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Applying for a residence permit on e-İkamet

Last checked: Sources

Short answer

If you will stay in Türkiye longer than your visa or visa exemption allows, or longer than 90 days, you must hold a residence permit.[1] Today you apply online through e-İkamet (the e-Residence system), then go to the migration directorate in the province where you want to live on the appointment day the system gives you, with your documents.[3] The decision is due within 90 days, counted from the date your documents are complete.[1][2] The provincial directorate decides each case; applying does not mean the permit will be issued.

Who needs a residence permit

The rule comes from Article 19 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (Law No. 6458). A foreigner who will stay longer than a visa or visa exemption allows, or longer than ninety days, must obtain a residence permit.[1] The Implementing Regulation adds that people planning a shorter stay may also apply.[2]

Who does not need one

Article 20 of the Law lists foreigners who are exempt from the residence permit requirement.[1] In short:

  • People who came with a visa or visa exemption of up to 90 days, for the length of that visa or exemption.
  • Holders of a Stateless Person Identification Document.
  • Diplomatic and consular officers serving in Türkiye, and family members notified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Staff of international organisations’ offices in Türkiye whose status is set by an agreement.
  • People exempted by an international agreement that Türkiye is party to.
  • People covered by Article 28 of the Turkish Citizenship Law (Law No. 5901).
  • Holders of the documents issued to international protection applicants and status holders (Articles 76 and 83 of Law No. 6458).

The Regulation has a similar list and also names, among others, holders of a Temporary Protection Identification Document and holders of a work permit or a Work Permit Exemption Confirmation Document.[2] International protection and temporary protection are separate statuses and are not covered on this site.

If you were exempt as a diplomat or consular officer (or their notified family member), as an international organisation employee or under an agreement, and you want to stay after that status ends, you must apply to the governorate for a residence permit within ten days.[1][2]

A work permit counts as a residence permit

A valid work permit, and a Work Permit Exemption Confirmation Document, are treated as a residence permit.[1] While your work permit is valid, you do not need a separate residence permit to stay.[3]

The reverse is not true: a residence permit does not give you the right to work in Türkiye. If you will work, you need a work permit or a work permit exemption, and the application form contains your statement that you will apply for a work permit through ecalismaizni.csgb.gov.tr if you intend to work.[12][7]

Where you apply

At present, you apply from inside Türkiye. Göç İdaresi (the Presidency of Migration Management) says first, extension and transfer applications are taken online through e-İkamet.[3] After the online step, you attend an appointment at the provincial or district migration directorate in the province where you want to live.[3]

A note on consulates. Article 21 of Law No. 6458 names the Turkish consulate in your country of citizenship or legal residence as the normal place to apply.[1] Göç İdaresi states that applications are not yet taken from abroad, and that until this changes, applications are received by the governorate of the province where you want to live.[3][5]

Before you start: check your passport

Your passport (or a document that replaces it) must be valid for at least 60 days longer than the permit period you ask for.[1] The permit itself is issued for a period that ends at least 60 days before your passport expires.[1][2] Göç İdaresi’s FAQ explains that an expired passport does not meet this rule. If you renewed your passport while in Türkiye, see step 3 below.[5]

