Benefits of the Turkish Residence

When someone wants to stay in Turkey for a period of more than 90 days within a half-year period, he/she will need to apply for a Turkish Residency Permit. 

The applicant will then be granted a stay in Turkey, have access to education, he/she can marry, also convert his/her driver’s license into a Turkish one, get a tax id number, open a bank account, purchase properties… etc.

A work permit will also be needed if someone is traveling to Turkey for the purpose of work.

Who Is Required to Have a Residency Permit?

Everyone who comes to Turkey with the aim of staying for more than three months must get a Turkish Residency Permit after his/her entrance. Your stay in Turkey will be considered illegal if you do not have a residency permit

Types of Turkish Residence Permit.

Short-term residence permit

Within all residency permits, the Turkish short-term residency permit is the most sought after. This residency permit can be obtained for any of the following reasons:

• For academic research purposes. 
• To make commercial contacts or trade. 
• To take part in a course of on-the-job education. 
• In the scope of student exchange programs, for academic or related objectives. 
• Tourism. 
• Persons who purchase a property for more than $250K USD receive Turkish citizenship; however, people who purchase for less than $250K USD can get a residency permit in Turkey, which is renewed every two years. 
• Receiving medical care if you do not have one of the diseases is considered a risk to public health.

Family residence permit

A family residency permit can be issued to a Turkish national's foreign wife, children below the age of majority, and dependent foreign kids. For people requesting for a residence permit to be granted, the sponsor must have enough money to sustain them.

Student residence permit

If you are coming to Turkey for the purpose of your studies, you will have to apply for a student residency permit. However, it will not be needed if you already have a family residency permit. 

All types of studies and educational programs are included in the student residency permit, from elementary and secondary classes to associate degrees, bachelor, master, PhD, medical studies… etc. 

Long-term residence permit

In case someone has stayed in Turkey for a period of 8 years continuously and has had a Turkish residency permit throughout this whole period, thus, he/she can apply for a long-term residency permit, which doesn’t have an expiration date. 

However, it should be mentioned that if someone has resided in Turkey as a refugee, secondary protection status holder, or humanitarian resident visa holder, he/she is not allowed to apply for a long-term residency permit.

Humanitarian residence permit

If someone is in Turkey without a valid visa, and no deportation has been made against that individual, is waiting to be deported, or can’t return to his/her country of residence because of some emergency case, he/she can apply for a humanitarian residency permit.

Residence permit for victims of human trafficking.

Anyone who is a victim of human trafficking can apply for this type of residency permit.

How to Apply for a Turkey Residence Permit?

There are some administrative procedures that must be followed in order to apply for a Turkish residency permit. And the first step of them is to apply within a month after entering Turkey.

Then the applicant should choose which type of residency permit he/she should apply for, following his/her status. Afterward, the applicant should enter the Turkish Ministry of Interior’s website http://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr and fill out the application form by entering all the required information such as name & surname, place, and date of birth and all the necessary personal information related to the residency permit application. 

Required Documents for a Turkey Residence Permit

Same as any other administrative application and paperwork process, there are some requirements and documents that will be needed in order to submit an application in good standing.

The documents that will be needed are as follow: 

• Residency permit application form

• 4 biometric photos

• Original passport

• Notarized copy of the passport or travel document

• Evidence of substantial and long-term financial resources for the period of the residence. It should be proven that the applicant can finance himself/herself during his/her stay in Turkey, either through a bank statement or proof that he/she will receive financial resources 
• Health insurance

It is important to acknowledge that depending on the application position, the type of residence permit he/she is asking for, his/her nationality, he/she may be required to provide extra documentation. The application must be aware of any extra documentation that might be needed. 

How long does it take to get the Turkish Residence Permit?

Usually, it takes between 1 – 3 months for the issuance of the Turkish Residency Permit, the process takes some time due to the different types of residencies permits, each type has its own kind of treatment and management process. 

Once the application is handed to the immigration department, an SMS will be sent to the applicant within 20 days up to 1 month, stipulating whether the application has been accepted or not.

After that, it will be only a matter of days or weeks before receiving the residency permit card. 

To sum up, the Turkish Residency Permit is very important and has a lot of advantages, same as opening a bank account, studying, opening a company, renting an apartment, buying a property… etc. you can find apartments for sale in Istanbul with our best deals.

Resources

Turkish immigration department (goç idaresi) - official website.