Published: 29 October 2026 · Reading time about 9 minutes
A family residence permit is the permit granted so that the family of a person lawfully present in Türkiye can live with them. Its logic differs from other residence permits: the greater part of the conditions apply not to the foreign applicant but to the person the Law calls the SPONSOR (destekleyici).
This article explains who can be a sponsor, the conditions required of the sponsor, how long the permit lasts, what it provides in terms of work and education, and what happens when the family unit comes to an end.
Who can obtain this permit
The Law lists three groups: the sponsor's foreign spouse, the foreign child of the sponsor or of their spouse who is not of full age, and the dependent foreign child of the sponsor or of their spouse. Because a child who is not of full age and a dependent child are counted separately, a child who has turned eighteen but is dependent is not left outside the scope.
Who can be a sponsor
- A Turkish citizen
- A Mavi Kart holder (the card issued to former Turkish citizens)
- A foreign national who holds a residence permit
- A person with refugee or subsidiary protection status
Where there is polygamy, a family residence permit is granted to only one of the spouses; children from the other spouses may be granted a permit separately.
Conditions required of the sponsor
Most files come unstuck here. The conditions are required together; if one of them is missing, the application does not reach a conclusion.
The income condition: two thresholds at once
The income condition does not consist of a single figure, and this is where most of the misunderstanding arises. The Law requires two measures AT THE SAME TIME.
First measure: total income
The household's total monthly income cannot be less than the minimum wage.
Second measure: income per person
The monthly income per family member cannot be less than one third of the minimum wage.
What this means for a family of four
For a family of four, the second measure requires the total income to correspond to one third more than the minimum wage. In other words, an income that comfortably passes the first measure can fall short on the second as the family grows. Both calculations have to be made before the application.
Conditions other than income
- Accommodation suitable for the size of the family and meeting general health and safety standards
- Valid health insurance covering all family members
- Not having been convicted of offences against the family order in the five years before the application
- Being registered in the address registration system
- Having been in Türkiye with a residence permit for at least one year
Exceptions to the one-year condition
The last condition does not apply to everyone. A one-year residence history is not required for holders of a work permit or of a scientific research permit, for Mavi Kart holders, or for foreign nationals married to a Turkish citizen. Some sources give this condition as three years; three years is not the sponsor's condition but the condition for the transfer right explained below, and the two should not be confused.
Conditions required of the foreign applicant
The intention to live together with the sponsor, the marriage not having been entered into in order to obtain a residence permit, each of the spouses having turned eighteen, and not being subject to an entry ban.
How many years the permit is granted for
It is granted for a maximum of three years at a time and cannot exceed the duration of the sponsor's residence permit. If the sponsor's permit ends in one year, the family is not granted three years.
Why the two-year figure is still going round
The duration was raised from two years to three in 2016. Because the relevant article of the Implementing Regulation was not updated in the same direction, a lasting inconsistency arose in the sources. The text of the Law prevails, and three years is what is applied in practice.
What this permit does and does not provide
A family residence permit DOES NOT GRANT THE RIGHT TO WORK. Working additionally requires a work permit or an exemption. The reverse does hold: a valid work permit takes the place of a residence permit.
On the education side, however, it is sufficient: up to the age of eighteen, a family residence permit gives the right to study at primary and secondary education institutions without a student residence permit being obtained.
When the family unit comes to an end
The Law deals with three separate situations separately, and the difference between them is considerable.
A child who turns eighteen
Those who have stayed in Türkiye with a family residence permit for at least three years and have turned eighteen may, on request, transfer to a short-term residence permit. Those continuing in higher education transfer to a student permit.
Divorce
A foreign national married to a Turkish citizen may obtain a short-term residence permit provided they have stayed for at least three years with a family residence permit. Where being a victim of domestic violence is established by a court decision, the three-year condition is not required.
Death of the sponsor
Those staying on a family residence permit tied to the sponsor may be granted a short-term residence permit without any duration condition.
Situations that bring the permit to an end
- The conditions not being met, or ceasing to exist later
- The existence of a valid deportation decision or entry ban
- Use of the permit for a purpose other than the one for which it was granted
- Staying abroad for more than one hundred and eighty days in total within the last year
If there is reasonable suspicion that the marriage was entered into solely in order to obtain a permit, the provincial governor's office (valilik) carries out an investigation; checks may also be made after the permit has been granted. Where this is established, the permit is cancelled and the periods spent in this way ARE NOT COUNTED towards the total residence period. This detail matters, because if a citizenship application is being considered later, those years are wasted.
When setting up the file
Before we start we make two calculations: whether the income meets both thresholds at once, and whether the sponsor falls within the one-year condition. We set up the certification chain for foreign documents and follow the process through a single person responsible. We do not book appointments with the institutions on your behalf; you book the appointment yourself. The initial consultation is free of charge.
Legal basis
The family residence permit is regulated in articles 34 to 37 of Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection. The duration of the permit was raised from two years to three in 2016 by Law No. 6735. Applications are made to the provincial governor's offices.
Legislation and administrative practice may change. The information on this page is for general guidance only; an assessment specific to your case requires a consultation.