Revised April, 2024 – Resource, Directorate General of Migration Management Turkey
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E-IKAMET RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT DOCUMENTS
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The purpose of providing below supporting documents to Turkish authorities is to determine and evaluate according to Foreigners and International Protection Law No.6458 that during your residence in Turkey you have private Turkish health insurance for residence permit, a Turkish rental or lease contract for local address, and Turkish bank account with some balance to easily show the Migration authorities on how you plan to support yourself during your stay (equal to the Turkish minimum wage index) even if you are not employed in Turkey.
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(foreigners may not request the government for healthcare or welfare assistance during Touristic stay)
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Question: What are the visa-free countries for Turkish residence permit holders? or Turkey residence permit visa free countries to travel abroad?
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Answer: Residence permit is granted to non-Turkish nationals and is permission to live only in Turkey, and enter Turkish airports and borders visa-free, and inappropriate to use to visit other countries or international travel.
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HOW TO PROCESS AND RESIDENCE PERMIT APPLICATION IN TURKEY
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First-time application may be lodged online, to the Göç İdaresi online website before your visit Visa expires. Your documents must be given in person to the Migration Office during your appointment time, to finalize residence permit application process in Turkey and obtain Residence permit ID Card. Residence permit is permission to live in Turkey.
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Renew application May 2019: The foreigner to renew residence permit in 81 provinces in Turkey, the procedure for submitting the e-ikamet documents in 5 days by mail has been canceled and extension applications are no longer done by mail or PTT cargo, courier service. In the new procedure the foreigner shall submit online for extension application and (be present at the determined appointment date and hour) at the provincial / district Directorates of Migration Management they have applied to in their city of house address, to include;
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(Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Bursa, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Mersin, Muğla, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Afyonkarahisar, Aksaray, Amasya, Ardahan, Artvin, Ağrı, Balıkesir, Bartın, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingöl, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Düzce, Edirne, Elazığ, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Giresun, Gümüşhane, Hakkari, Hatay, Isparta, Iğdır, Kahramanmaraş, Karabük, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kilis, Konya, Kütahya, Kırklareli, Kırıkkale, Kırşehir, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Muş, Nevşehir, Niğde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Siirt, Sinop, Sivas, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Uşak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak, Çanakkale, Çankırı, Çorum, Şırnak). Affected area: applications from 81 provinces all over Turkey
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SHORT TERM RESIDENCE PERMIT DOCUMENTS CHECKLIST
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From applicant; (should be present during the interview)
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- Residence Permit Application Form (page 5 must be signed by the foreigner and/or his/her legal lawyer representative, under the condition that the foreigner is present and in Turkey).
. - Passport or original and photocopy of passport substitute document (pages of identity information and the page containing photo and processed pages).
. - Four (4) pcs photos (must have been taken within the last 6 months, against a white background and bio-metric. Do not upload family, selfie, unrecognizable, non up-to-date or black and white photos into the system, otherwise residence permit document shall not be issued!).
. - Declaration which states that financial capacity is provided sufficiently and regularly throughout the stay (Is declared in the Application Form). Directorate may request supporting document for bank statement photocopy showing your Turkish bank account with $500.00 USD deposit for each month stay, equal to the monthly Turkish minimum wage index. For example for a 1 year residence permit it should show $6.000 USD lump-sum amount statement, or $12.000 USD for 2 year duration stay.
. - Private health insurance (Health certificate not required for under age 18 – above age 65 as medical expenses are covered free of charge by Ministry of Health). The policy must have the expression of “This policy covers the minimum coverage stipulated in the circular no 9, dated 06/06/2014, on private health insurance required to be taken out for residence permit applications”. Please present signed and stamped/sealed original insurance policy during interview For extension applications, attach only approved (sealed, signed) copy of your policy into your application file.
. - Apartment or House Rental Contract if you are staying in a rental house with a rental agreement, attach a notary public approved copy of your rental agreement to the application documents.
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Regulation amendment March 2017 and effective 2020 is to add the homeowner Deed title + National ID Card photocopy to the home rental contract as support.
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Addition for Istanbul: You also require 2 additional documents of homeowner, the Numarataş obtained from the Belediye and Tapu Güncel Kayit from the Land Registry and Cadastro Office in Turkey.
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There should be total 6 documents including the Rental contract for applications from Istanbul only.
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LONG TERM RESIDENCE PERMIT DOCUMENTS CHECKLIST
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From applicant; (be present during the short interview)
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- Foreigners having at least 8 years uninterrupted short term residence permit should only apply for transfer.
