Obtaining a residence permit in Turkey – how to easily achieve citizenship

A residence permit in Turkey is a temporary citizenship of the country. Migration registration of foreign citizens is maintained by the Ministry of the Interior in the General Directorate for Migration Affairs.

There are two ways to obtain a residence permit in Turkey:

• Long-term rental of real estate;
• Acquisition of property;

These two options have different features:

1. Registration of a residence permit in Turkey on the basis of a lease – has the status of tourist significance.

It gives the right to reside in Turkey for up to 1 year, but does not give the right to obtain a longer residence permit or apply for Turkish citizenship in the future.

How to obtain a residence permit in Turkey, and subsequently citizenship? Below are the basic requirements for the package of documents for submitting an application to the Migration Service:

• A lease agreement certified by a Turkish notary in Turkish for a period of 6-12 months;
• Tapu (legal document certifying ownership) of the owner of the apartment (landlord), his passport (copy);
• Valid medical insurance (age from 18-65 years);
• Passport (copy) with translation into Turkish and notarized;
• Tax number in Turkey (issued by the tax office);
• Children under 18 years of age, a birth certificate is required (copy translated into Turkish and notarized);
• Copies of utility bills for electricity and water reissued in your name;
• Compulsory insurance against earthquakes (required in the services of the water utility and energy sales when re-issuing invoices in your name);
• 4 biometric photographs taken on a white background, within the last 6 months;
• Marriage certificate (when submitting documents for the whole family), pre-certified by the Turkish Consulate in your country, or apostilled.

2. On the basis of the acquired real estate in Turkey

The owner has the right to obtain a residence permit, which, if necessary, can be extended at the end of its validity. A residence permit on the basis of TAPU can be issued to the direct owner of the property or his direct relatives (husband / wife, parents and children under 18 years old) for a maximum of up to 2 years. In the future, it is possible to apply for a longer period of residence permit, as well as Turkish citizenship (after 5 years of residence and fulfillment of the necessary conditions).

The basic requirements for the package of documents for applying for a residence permit to the Migration Service are as follows:

• Valid medical insurance (age from 18-65 years);
• 4 biometric photographs taken on a white background, within the last 6 months;
• An up-to-date extract from the register of the Cadastral Office stating that the property belongs to you;
• Passport (pages with a photo and pages where the last entry into the country is recorded);
• Tax number in Turkey (issued by the tax office).

The application process and deadlines for obtaining a residence permit

The application for a residence permit is submitted by the applicant online, after which, depending on the applicant’s place of residence, the system sets a date for a meeting (rendezvous) for submitting documents. The date of the meeting and the terms of issuance of the Residence Permit can vary from a week to 90 days. After the residence permit is ready, it will be sent by mail to the specified address (which was indicated in the application).

It is important to know that after submitting documents for obtaining a residence permit, the applicant can stay in Turkey legally without fear of violating the visa regime.

It should be remembered that neither a residence permit on the basis of a tapu nor a tourist residence permit gives the right to work in Turkey.

We would like to note: as part of the after-sales service, we help all clients of our company to collect a package of documents, fill out a residence permit application for submission and further receipt of a residence permit to the Migration Service completely free of charge.