How to get a residence permit in Turkey 2025
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Author: Lawyer Cihat BALTAŞ / Istanbul / 31.10.2024
If you want to get a residence permit in Turkey and do not know where to start, you can make your residence permit application on your own by reading this article. In this article, we will tell you in detail how to get a residence permit in Turkey, starting from zero to the end. We have answered many important questions such as what we should pay attention to for a residence permit.
Let us quickly explain for you how to get a residence in Turkey:
We will examine the application for Residence Permit in Turkey by dividing it into 4 steps. These steps are as follows;
1- Pre-preparation to application
2- Online application phase
3- Physical preparation of necessary documents
4- Going to the appointment day, submitting the documents and giving fingerprints
Now we will explain the stages we have listed above to you one by one in every detail; In order to apply for a residence permit, we must have a preparation stage, then we will apply online, then we will prepare our documents and go to the Immigration Administration on the appointment day. Now let’s explain the stages in order;
1-Pre-preparation to application
In order to obtain a residence permit in Turkey, certain procedures must be carried out prior to the application. At this stage, we need some information and documents before applying online to the Migration Management e-residence application system. We have a preparation phase before starting the application online.
Our necessary preparations should be the following, there is no point in starting the residence permit application without doing these procedures.
a- Indication of the address to stay in Turkey. We must show the Migration Office(Göç İdaresi) where we will be staying.
b- Health insurance
c- Being in Turkey legally.
d- Having a valid passport
Let’s explain these items in detail:
a-) Indication of the address to stay in Turkey
We need to show the Immigration Office where we will be staying.
Before starting the online application for a residence permit, we need to determine where our address will be. We can determine our address in two ways. We can rent a house in Turkey or get a foreign guest commitment letter(yabancı misafir taahhütnamesi) from a relative or friend.
At this point, it should be noted that some addresses are closed for residence permit. We need to rent a house or get a commitment letter from the regions open to residence permit.
2024 districts closed for residence permit applications in Istanbul province: (Provincial immigration administration announcement dated 19.10.2022)
In Istanbul, ‘Avcılar, Bahçelievler, Bağcılar, Başakşehir, Esenler, Esenyurt, Fatih, Küçükçekmece, Sultangazi and Zeytinburnu’ regions are completely closed to residence permit applications.
You should not apply from the closed addresses mentioned above, the house you will rent or the foreign guest commitment letter you will receive from your friend should be from open addresses outside these regions. The point to be considered here is that we need to make a lease contract in the form of a notary arrangement while renting a house. The Immigration Administration does not accept lease contracts made outside the Notary Public.
It is necessary to pay attention to the start date and end date of the lease contract, and a residence permit application should be made after renting the house. The duration of the lease contract must cover the duration of the requested residence permit.
The example of the lease contract of the house we have rented and the example of the foreign guest commitment letter should be as follows;
b-) Foreign Health Insurance
One of the documents we will need during the online application for residence permit is foreign health insurance. During the online application, between which dates we are applying for a residence permit, we must have health insurance between those dates. We will also need the foreign health insurance policy number we have made during the online application.
Example: During our residence permit application, we will be asked about the requested residence permit duration. In this case, the requested residence permit period and the foreign health period must be compatible with each other. The duration of foreign health insurance must cover the duration of the requested residence permit.
How Do I Make Foreign Health Insurance?
You can get foreign health insurance by going to any insurance agency in Turkey or by calling by phone. Another method is to get help from online insurance agencies by typing foreign health insurance in google. In this way, you can get your foreign health insurance in PDF format within 15 minutes. You can use your health insurance you have received in PDF format during the online application phase.
c-) Being Legally Present in Turkey
Only persons who are in Turkey legally can apply for a residence permit. Persons who are in Turkey illegally, persons whose legal visa has expired, persons who have entered Turkey illegally and persons without a valid passport cannot apply for a residence permit.
Online applications made by persons who have exceeded the legal period of stay and stayed in Turkey illegally are not automatically accepted by the website. Persons who come to Turkey within the 90-day free visa period must apply for a residence permit online before the end of 90 days if they want to apply for a residence permit.
Likewise, it is not possible to apply for a residence permit from abroad. Residence permit application must be made with the passport information entered into Turkey.
d-) Having a valid passport
In order to apply for a residence permit, we need a passport number. With this passport, we can apply through the online e-residence system of the immigration administration
The duration of the requested residence permit must be compatible with the duration of your passport. The duration of your passport must be at least 60 days longer than the requested residence permit.
In addition, you must have a notarised translation of your passport in order to be able to issue a lease contract.
2- Online Application Step
After completing the documents listed above for the residence permit, we are now ready for online application. The process of obtaining a residence permit will continue as follows after this stage; Online application to the Migration Administration, preparation of the necessary documents after the online application and delivery of the documents by going to the Migration Administration at the appointment time with the documents.
