Residence Permit in Turkey

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I. Introduction

Residence permit is a document given by the competent authorities for a certain period of time to foreigners who want to stay longer in Turkey at the end of visa or visa exemption, and there are varieties in terms of both duration and applicants. As will be detailed below, various conditions have been sought for each residence permit in Turkey.

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II. Types of Residence Permit in Turkey

1. Short Term Residence Permit

The majority of this type of permit consists of residence permits issued for touristic purposes. In addition, foreigners who will come for scientific research, foreigners who own real estate in Turkey, foreigners who will establish a commercial connection or business, those who will attend Turkish language courses and foreign students who come with a student exchange program will also be able to apply for this permit. The application requirements are as follows:

  • To make a request by citing one or more of the reasons listed above while making an application,
  • Submitting the documents and information related to the justification given in the application,
  • Not being one of the foreigners who are not allowed to enter Turkey,
  • To be able to provide accommodation conditions in accordance with general health and safety standards,
  • Upon request, to submit a document showing the criminal record issued by the competent authorities of the country of residence,
  • Submitting information about the address to stay in Turkey.

2. Family Residence Permit

Family Residence Permit in Turkey is regulated in Articles 34 and 37 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection and is a type of short-term residence permit granted to foreign family members in order to protect family unity. In accordance with the regulation; Turkish citizens, persons who have lost their Turkish citizenship by obtaining a permission to leave, foreigners who have a residence permit in Turkey, refugees and persons who are not accepted as refugees who cannot be sent back to their country of origin can apply for a family residence permit for their;

  • Foreign wife,
  • Foreign minor child of himself or his spouse,
  • Dependent foreign child of himself or his spouse.

There are some conditions that must be met in the residence permit application. These are as follows:

  1. Providing accommodation conditions in accordance with general health and safety standards, taking into account the number of members in the family,
  2. Having general health insurance for all members of the family,
  3. Having a record in the address registration system,
  4. Not having been convicted of crimes against family order in the 5-year period before the application is made, (This should be documented with a criminal record record),
  5. The sponsor has a monthly income to meet one third of the minimum wage per family member,
  6. To be residing in Turkey with a permit for not less than 1 year, (This condition is not required for people who have a residence permit or work permit for scientific research purposes, people who have lost their Turkish citizenship by obtaining a permission to leave, and foreigners who are married to a Turkish citizen),
  7. The sponsor’s monthly income is not less than the minimum wage.

The conditions sought for foreigners who will apply for a family residence permit in order to stay with a supporter can be listed as follows:

  1. Submitting all kinds of information and documents showing that they are one of the persons who can apply for a family residence permit,
  2. To state that he/she lives with the supporter who is the basis for the family residence permit application or that he/she intends to live after the permit,
  3. If a family residence permit application is made due to marriage, the marriage is not made solely for the purpose of obtaining a residence permit,
  4. Each spouse must have completed the age of 18,
  5. Not being one of the foreigners who are not allowed to enter Turkey.

3. Student Residence Permit

The student residence permit is the type of residence that entitles the person to stay in the country during his education. The first condition for student residence permit application is to be registered in an educational institution affiliated to the Ministry of National Education or Higher Education Institution in Turkey. Persons who can apply are as follows:

  1. Foreign students who do not have a family residence permit, who will receive primary and secondary education,
  2. Foreign students who will study at a higher education institution in our country at the levels of associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctorate, specialization in medicine, specialization in dentistry.

4. Long Term Residence Permit

Long-term residence permit is a type of residence permit applied by foreigners who have resided in Turkey for 8 years without interruption, and the person who receives this permit is entitled to stay in the country indefinitely. Long-term residence permit holders can benefit from many rights just like citizens. The criteria for eligible applicants are as follows:

  • Foreigners who have remained in Turkey without interruption for 8 years and comply with the conditions determined by the Ministry,
  • Refugee, conditional refugee and foreigners not under secondary protection status,
  • Foreigners who do not benefit from humanitarian residence permit and temporary protection.

The application date is taken as a basis when calculating the required 8-year stay criteria. The days that the foreigner stays abroad or spends in Turkey without a residence permit are not included in the time calculation, they are considered as deductions.

5. Humanitarian Residence Permit

The type of residence permit given to people who are deemed necessary to stay in Turkey for humanitarian reasons is called “humanitarian residence permit”. The principles regarding this permit are regulated in the Law on Foreigners and International Protection, and the cases in which an application can be made are as follows:

  • When it comes to the best interests of the child,
  • When foreigners cannot be made to leave Turkey or it is not possible for them to leave Turkey, despite the decision to deport them or to ban them from entering Turkey,
  • During the continuation of the applicant’s return to the first country of asylum or a safe third country,
  • When foreigners, who are required to be allowed to enter and stay in Turkey for urgent reasons or for the protection of the country’s interests, public order and public security, are not able to obtain one of the other residence permits due to their situation that hinders the granting of a residence permit.

It should also be noted that the conditions for granting other residence permits are not sought in humanitarian residence permits.

II. Conclusion

The types of residence permits listed above show various differences in terms of the persons who can apply, the application stages and the required documents. Due to the developments in the world in recent years, Turkey receives an increasing number of residence permit applications and the evaluation of applications is getting tighter. In order to avoid any loss of rights, it is very important to get help from experienced and expert people before applying. With years of experience in the field of foreigners’ law, our law firm provides professional support to applicants at every stage of residence permit applications.

You can always contact us for your residence permit application and other questions in Turkey.

Regards,

Edel Property Team