Residence Permit Consultancy

Foreign nationals who will stay in Türkiye for longer than the period of their visa or visa exemption are required to obtain a residence permit under Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection. Applications are made through the electronic system of the Presidency of Migration Management and are subject to different documents and conditions depending on the type of permit requested.

The residence permit is the starting point for many processes: work, study and, in the longer term, a citizenship application are all built on this status. The steps that usually follow: work permit consultancy, consultancy for foreign students, Turkish citizenship consultancy and notarised translation.

In practice a significant proportion of applications end unfavourably because the wrong type of permit was chosen, the address and insurance conditions were not met, or the appointment date fell beyond the permitted period of stay. At BKT we determine the type of permit appropriate to your situation, prepare the document set in full, and manage the process on your behalf up to the day of the appointment.

Who is it for?

• Foreign nationals staying in Türkiye for a long period for tourism, family or personal reasons
• Those married to a Turkish citizen or to a foreign national holding a residence permit who are applying for a family residence permit
• Students who will study in Türkiye and students whose period of study has been extended
• Those who have completed the eight years of uninterrupted residence requirement and wish to move to a long-term residence permit
• Foreign nationals who own immovable property or have an investment in Türkiye
• Those whose residence permit application has been refused and who wish to manage the appeal process

Required documents

The list below is for a typical case. Additional documents may be requested depending on your nationality, the type of application and the practice of the relevant authority; the definitive list is given to you in writing at the initial consultation.

• A passport, or a document in lieu of a passport, valid for at least sixty days beyond the requested period
• Signed printout of the electronic application form
• Biometric photographs (in the number requested)
• Valid health insurance covering the requested period
• Address details of the place of stay; a notarised copy of the tenancy agreement or the title deed
• A declaration or document showing that sufficient and regular financial means are held
• For family residence, the marriage certificate and civil registry extract; apostille and sworn translation for foreign documents

The process step by step

1. 1

   Determining the type of permit

   Your purpose of stay, your previous stay history and your objective are assessed, and the correct type of residence permit is determined.

2. 2

   Appointment and form

   The application form is completed through the Migration Management system and an appointment date consistent with your period of stay is obtained.

3. 3

   Paperwork and translation

   The insurance, address and income documents are completed; the apostille and sworn translation of foreign-language documents are carried out.

4. 4

   Application day

   The file is submitted or the courier process is managed; the risk of missing paperwork has already been eliminated.

5. 5

   Outcome and card delivery

   The assessment is followed up, delivery of the residence permit card to your address is ensured, and the extension timetable is brought to your attention.

Common mistakes

• Booking the appointment date for after the end of the legal period of stay
• Failing to align the start date of the insurance policy with the date on which the residence permit is requested
• Submitting the tenancy agreement without notarisation
• Filing the extension application after the permit has expired and falling into violation
• Not notifying a change of address within twenty working days

Residence permit: is the colloquial Turkish name different?

The residence permit (often called by its colloquial name in Turkish) is one and the same document; the term used in the legislation is the official one. Whether you ask about a foreigner's residence permit, renewing a residence permit or residence permit consultancy, you are asking about the process described on this page. The difference in naming does not change the application, the documents required or the processing times.

If your residence permit is refused or cancelled

If your application has been refused, or your existing permit has been cancelled, we first need to see the grounds for the decision and the date on which it was served, because the appeal deadlines run from that date. The answer to "my residence permit was refused, what should I do?" depends on those grounds: where the refusal is due to missing documents, the file is completed and submitted again; where it is based on the assessment itself, the appeal route has to be used within the deadline.

For anyone whose residence permit has been cancelled, the first step is to establish whether the cancellation creates an obligation to leave the country. We handle the preparation of the paperwork and the translations; where an appeal requires legal representation, we tell you so from the outset and plan the process with you.

Residence permit card fee and permit fee

A residence permit application involves two separate payments: the residence permit card fee and a permit fee calculated according to the length of the permit. The residence permit card fee is paid at the tax office, at partner banks or through the channels indicated by the Presidency of Migration Management; the receipt issued after payment is added to the application file.

Because these amounts are updated every year and differ according to the type of permit, we do not quote figures on this page. At the initial consultation we work out the current total for your type of permit together, and explain which channel to pay through and how you should keep the receipt.