The official online application page of the Migration Administration for residence permit is https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/. This page can be accessed by typing ‘e residence application’ in Google. It should be noted that some counselling sites will want to mislead you by showing themselves as the Migration Administration(Göç İdaresi). The Migration Management application page will be as we show the example below.
Residence Permit Online Application Stages
During the application on the official website of the residence permit, you will see the following screens. You can apply online by following the steps in these pictures. We have shown it for you in order below.
Note: The phone number entered on this page must be a phone number in use. The immigration authority will send a code to this phone number to continue the process. The telephone number entered here is important in the following respects;
*In case of missing documents among your residence permit documents, a message will be sent to this phone number again
*It will also send you a message to set your appointment date
*Your residence permit application result will be sent to the telephone number you entered here
*If your residence permit is approved, the postal tracking number of your card will be sent to this telephone number.
3- Documents Required for Residence Permit
After the online application stage mentioned above is completed, an appointment date is given approximately 15 days later. On the appointment date, the documents we have listed here must be prepared and the documents must be submitted to the immigration authority on the appointment day.
1- Residence Permit Application Form
2- Photocopy of Passport (Having a passport 60 days longer than the requested residence permit period)
3- Two (2) Biometric Photographs
4- Declaration of Your Income
5- Receipt showing that the Residence Fee and Residence Fee Card Fee has been paid
6- Foreign health insurance
7- Document showing that you are registered in the Address Registration System (settlement certificate-Yerleşim Yeri Belgesi, not required in the first application)
8- Document showing the place of stay (lease contract in the form of a notary public)
9- UETS address (Required for residence permit extension applications)
We will explain the details of the residence permit documents for you below. The documents we will explain here are the documents required for a short-term residence permit, which is mostly applied by everyone in Turkey.
For more detailed information for short-term residence documents : Short Term Residence Permit Required Documents
For documents required for family residence permit: Family Residence Permit Required Documents
1- Residence Permit Application Form
After the online application for e-residency is completed, this document will be given to you automatically by the system. This document should be printed out and placed among the necessary documents and submitted to the immigration office on the appointment day.
4- Declaration of Your Income
This income declaration section is a section that is filled in online. It is one of the online information we will fill in during the residence permit online application.
5- The Residence Fee and Residence Card Fee Receipt
After the online application is made, there are two taxes that you have to pay to the state. These taxes are;
1- Residence Permit Card Fee
2- Residence Permit Fee
The residence permit fee and card fee can be paid from the interractive tax office after the online application is made. After payment, you must receive the payment receipt from the interractive tax office and keep this receipt. When you submit your documents to the migration office, you will also submit this receipt to the migration office. The sample document should look like the one below.
If you want to learn in detail how to pay your residence permit fee, we recommend you to read our related article: HOW TO PAY RESIDENCE PERMIT FEE AND CARD FEE?
6- Foreign health insurance
Health insurance for foreigners is quite simple online. By typing “yabancı sağlık sigortası” in Google, health insurance is made from a reliable insurance agency from the results and health insurance can be obtained as PDF within 15 minutes.
There is no need for a wet signature and seal for the health insurance you will make. Health insurances made in PDF form and printed out are sufficient.
7- Document showing that you are registered in the Address Registration System
This document, which is among the residence permit application documents, is known as ‘Certificate of Settlement-Yerleşim Yeri Belgesi’. This document is not required for first applications. ‘Certificate of Settlement-Yerleşim Yeri Belgesi’ is a document that is only required for residence permit extension applications. If you are applying for a residence permit for the first time, your document showing the place to stay (such as lease contract, guest commitment letter) listed in number 8 will be sufficient for you.
For detailed information on ‘Certificate of Settlement-Yerleşim Yeri Belgesi’ : WHAT IS A SETTLEMENT CERTIFICATE?
8- Document showing the place of stay
The document you need to provide under this heading is the document you used when applying for a residence permit online. Here, a lease contract or Foreign Guest Undertaking in the form of a Notary Public is generally used in residence permit applications. In addition, if you are staying in your own home, it will be sufficient to show your title deed.
a) If the person will stay in his/her own home
If you are staying in your own apartment, a photocopy of the title deed is sufficient. At the time of appointment, the original title deed document must be taken with you.
b) Lease Agreement (must be issued by a notary public)
If you are staying in an apartment with a lease agreement Lease Contract in the form of a Notarial Arrangement.
Note: The rental contract must be made at a notary public. The provincial migration administration does not accept the rental contracts made outside the notary and approved by the notary.
If you are staying in places such as hotels, hostels, dormitories, you will find it useful in signed documents that you stay in these places.
Students can prove that they stay in the dormitory with the signed document they will receive from the management in the dormitory where they stay.
9- UETS document
The UETS address is an electronic mail address. People can obtain this address by going to PTT directorates in person with their residence permit card. You need an e-government password for the UETS address. If you have an e-government password, the UETS address can be obtained by going to the PTT general directorate without an appointment.
People need this document if they are applying for a residence permit extension. If foreigners are applying for a residence permit for the first time, they do not need a UETS address.
