Apply for a residence permit for Turkey

With a residence permit (Ikamet) you can legally live in Turkey for a longer period of time. You will need this document if you want to stay in Turkey for more than 90 days per 180 days. You also need this document if you want to buy a car/ scooter or want your own telephone or internet connection. You are not allowed to work in Turkey with this document, you must apply for a work permit for this.

There are a total of six different types of residence permits. In this article we limit ourselves to a short-term residence permit (one to two years). Property owners in Turkey and tenants of properties in Turkey can relatively easily obtain a residence permit. If you are submitting an application for the first time, you must submit a request online and then make an appointment online with the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management to appear in person and to explain your application.

Overview of the required documents

Application form for the residence permit - completed and signed by the applicant or his legal representative

Passport or identity card - photocopy of the sections with information about your identity and passport photo on it. You must be able to show your original passport at the appointment at the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.

4 recent biometric color passport photos - not older than 6 months with a white background. If you submit a selfie, black-and-white photos or photos that are otherwise different, your request will be rejected immediately.

Statement from which it appears that your financial situation will be sufficient to provide for you during your stay. The directorate is authorized to request additional documents on this.

Valid health insurance. The insurance must cover the full duration of the residence permit being applied for. One of the following documents is considered sufficient:

- Document signed / signed electronically with stamps or stamps that can be obtained from the local social insurance offices (SGK) stating that the foreigner can use the health facilities in Turkey on the basis of bilateral social insurance treaties;

- An electronically signed / signed document with stamps or stamps that shows that you have applied to the social insurance office (SGK) to be insured there;

- Private health insurance. The policy must explicitly include a phrase with the statement: "this policy covers the minimum requirements for coverage in accordance with what is prescribed in circular number 9, dated 06-06-2014 regarding health insurance policies taken out to enable residence permits". You must be able to submit the original policy with signatures and stamps. In practice, it has been found that this type of health insurance policy is enormously expensive and pays very little for medical problems.

As a reason for residence, having ownership in Turkey is generally sufficient. To prove this, you must submit a copy of your proof of ownership. It is possible to obtain a residence permit on the basis of rent. In that case, the rent contract must be legalized by the Turkish notary.

Address and contact details

On the application form you must enter your residence address in Turkey. For this you can use your fixed address or the address of the accommodation where you actually stay. This must be a correct address, since the residence permit is sent to this address by registered mail. You will receive a message about this via your e-mail and text message. This data must therefore also be displayed correctly.

If you move at the time of the application, you must provide the relevant authorities with the correct information within twenty working days.

After issuing the residence permit, a check is always made by the local police (jandarma). They actually visit the address you provided during the application for the residence permit in person.

How do you demonstrate your financial situation?

Until recently it was sufficient to be able to submit a bank statement from your Turkish bank. This statement had to contain a minimum balance of 500 US Dollars (or the same amount in Euro or Turkish Lira) per month that you wanted to apply for the residence permit. This requirement was formulated more broadly in April 2018.

You can still prove your financial position through overviews of income from real estate, rent, salary, profit from business, inheritance or savings.

If the Directorate is not convinced that your income is sufficient to make your stay in Turkey possible, you are authorized to request the following documents from you:

Pension statement (bank book showing that you have income from retirement or an employer's statement from those who are retired, but still have an active income from work). In the Netherlands this is issued by the Sociale VerzekeringsBank;

Statement from the bank (showing the banking activities of at least the last six months);

International credit card (a bank statement showing the activities of at least the past six months and up-to-date information about the limits must be demonstrated);

Current income statement where it is explicitly stated that no seizure has been made or a restriction applies to income;

Document showing the amount in the bank for the stay in Turkey;

Statements from companies must be provided with signatures and stamps, as well as a signature circular to be able to verify signatures;

Documents proving income from a deposit account;

In the case of income from rent: a copy of the proof of ownership of the property and a lease that is not older than two years;

For people with their own business: copy of the company's tax certificate, copy of the trade newspaper showing the company's establishment, signature circular, balance sheet and income statement for the past three years, approved by the tax authorities or a registered accounting firm, the balance sheet of the current accounting year, registration with the Chamber of Commerce or a certificate of registration. If these documents come from abroad, they must be accompanied by a legalized translation by a sworn translator.