Applying step by step

  1. Choose the right permit type. Apply for the type that matches the real purpose of your stay. The e-İkamet document lists warn that applications without a valid reason for the stated purpose will be assessed negatively.[7] See the pages on the short-term, family, student and long-term residence permits.
  2. Open e-İkamet. On the e-İkamet home page, choose the option for a first residence permit application.[6] The same page has separate options for extension, transfer and checking your result.[6]
  3. Fill in the online form. Depending on the permit type, the form asks for your purpose of stay and the start and end dates you request, your identity and passport details, your address in Türkiye, your work or school, your education, your income and your health insurance, including the policy number. Have this information ready before you start.[12] Give complete and correct contact details.[7] Göç İdaresi’s FAQ says to enter the passport you last used to enter Türkiye; if you got a new passport inside Türkiye, you can enter the new passport’s validity date.[5] The form states that it cannot be used on its own, without your passport or a travel document that replaces it.[12] By signing, you confirm that the information you gave is true. The form warns that a false statement leads to action under Article 206 of the Turkish Criminal Code (Law No. 5237), refusal of the application, cancellation of any permit already issued and the start of removal proceedings.[12] The same declaration gives your explicit consent to the processing of your personal data under the Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 6698).[12]
  4. Note your appointment. The system sets an appointment date at the migration directorate.[3] Appointments on e-İkamet are free of charge.[7][5] The application form that e-İkamet generates has fields for your registration number, the place and date of your appointment and the fees to pay. Sign it: the signed form is the first item on every document list, and all documents are handed in at the appointment.[12][7]
  5. Pay the fees before the appointment. The residence permit fee and the card (document) fee must be paid before the appointment date.[5] For amounts, see residence permit fees.
  6. Prepare your documents. e-İkamet publishes a separate document list for each permit type.[10] Bring originals as the lists require.
  7. Attend the appointment. Hand in your complete documents on the appointment day and time.[7]

Documents that appear in most lists

Each permit type has its own full list. The table below shows only the items that most lists share. Check the list for your permit type before your appointment.

DocumentCondition
Residence Permit Application Form, signed by you, your legal representative or a lawyer holding a power of attorney[7]All applications
Copy of the passport photo page and any visa page; bring the original[7]All applications
Biometric photos: the lists ask for two, taken in the last 6 months, white background[7]All applications
Receipts showing the fees were paid[7]Nationals of fee-exempt countries pay only the document fee;[7] the student and long-term lists ask only for the document fee receipt[9][11]
Receipt for the single entry visa fee[7]Short-term and family lists: people who entered visa-free and apply for the first time within their legal stay, and people who overstayed; some countries and persons are exempt[7][8]
Valid health insurance covering the permit period you ask for[7]All applications. The long-term list asks only for valid insurance; the student list has a special rule for general health insurance[9][11]
Document showing where you will stay (title deed, notarised rental contract, hotel record, dormitory letter or a host’s notarised undertaking)[7]Depends on where you stay
Up-to-date Document of Residence (Yerleşim Yeri Belgesi) from e-Devlet, plus a utility bill[7]Extension and transfer applications (short-term, family and student lists); every application on the long-term list[11]
UETS document (National Electronic Notification System address) from a PTT main branch[7]Extension and transfer applications (short-term, family and student lists); every application on the long-term list. Not required under 18[11]

Your appointment

You must be at the migration directorate on the appointment day the system gives you.[3] Documents must be complete at the appointment for the application to be assessed.[7] The directorate may ask for extra information or documents.[7]

If your visa or residence permit ends before the appointment date, Göç İdaresi’s FAQ says you may stay in Türkiye with your application form until the appointment day.[5]

If you miss the appointment

If you do not attend without a valid excuse, you are treated as if you never applied.[3] The directorate may ask for information or documents to check your excuse.[3]

Göç İdaresi’s FAQ explains what follows. If your legal stay is still running, you can book a new appointment. If your legal stay has ended, the directorate will act on a visa violation (for a first application) or a residence permit violation (for an extension).[5]

Late applications

Applications from inside Türkiye should be made before your legal stay ends.[2] The Regulation says applications from people who have exceeded their visa, visa exemption or residence permit by up to ten days are still received.[2] Göç İdaresi’s FAQ says online applications made within 10 days after a visa or visa exemption ends are assessed.[5] For an extension, the Law still requires you to apply before your permit expires.[1] Do not plan around this. Overstaying has consequences, for example the single entry visa fee for people who overstayed, or, when a permit expires without an extension application, a residence fee collected with one additional multiple for the time spent without a permit.[7][3] See also refusal and cancellation.