Sample UETS form;
4- Going to the Immigration Office on the Appointment Day
We applied for a residence permit online, we printed the residence permit application document after the online application. After this stage, we will prepare the necessary documents on the appointment date told to us in the application document and go to the immigration administration in person with the documents and submit the documents.
In some cases, the appointment date is not written in the immigration administration application document, and then it is sent to the telephone number you have given to the immigration administration.
Issues to be considered on the way to the appointment day, do not forget to take a pink file with you, you give your documents in a pink file. The pink file is usually sold in stationeries around the immigration authorities.
After submitting your documents on the appointment day, you give fingerprints on the same day and your residence permit application process is over. After this process, you are now waiting for your application result. Your application result comes as a message to your phone you have given. If your application is positive, your residence permit card will be sent to you by PTT. If your application is negative, you have to leave Turkey within 10 days.
Note: If you are applying for a tourism short-term residence permit, we recommend that you prepare a tourism travel plan and put it in the file. As BatasGlobal, we always prepare a tourism travel plan for our clients and put it in their files.
Residence Permit Application Result Inquiry
After completing your application, you can follow every process related to your residence procedures on the official website of the Migration Management https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/. We enter the Migration Management E residence application page. From here, you can access information about your application by clicking on the ‘I would like to see my application result’ tab and continuing by typing the necessary information from the screen that appears.
Your control page about your application will be seen in this way. Here you can view the status of your application.
Costs of obtaining a residence permit in Turkey
Residence permit card tax: 810 Turkish Lira – (22,5 $)
Residence permit fee: 2000-3000 Turkish Lira – (55,5 $)
Passport translation and notarisation: 2500 Turkish Lira – (70 $)
Health insurance: 2800 Turkish Lira – (80 $)
Photograph fee: 300 Turkish Lira – (9 $)
Accommodation fee (real estate, lawyer, rent, deposit): 155.500 Turkish Lira – (4390 $) ; If you are going to stay with a friend and if you are going to get a foreign guest commitment letter from the notary, please do not calculate the rental cost from the accommodation costs. It costs approximately 3000 Turkish Liras to obtain a foreign guest commitment letter from a notary public.
Total cost : 164.500 Turkish Lira – (4630 $)
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my application be rejected if I have missing documents?
If you have a missing document on the appointment day, you will be given 30 days and you will be asked to complete the missing document. When you complete your missing document, your application will be evaluated.
Can I leave the country during the evaluation process of my residence permit application?
After submitting your residence permit application, an application document is requested from the provincial immigration administration. With this application document, people can enter and exit, provided that they do not exceed 15 days.
Can I apply for a residence permit from abroad without coming to Turkey?
It is not possible to apply for a residence permit without entering Turkey. Do not rely on people who say that they will apply for a residence permit on your behalf without entering Turkey. Only work permit applications can be made from abroad.
I will stay with my friend, can my friend give me a letter of undertaking?
In case of staying with 3rd persons, a notarised foreign guest commitment letter is requested from these persons. With this commitment letter, you can show the address where you will stay.
Is there a need for a criminal record certificate for all family members in family residence permit applications?
No, only the supporting person’s criminal record for the last 5 years is required for family residence permit applications.
Are documents obtained from e-Government valid for residence permit applications? Can I use these documents directly?
Documents obtained from e-Government can be used at the Immigration Administration provided that they have a barcode. However, some documents cannot be used at the Immigration Administration even if they are obtained from e-Government. Example: The telephone subscription paper obtained through e-Government will not be valid.
What if there are missing documents in my residence permit application?
You will be given 30 days to complete your missing documents. Within this 30-day period, you can complete your missing document and submit your documents again. If you do not complete your missing document, your application will be deemed withdrawn.
How much money do I need to have in the bank for a residence permit?
For a short-term residence permit and for a student residence permit, the Immigration Administration(Göç İdaresi) does not ask you to show a document related to the money you have. The income declaration you have made during the online application is sufficient. For a family residence permit, the supporting person must have a total income of no less than the minimum wage under all circumstances, and each family member must have an income of at least one third of the minimum wage. For a long-term residence permit, the person must have a regular income in Turkey. Proof of regular income will be the salary received from the working life, as well as the person’s income-generating real estate, the person’s income status is considered to be proven in cases such as having enough money to live in Turkey in the bank.
How long does it take to finalise a residence permit?
Residence permit is finalised within 1 month for Istanbul. After applying online, an appointment is made 15 days later and the result is announced approximately 15 days after completing your application by submitting your documents on the appointment date.
Lawyer Cihat BALTAŞ
Lawyer Cihat BALTAŞ graduated from Police College in 2006, Police Academy in 2010, Yalova Law Faculty in 2016 with a degree and has worked and specialised in foreign law throughout his professional life. Cihat BALTAŞ, who is currently working as a lawyer in Kadıköy, Istanbul, is the founder of BaltaşGlobal law and consultancy office.
