Switching to a different residence permit type
Short answer
If the reason your residence permit was issued for has ended and you want to stay in Türkiye, apply for the permit type that fits your new purpose within 10 days of the date the reason ended.[1][2] This is a transfer application (geçiş başvurusu) on e-İkamet, not an extension.[3][5] Your current permit is ended as of the date its reason ended.[2] The new permit is assessed on its own conditions and may be refused.
When you need to switch
Article 29 of Law No. 6458 allows you to ask for a permit that fits your new purpose when the reason for your current permit ends, or when a different reason arises.[1] Göç İdaresi’s FAQ says this must be made as a transfer application; an extension application is not the right route.[3]
Typical situations include divorce or the death of a family permit sponsor, graduation from a Turkish university, or turning 18 after years on a family permit.[1]
The 10-day rule
The Implementing Regulation sets the deadline. If you hold a residence permit and the reason for it ends, but you will stay in Türkiye, you apply to the governorate within 10 days of the date the reason ended.[2] The 10-day limit comes from the Regulation, not from the Law itself.[1][2]
What happens next, under the Regulation:[2]
- you receive a Residence Permit Application Document (İkamet İzni Müracaat Belgesi);
- your current permit is ended as of the date its reason ended.
The Law lets you make this kind of application from inside Türkiye.[1]
If you have a new reason as well as your current one
If your current reason still applies and you gain an additional one, you may keep your current permit. You may also ask for a new permit without waiting for the 60-day extension window.[2]
How to apply
- On the e-İkamet home page, choose the option for a transfer application.[5] e-İkamet publishes sample transfer forms for the short-term, long-term, family and student permits.[10]
- Pay the residence permit fee and the card fee before your appointment date.[3] See residence permit fees.
- Attend your appointment at the provincial migration directorate with the documents for the new permit type.[4]
Common switches
| From | To | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family permit | Short-term permit | You have held a family permit in Türkiye for at least three years and have turned 18. You may ask to convert it.[1] | Law 6458 Art. 34/5 |
| Family permit (spouse of a Turkish citizen) | Short-term permit | After divorce, if you held a family permit for at least three years. The three-year condition does not apply if a court decision establishes that you were a victim of domestic violence.[1] | Law 6458 Art. 34/6 |
| Family permit | Short-term permit | If your sponsor dies. No minimum period applies.[1] | Law 6458 Art. 34/7 |
| Student permit | Short-term permit | You completed higher education in Türkiye and apply within six months of graduation. This permit is given once only, for up to one year.[1] | Law 6458 Art. 31/1-i, 31/4 |
| Student permit | Family permit | If you meet the family permit conditions, a family permit is issued. You keep student rights while you still meet the student permit conditions.[2] | Regulation Art. 26/4 |
| Family permit | Student rights | If you meet the student permit conditions, the family permit continues and you also get the rights of a student permit.[2] | Regulation Art. 26/5 |
For the switches set out in Articles 31 and 34 of the Law, the wording is permissive: the permit “may” be given, or the holder “may” convert it. The directorate assesses each application.[1]
After graduation: two time limits
A student permit ends on the date of graduation, and the 10-day period starts from that date.[2][3] Separately, the short-term permit for graduates is only for people who apply within six months of graduation.[1] Both limits come from official texts; if you are close to either one, check with the provincial migration directorate or YİMER (157).[4]
Switching to a long-term permit
Some people cannot move to a long-term residence permit at all: refugees, conditional refugees, holders of subsidiary protection, holders of a humanitarian residence permit, and people under temporary protection.[1][2] For everyone else, the conditions are on the long-term residence permit page.
Two counting rules matter when you switch:[1]
- Time outside Türkiye counts as an interruption if it is more than six months in total within one year, or more than one year in total within the last five years. Compulsory public service, education and health reasons are excepted. If your residence was interrupted, your earlier permit periods are not counted when you move to another permit.
