you will need to reschedule);
  • submit a printed copy of your online visa application form and your supporting documents;
  • submit proof of online payment; and
  • enrol your biometric information. The Biometric information page describes the requirements for enrolling this information.

Security Information at the visa application centre

To maintain the safety and security of visa applicants and members of staff the following items are not allowed to be carried into or used in the visa application centre:

  • Mobile Phones
  • Cameras
  • Portable music players
  • Laptops
  • Matches
  • Lighters
  • Guns and ammunition

Persons carrying any of the above prohibited items will be required to leave them in lockers provided before entering the visa application centre.

All items are stored in lockers at the owner's risk.

The following items are also not allowed in the visa application centre and will not be stored in lockers:

  • Sealed packages or sealed letters
  • Knives, including pen knives
  • Weapons, including batons
  • Sharp objects, including scissors and nail files
  • Bags, including suitcases, back-packs, holdalls and sports-bags
  • All other bags will be searched. Any prohibited items will not be allowed into the visa application centre.

The list of prohibited items is subject to change.

What should you bring with you?

When you attend your appointment, you should bring:

  • a signed printout of your completed visa application form including the barcode page;
  • your passport. You are not legally required to have 6 months' validity on your passport at the time you apply for a visa. But your passport must be valid at the time you apply and at the time you arrive in the UK;
  • 1 recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of your face, which meets the requirements in our photograph guidance - you can download this guidance from the right side of this page;
  • proof of online payment;
  • any supporting documents that are relevant to your application and a phototcopy of each document (including English translations); and
  • any previous passports which show evidence of foreign travel.

Your passport must contain at least 1 page that is blank on both sides, so that your visa vignette (sticker) can be inserted.

When will we return your passport?

We will retain your passport until we have made a decision on your visa application. You should remember this when you make your travel arrangements, particularly if you plan to visit other countries before going to the UK.

If you need to collect your passport before a visa decision has been made, your visa application will be withdrawn. Please note that the visa fee is non-refundable, and if you would like to reapply for a visa you will need to lodge another application, submit your biometric data, and pay the visa fee once again.

Urgent and compassionate cases

You should inform a member of staff at the visa application centre if your application is urgent and there are compassionate reasons for travel. We only accept urgent and compassionate cases in very few circumstances and you must provide evidence - see 'More information' below.

More information

  • Document fraud

    It is a serious crime to make false statements, or submit false information or documents, when applying to enter or remain in the UK.

    Before you sign your application form, you must ensure that the information on the form is correct and your supporting documents are genuine and unaltered. Our officers in the UK and overseas are highly trained to detect fraud.

    If you provide false information, documents or passports, or if you lie or withhold information in support of your application, we will refuse the application and you will face serious consequences. You could:

    • be banned from entering the UK for 10 years;
    • be removed from the UK, if you are already here;
    • be charged with a crime, which could lead to a prison sentence or a fine; and
    • receive a permanent record of fraud on the UK Border Agency database.

    It is better to explain why you do not have a document than to submit a false document.
  • Urgent and compassionate cases

    We only accept applications as urgent and compassionate in the following circumstances:

    • serious illness or death of an immediate family member (the applicant's mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, son or daughter); or
    • emergency medical treatment which includes people who need to travel with you for support (for example, a parent caring for an ill child).