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- Residence Permit Application Form (must be signed by the foreigner and/or his/her legal representative)
. - Passport or original and photocopy of passport substitute document valid at least for 6 months. (Photocopies of the pages containing identity information and the page containing photo and processed pages are taken. The photocopies of processed pages of all passports used in entering and leaving Turkey during last 8 years must also be submitted).
. - Four (4) pcs photos (must have been taken within the last 6 months, against a white background and bio-metric. Do not upload family, selfie, unrecognizable, non up-to-date or black and white photos into the system, otherwise residence permit document shall not be issued).
. - Photocopies of previous residence permit documents (Submission of originals, if any).
. - Original of e-signed/signed and stamped/sealed document which shows that no social support is received during the last three years (Can be obtained from Social Help And Solidarity Foundation of Governorates / District Governorates).
. - Approved and e-signed/signed document which states financial capacity is to be provided sufficiently and regularly throughout the stay.
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- Criminal records can be obtained from foreigner’s country authorities and Turkish judicial (Criminal records to be obtained from Turkish authorities are considered as sufficient for the foreigners who submit a document which states that criminal records in foreigner’s country can not be issued because foreigner did not enter or leave his/her own country).
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(It would be better for you if you apply for this document at least 3 months before your application against the possibility of long waiting times to obtain this document).
. - Document which shows that the foreigner is registered in Address registration System NVI (e-signed/signed and stamped/sealed document to be obtained from provincial/district registry offices).
. - Private health insurance (Health certificate not required for under age 18 – above age 65 as medical expenses are covered free of charge by Ministry of Health). The policy must have the expression of “This policy covers the minimum coverage stipulated in the circular no 9, dated 06/06/2014, on private health insurance required to be taken out for residence permit applications”. Please present signed and stamped/sealed original insurance policy during interview For extension applications, attach only approved (sealed, signed) copy of your policy into your application file.
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STUDENT RESIDENCE PERMIT DOCUMENTS CHECKLIST
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From applicant; (be present during the short interview)
- Residence Permit Application Form (must be signed by the foreigner and/or his/her legal representative). Applicants in this context are required to obtain tourist e-visa online or sticker visa from consulates of the Republic of Turkey, and enter the country with that visa.
. - Passport or original and photocopy of passport substitute document (pages containing identity information and the page containing photo and processed pages).
. - Four (4) pcs photos (must have been taken within the last 6 months, against a white background and biometric. Do not upload family, selfie, unrecognizable, non up-to-date or black and white photos into the system, otherwise residence permit document shall not be issued!).
. - Declaration which states that financial capacity is provided sufficiently and regularly throughout the stay (Is declared in the Application Form). Directorate may request supporting document for bank statement photocopy showing a Turkish bank account with $500.00 USD deposit for each month stay. For example for a 1 year residence permit it should show $6.000 USD account statement, or $12.000 USD account statement for 2 year stay.
. - Private health insurance (Health certificate not required for under age 18 – above age 65 as medical expenses are covered free of charge by Ministry of Health). The policy must have the expression of “This policy covers the minimum coverage stipulated in the circular no 9, dated 06/06/2014, on private health insurance required to be taken out for residence permit applications”. Please present signed and stamped/sealed original insurance policy during interview For extension applications, attach only approved (sealed, signed) copy of your policy into your application file.
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- Apartment or House Rental Contract if you are staying in a rental house with a rental agreement, attach a notary public approved copy of your rental agreement to the application documents.
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Regulation amendment March 2017 and effective 2020 is to add the homeowners Deed title + National ID Card photocopy to the home rental contract as support.
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Addition for Istanbul: You also require 2 additional documents, the Numarataş document obtained from the Belediye municipality and Tapu Güncel Kayit from the Land and Cadastro Office in Turkey.
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There should be total 6 documents including the Rental contract for applications from Istanbul only.
- Student certificate which shows that you are entitled actively to benefit from rights of being a student (e-signed/signed and stamped/sealed document)
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FAMILY RESIDENCE PERMIT DOCUMENTS CHECKLIST
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From foreigner;
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- Residence Permit Application Form (must be signed by the foreigner and/or his/her legal representative).
. - Passport or original and photocopy of passport substitute document (pages of identity information and the page containing photo and processed pages).
