Residency Permit
Turkey is definitely a country you cannot resist falling in love with. Before you know it, you will find yourself lost in a fairytale, enveloped by the smell of honey and species, wishing to stay here forever.
Foreigners are allowed to stay on the territory of the Turkish Republic without a visa for no longer than 90 days per year. Meanwhile, you can not stay here for 90 days without a break. By the expiration of 60 days, you have to leave the country even for a day and then you will be able to get back for another 30 days. Otherwise, you will have to pay a huge penalty and be deported.
Are there any legal ways to stay in Turkey without citizenship?
Residency permit.
Turkey is well known for its hospitality and welcomes all the foreigners who decided to stay here for a bit longer. So any foreigner who is up to getting a touristic residency permit can obtain it easily. Also, you can get a two years residency permit by purchasing a property under 400.000 USD, and then you can extend it.
Except for all the mentioned options, there are also different causes to obtain a residency permit:
- Long-term real estate rent
- Reunification
- Business
- Education
- Medical treatment
- Refugee or a human trafficking victim status
What privileges do you have with a residency permit in Turkey?
- You can stay in Turkey, freely go out and get back to the country all the time of expiration date of your residency permit
- You can travel through the country freely
- You can try to get a mortgage
- Medical insurance
- You can get a driving license and buy a car in Turkey
- Your kids are able to go to the public school
How to get a residency permit and that you should know.
We recommend you start the process of obtaining a residency permit by getting bank statements in your country. Usually, these documents are not required but the staffer of the Migration service can ask you to see your bank statement.
Do not forget to buy a Turkish SIM card when you arrive. You will need it to get a tax identification number and SMS about the evaluation of your residence permit application.
The next step is a long-term property rent or purchase of the real estate. Short-term rent is forbidden in Turkey so you have to have one year lease.
Getting your identification tax number for obtaining a residency permit is a must, although, it is a simple and fast procedure. You need only your passport and its copy, the address of the place you rented or bought. You also have to write your father’s and mother’s first names on the copies of your passport in Latin letters.
Do not forget that a set of documents also requires 6 biometric pictures shot on a white background.
To get medical insurance which is also requested for a residency permit application, you should appeal to an insurance company. Insurances usually vary in cost. For example, female medical insurance costs a little bit more than male ones. Children under 18 and old people over 65 years do not need to buy medical insurance.
Opening a bank account in a Turkish bank and putting invoices under your name. You can open a bank account in Turkey without a residency permit, although you will need to put the utility bills under your name to prove that you are living in the place you rented or purchased. You should have these documents to open a bank account: passport, tax identification number, reissued invoices, and a lease.
When you get all the documents, you have to make a rendezvous in the migrational service. Fill out the form on the website https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr and get to know the date and time of your appointment. Also, you have to pay the tax for making an application.
The rendezvous in migration service itself goes fast and simple without a long interview. Make sure you have all the papers you need and a pink Dosya folder for the documents.
The list of required papers:
- a signed application for a residency permit
- passport with notary approved copies
- bank statements from the banks of your country and Turkey
- 6 biometric pictures
- medical insurance
- notary approved lease
- copy of the landlord’s passport
- copy of TAPU for the place you rent
- birth certificate (for children only)
When all your papers are accepted in the Migration service, a staffer will put a sticker on your passport with the date and time of your appointment and let you go. In a few weeks, you will get an SMS on the evaluation of your application and then the courier will personally bring it to your address.
The terms of obtaining a residency permit are usually limited by one month.
The process of getting a residency permit is not that tough and long, but it requires a lot of attention to small details and paperwork. Also, the conditions of obtaining permits are always changing and you should follow all of them. COSy Life Consulting can help you to avoid an extra headache and do all the work for you. All you have to do is bring us your passport and in a few days pick up a pink Dosya folder with all the docs you need for a rendezvous in the Migration service.
Get a consultation on obtaining a residency permit in Turkey by filling out the feedback form on our website or contacting us directly.