Turkey and Armenia will simplify visa procedures for holders of diplomatic, service and special passports, allowing eligible travelers from both countries to apply online for a free e-visa starting January 1, 2026, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The ministry said the move was agreed within the framework of the normalization process led by the two countries’ special representatives, reiterating a commitment to pursue “full normalization” and restore ties “without preconditions.”
The measure applies to official passport categories used for government travel. Turkey issues diplomatic passports as well as “service” and “special” passports for state-related duties, while Armenia uses comparable official travel documents.
Turkey and Armenia have had no formal diplomatic relations for decades, and Ankara shut its land border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war. The two countries also remain divided over the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915—widely described by many historians and Armenia as genocide, a characterization Turkey rejects.
Direct talks resumed in 2022, with former Turkish ambassador Serdar Kılıç and Armenian Deputy Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan appointed as special envoys. The envoys announced in July 2022 that they had agreed to begin steps to open the land border to third-country citizens and to start direct air cargo trade.
In their most recent publicly reported meeting in Yerevan in September 2025, the special representatives said they would expedite work on earlier border-crossing arrangements and launch technical studies related to the Gyumri–Kars railway and other connectivity projects, while maintaining the “without preconditions” framework