The Residence Permit Application Document

After your first application is completed at the appointment, the directorate issues an İkamet İzni Müracaat Belgesi (in English, Residence Permit Application Document).[3][4] It lets you stay in Türkiye until your application is decided, and the document itself is free of charge.[2]

Leaving Türkiye while you wait: the 15-day rule

With the Application Document approved by the directorate and your fee receipt, you can leave Türkiye, provided you come back within 15 days.[3] According to the Regulation:[2]

  • you can do this more than once;
  • the trip must fall within the permit period you asked for, and you must show you paid the residence fees (unless your document says you are fee-exempt);
  • if you return within 15 days, you do not need a visa to re-enter;
  • if you stay abroad longer than 15 days, the normal visa rules apply when you come back;
  • the rule on staying 90 days within any 180 days is not affected.

Missing documents

If documents are missing, the directorate can put the assessment on hold until they are complete and will tell you what is missing.[1] The Regulation gives 30 days from the date you are notified. If you do not complete the file in that time, your application is closed.[2] Göç İdaresi’s FAQ describes this as a period of up to 30 days set by the directorate, so check the date in your own notice.[5]

How long the decision takes

The Law says applications are decided within 90 days at the latest.[1] The 90 days start on the date all information and documents have been fully handed in. If the period is extended, you are informed.[2][3] The directorate may also interview you during the assessment.[2]

If a permit is issued, it starts when your visa or visa exemption ends, or from your application date if you ask for that.[2]

After approval: card and address registration

If your application is approved, the residence permit card is sent to the address you gave.[5] Keep your address, phone number and e-mail up to date so the card can reach you.[3] If you are not at home, the card waits at the nearest PTT branch until the end of the following month and is then returned to the provincial migration directorate.[5]

Address registration. After a first application, you must register your address within 20 working days. The e-İkamet lists count this from the approval of the permit;[7][8][9] the Regulation counts it from the date the permit document is handed to you.[2] Counting from the approval date is the safer choice.

If you move later. If your address changes during the permit, you must submit the required documents to the provincial migration directorate and the provincial directorate of civil registration and citizenship within 20 working days.[3] If you move to another province, you must apply for a new permit in that province within 20 working days. When the permit type stays the same, you get a new card, but the period you already paid fees for is not charged again.[2][5]

Who can submit the application

The application is normally made by the foreigner in person. It can also be made by a legal representative or by a lawyer holding a power of attorney.[2][5] The directorate may still ask you to be present.[3] If someone applies on your behalf, the form records their relationship to you, their identity details and their address.[12]

Göç İdaresi states that it does not work with third-party persons or companies for residence permit procedures, and warns that fake documents have been produced for a fee.[3] It advises applying yourself.[5] For questions, you can call the Foreigners Communication Center (YİMER) on 157 from inside Türkiye, or +90 312 157 11 22 from abroad.[3]

Sources

  1. Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu (Kanun No. 6458), Art. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27. mevzuat.gov.tr, accessed .
  2. Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanununun Uygulanmasına İlişkin Yönetmelik, Art. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. mevzuat.gov.tr, accessed .
  3. İkamet Genel Bilgiler. Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, accessed .
  4. General Information. Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, accessed .
  5. İkamet (Sıkça Sorulan Sorular). Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, accessed .
  6. e-İkamet ana sayfa. e-İkamet, accessed .
  7. Kısa Dönem İkamet İzni Başvurularında İstenen Belgeler (PDF, 18.03.2025). e-İkamet, accessed .
  8. Aile İkamet İzni Başvurularında İstenen Belgeler (PDF, 18.03.2025). e-İkamet, accessed .
  9. Öğrenci İkamet İzni Başvurularında İstenen Belgeler (PDF, 18.03.2025). e-İkamet, accessed .
  10. Uzun Dönem İkamet İzni Başvurularında İstenen Belgeler (PDF, 18.03.2025). e-İkamet, accessed .
  11. Başvuru İşlemleri: İstenen Belgeler. e-İkamet, accessed .
  12. İkamet İzni Başvuru Formu örneği (ilk başvuru, kısa dönem). e-İkamet, Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, accessed .