- When continuous residence is calculated, student permits count for half of their length; other permits count in full.
When a work permit ends
A valid work permit counts as a residence permit.[1] When it ends, your right to stay ends on the same date. If you do not extend it or get a residence permit that fits your new situation, this counts as a residence permit violation.[2] If your work permit is cancelled or ends, a residence permit application made within 10 days is handled as an application from inside Türkiye.[2]
Documents for a transfer
Use the e-İkamet document list for the permit type you are moving to. Each list covers first, extension and transfer applications together; transfer-specific items are marked inside the list.[7][8][9]
Items every transfer needs
| Document | Condition |
|---|---|
| All items on the list for your new permit type (form, passport copy, photos, fee receipts, health insurance and so on)[7][8][9] | Always |
| UETS document: proof of your National Electronic Notification System (UETS) address, from a PTT main branch[7][8][9] | Transfer and extension applications; not required under 18 |
| Up-to-date Document of Residence (Yerleşim Yeri Belgesi) from e-Devlet, plus one electricity, water, natural gas or landline bill, or a subscription contract for new subscribers[7][8][9] | Applications that change permit type or province; your address must already be registered |
Extra items for family to short-term
The short-term list has a section for people moving from a family permit.[7]
| Document | Condition |
|---|---|
| Copy of your previous residence permit card; the original is handed in at the appointment[7] | All family to short-term transfers |
| Court decision on the divorce[7] | Divorce after at least three years, or a court decision showing you were a victim of domestic violence |
| Death certificate of the sponsor[7] | Sponsor has died |
Documents from Turkish authorities must carry an e-signature or signature and stamp. Foreign documents need an apostille and a notarised Turkish translation. If your country is not party to the Apostille Convention, or the document has no apostille, it must be certified through the authorities of the issuing country (consulate or embassy approval, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other authorised Turkish authorities), and translated into Turkish with notary approval.[7]
The list does not name a separate document for people moving to short-term after three years on a family permit and turning 18. Ask the provincial migration directorate which proof they need.[7]
Extra item for graduates
| Document | Condition |
|---|---|
| Copy of your diploma or temporary graduation certificate, or the document from e-Devlet; bring the original to the appointment[7] | Short-term permit after graduating in Türkiye |
Moving to another province
Moving province is not a change of permit type, but it also needs a new application. If you move to another province, you must apply for a new permit there within 20 working days. When the type stays the same, you get a new card and the period you already paid fees for is not charged again.[2][3]
Students who change university, faculty or department to one in another city must apply on e-İkamet within 10 days, choosing the new province, and take their documents to the student affairs or international student office. The directorate in the new city decides.[9] See the student residence permit page.
If the transfer is refused
A refusal is notified to you, and the notice explains how you can challenge it.[1] See refusal and cancellation.
Related pages
- Applying on e-İkamet
- Extending a residence permit
- Short-term residence permit
- Family residence permit
Sources
- Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu (Kanun No. 6458), Art. 22, 25, 27, 28, 29, 31, 34, 42. mevzuat.gov.tr, accessed .
- Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanununun Uygulanmasına İlişkin Yönetmelik, Art. 21, 23, 25, 26, 37. mevzuat.gov.tr, accessed .
- İkamet (Sıkça Sorulan Sorular). Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, accessed .
- İkamet Genel Bilgiler. Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, accessed .
- e-İkamet ana sayfa. e-İkamet, accessed .
- Kısa Dönem İkamet İzni Başvurularında İstenen Belgeler (PDF, 18.03.2025). e-İkamet, accessed .
- Aile İkamet İzni Başvurularında İstenen Belgeler (PDF, 18.03.2025). e-İkamet, accessed .
- Öğrenci İkamet İzni Başvurularında İstenen Belgeler (PDF, 18.03.2025). e-İkamet, accessed .
- İkamet İzni Geçiş Başvuru Formu örnekleri. e-İkamet, Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, accessed .