. - Four (4) pcs photos (must have been taken within the last 6 months, against a white background and bio-metric. Do not upload family, selfie, unrecognizable, non up-to-date or black and white photos into the system, otherwise residence permit document shall not be issued!).
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From sponsor; (be present during the short interview)
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- Passport or original and photocopy of passport substitute document. Passport or original and photocopy of passport substitute document (for refugees and persons with secondary protection status, the page of passport or passport substitute documents containing identity information and photo and processed pages).
. - Original and photocopy of National ID Card (If a citizen of Republic of Turkey).
. - Original and photocopy of residence/work permit document, if having blue card, of that card, and ID card of refugee or person with secondary protection status (If not a citizen of Republic of Turkey).
. - Approved and e-signed/signed document which states financial capacity is to be provided sufficiently and regularly throughout the stay.
. - Private health insurance The policy must have the expression of “This policy covers the minimum coverage stipulated in the circular no 9, dated 06/06/2014, on private health insurance required to be taken out for residence permit applications.”. Please present signed and stamped/sealed original insurance policy during interview For extension applications, attach only approved (sealed, signed) copy of your policy into your application file.
. - Criminal records [This document can be obtained from foreigner’s country authorities (It would be better for you if you apply for this document at least 3 months before your application against the possibility of long waiting times to obtain this document) or from Turkish judicial authorities if foreigners is staying in our country for last five years. If obtained from Turkish authorities they must be e-signed/signed and stamped/sealed, if obtained from abroad, they must be Apostatized and have notary public approved Turkish translation. If the applicant is a citizen of a state that is not a signatory to Apostle Convention, said document must be approved by the relevant state’s authorities (consulate approval and by Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Competent Turkish Authorities authorized therefor)].
. - Document which shows the foreigner is registered in Address registration System (e-signed/signed and stamped/sealed document to be obtained from provincial/district registry offices).
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FOREIGNER WORK PERMIT DOCUMENTS CHECKLIST
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Documents from Employer; required to lodge Foreigner work permit application in Turkey
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- Work permit application letter (The letter must be scanned and submitted as part of the online application; it must also be submitted in hard-copy, signed by the employer).
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- Foreign personnel application form (The form filled online must be printed, and a hard-copy signed by the employer and the foreigner must be submitted to the ministry. If the signed form is unavailable, the employment agreement executed by and between the parties must be submitted. The application will not be processed in the absence of a signed form or a labor contract.)
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- The Trade Registry Gazette of Turkey, detailing the current shareholding and capital structure of the entity (The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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- A balance sheet and a profit/loss statement for the most recent year, certified by the tax office or certified public accountant (The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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- Information and documents stating that the entity is subject to Special Foreign Direct Investments* (These documents must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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- A document stating to entitle (including consortium’s) awarded international tenders by government agencies or organizations have been contracted for the awarded job from the relevant agency or organization (The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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- In the case of legal entities that are to employ foreign specialists in the field of engineering, architecture, contracting, and consulting services, a payroll document stating that Turkish engineers/architects/city planners are employed for the same occupation (The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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- Notarized power of attorney for the person authorized to file the online application as a user on behalf of the entity or organization to employ the foreigner, or a document attesting to the employment of the user at the applicant entity or organization (The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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Documents from non-Turkish employee;
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- In the case of applications filed in Turkey, a copy of the residence permit issued for other than education purposes with a term of at least six months remaining as of the date of application (The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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- If a foreigner who files a work permit application does not hold a valid residence permit, the foreigner is required to file an application to the consulates of the Republic of Turkey in the country of which he/she is a citizen or a permanent resident, submitting his/her labor contract or a document attesting to company partnership. Employees who are granted work permits in this context are required to obtain work visas from consulates of the Republic of Turkey, and enter the country with that visa.
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- In the case of foreigners who are key personnel, the documents and information specified in article 10/b of the Regulation on the Employment of Foreign Nationals with Foreign Direct Investments (The documents must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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- Copy of the passport (where the passport is not printed in the Latin alphabet, a sworn translation or an official certified translation must be attached. The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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- Sworn translation or an official certified translations of the diploma or provisional graduation certificate (The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application, as well as submitted in hard copy).
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- In addition to the above mentioned documents, foreigners who file an application for work permits within the framework of professional services and who hold a degree from abroad must file a “Diploma or Provisional Graduation Equivalency Certificate” obtained in accordance with the “Regulation on the Equivalency of Diplomas from Foreign Higher Education Institutions” (The document must be scanned and submitted during the online application).
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