Long-Term Residence Permit: How Are the Eight Years Calculated?

Published: 29 October 2026 · Reading time about 9 minutes

A long-term residence permit is the indefinite permit granted to a foreign national who has lived in Türkiye for a long time. The trouble of extending it every year comes to an end, but its real value lies elsewhere: it gives the holder the possibility of benefiting from most of the rights granted to Turkish citizens.

This article explains how the eight years are calculated, the other conditions, which rights the permit gives and which it does not, the grounds for cancellation, and its relationship with the citizenship calculation.

The basic rule

An indefinite residence permit is granted by the provincial governor's offices, with the approval of the Ministry, to a foreign national who has stayed in Türkiye with a residence permit for at least eight uninterrupted years. The Law was amended in 2019 to bring within the scope foreign nationals who meet the conditions determined by the Ministry; on this second route the conditions other than the public order condition are not required.

Calculating the eight years

Most files come unstuck here, because not every year spent in Türkiye counts for the same value.

A student permit counts as HALF

The Law lays down a clear ratio: half of student residence permits and all of other residence permits are taken into account. In other words, a person who stays in Türkiye for four years with a student permit gains two years from that item.

A work permit counts in full

Because a valid work permit and a work permit exemption confirmation document count as a residence permit, these periods enter the calculation in full.

Periods spent exempt from a residence permit do not count

Periods spent within the scope of an exemption, without obtaining a residence permit, are not included in the total. Even though the person was in the country, those days do not fall within the eight years.

Periods abroad that break continuity

The Law lays down two thresholds and both operate together: a stay abroad, for a reason other than health, education or compulsory public service in one's own country, exceeding six months in total in one year, or exceeding one year in total within the last five years, counts as an interruption.

What happens when an interruption occurs

The permit periods before the interruption are not taken into account. In other words, if someone who has completed seven years experiences an interruption, they count again from the beginning. This is the most expensive mistake, because there is no going back from it.

The other conditions

• Not having received social assistance in the last three years
• Having a sufficient and regular source of income to provide for oneself and one's family, if any
• Holding valid health insurance
• Not constituting a threat in terms of public order or public security

Who cannot transfer to this permit

Holders of refugee, conditional refugee and subsidiary protection status, holders of a humanitarian residence permit and those provided with temporary protection cannot benefit from the right to transfer to a long-term residence permit. This is a limit expressly written in the Law.

Which rights the permit gives

The Law writes it the other way round: apart from four areas, the rights granted to Turkish citizens are enjoyed. The four areas left outside are these:

• The obligation to perform military service
• The right to vote and to stand for election
• Entry into public office
• Importing a vehicle exempt from duty

Acquired rights relating to social security are reserved, and the exercise of the rights is subject to the relevant legislation. Provisions in special laws fall outside this framework.

The right to work does not come with this permit

A common misunderstanding: a long-term residence permit does not give the right to work on its own. It does, however, open an important door for its holder: they can apply for an indefinite work permit. Of the two routes required for an indefinite work permit, one is a long-term residence permit and the other is at least eight years of lawful work permit. Meeting the application conditions does not give rise to an absolute right.

In which cases the permit is cancelled

The Law lists two grounds: constituting a serious threat in terms of public order or public security, and being outside Türkiye for more than one uninterrupted year for a reason other than health, education or compulsory public service in one's own country.

Being indefinite is not being untouchable

The fact that the permit is indefinite does not mean that its holder can stay away from the country for a long time. A continuous stay abroad exceeding one year results in the cancellation of the permit. On long-term postings abroad this threshold has to be calculated in advance.

Its relationship with the citizenship calculation

Time spent with a long-term residence permit counts towards the five years of uninterrupted residence required for Turkish citizenship. Family residence permit and work permit periods also count. Residence for the purpose of study, and tourist and short-term residence, as a rule do not count, because these permits are taken not to show an intention to settle.

Note: the thresholds for time abroad in the two calculations are DIFFERENT. While the criteria of six months in one year and one year in five years operate for the long-term permit, the citizenship calculation has its own rules. Meeting one threshold does not mean that you have met the other.

Before setting up your file

The first thing to do is to draw up a breakdown of the past eight years: with which permit you stayed on which date, how many years of student permit there were, if any, and how many days each trip abroad lasted. When we see your documents we work this calculation out with you; the initial consultation is free of charge.