Visa news · 17 September 2026

North Cyprus now issues its visa to Nigerian students online. The order of the two visas has changed.

From 16 September 2026, Nigerian nationals apply for the TRNC visa on an e-Visa portal instead of in person at a representative office. The Turkish Embassy in Abuja set out the new sequence on 14 September: get the TRNC e-Visa number first, then apply for the Türkiye transit visa at Sefa Visa Center in Abuja or Lagos. One line in that announcement matters more than the rest: a TRNC e-Visa does not guarantee a Turkish transit visa.

The facts, in one place

Who
Nigerian nationals (the e-Visa regulation also covers Armenian and Syrian nationals).
From
16 September 2026 for Nigeria, per the Turkish Embassy in Abuja's announcement of 14 September. The regulation itself entered into force on 24 August 2026.
Where
kktc-evize.gov.ct.tr/en, run by the TRNC Immigration Department. Support: evisa@kktc-evize.gov.ct.tr, +90 392 611 10 10.
Order
TRNC e-Visa first, then the Türkiye transit visa. Not the other way round.
Fees
USD 40 single entry, USD 80 multiple entry; USD 80 and USD 120 for expedited processing.
Time
Up to 30 days by regulation, extendable to 60. Tourist applications average 3 to 5 business days; student applications depend on document checks.
Still true
No visa on arrival for Nigerian nationals. The double transit visa via Türkiye is still required. A rejected file means no visa.

The route, step by step

  1. 01

    Apply for the TRNC e-Visa online, first

    From 16 September 2026, Nigerian nationals apply for the TRNC visa at kktc-evize.gov.ct.tr instead of in person at a TRNC representative office. Choose the Student category. The portal asks for the passport identity page, a recent biometric photo, the acceptance or student document, and study and accommodation details. The regulation gives the Immigration Department 30 days to decide, extendable to 60 for administrative reasons; the portal says the student timeline depends on document checks.

    Worth knowing

    Single-entry e-Visa USD 40; multiple-entry USD 80; expedited USD 80 and USD 120. Payment is taken after approval, on the portal.

  2. 02

    Receive the e-Visa number

    The decision arrives by e-mail or phone, on the contact details given in the application. Check the spam folder. Mistakes in the application, the portal warns, may delay or reject it, so the file has to be right the first time.

    Worth knowing

    Use the student's own e-mail address on the form, not an agent's.

  3. 03

    Then the Türkiye transit visa, at Sefa Visa

    With the e-Visa number in hand, apply for the Turkish transit visa through Sefa Visa Center in Abuja or Lagos, the authorised application centre for Türkiye visas in Nigeria since January 2026. Sefa says Türkiye visa decisions take about 7 to 30 business days and that the passport should be valid for at least eight months from the date of entry.

    Worth knowing

    The Embassy's own words: obtaining a TRNC e-Visa does not guarantee the issuance of a Turkish transit visa.

  4. 04

    Fly via Türkiye, land at Ercan, then the residence permit

    All flights to Ercan route through Türkiye, which is why the transit visa exists. After arrival, the student residence permit is applied for within 60 days. The same August regulation caps student permits at one year per application and requires universities to report each student's enrolment status to the immigration system every quarter.

    Worth knowing

    A student who stops attending can have the permit cancelled. Enrolment, not the visa, keeps a student legal.

What it means for a February 2027 start

Two decisions now run one after the other, each with its own clock: up to 30 days for the e-Visa by regulation, then 7 to 30 business days for the transit visa by Sefa Visa’s own estimate. Classes at the larger universities begin between 4 and 8 February 2027. Counting back, a Nigerian applicant who wants to be in a lecture hall in February should have a complete file, and the e-Visa application submitted, by early November 2026. Later is possible; it is not safe.

The online step removes the trip to a representative office, and that was the part Nigerian applicants found hardest, because there is no TRNC mission in Nigeria. It does not remove the document check. A file that is incomplete, blurred or inconsistent is now rejected on a portal instead of at a counter.

What we do not know yet

  • How long a student e-Visa is valid and how long a stay it permits. The portal and the regulation reports we have read do not say.
  • Whether the university must upload anything to the immigration system before a student’s e-Visa is decided, or whether the student’s own upload of the acceptance letter is enough.
  • What happens to applications lodged in person at a TRNC mission before 16 September.

We will update this page as the Immigration Department publishes details. Last checked 17 September 2026.

Sources

Related on UniNorth

Student visa walkthrough
Every passport's route, the document list and the 12-week timeline.
Studying in North Cyprus from Nigeria
Money transfers, recognition, community and the concerns Nigerian applicants raise.
Degree recognition in Nigeria
COREN, PCN, MDCN: what each university actually holds.

Applying from Nigeria and want a second pair of eyes on the file before it goes in? Apply through UniNorth: a named person checks every document. Free for the student; the university pays us.