Investment Guide

The residence permit is one of the documents that foreigners have to take who decided to decide to settle in Türkiye for various reasons. The residence permit application is made online through the e-İkamet system of the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı) according to the type of residence permit you are considering the terms of the short term, student, family, long term and human residence permit types.

Foreigners who will stay longer than for the time allowed for visa or visa exemption or 90 days in Türkiye, are required to obtain a residence permit. Applications must be made before the expiry date of visa or residence permit.

Foreigners who have completed their application must be present at the provincial / district immigration administration in the province where they want to live on the appointment time. Foreigners who do not have a valid excuse are considered to have never applied if they are not present in the relevant immigration administration. In case of a valid excuse, the administration requests information and documents. Extending the residence permit is the same procedure. Extension applications can be made from 60 days before the permit expires and in any case before it expires.

The residence permit applications are not accompanied by an escort application and the application and permit document of each foreigner are issued separately. In addition to the applications that can be made by foreigners themselves, applications can be made through the legal representative or lawyer of the foreigner. However, the administration may require the foreigner to be present during the application if he deems it necessary.

Six types of residence permits have been issued by law and online applications are made through the e-ikamet system for the first application, extension application, and transition applications.

Residence Permit Types

Short-Term Residence Permit

• Foreigners who will arrive to conduct scientific research
• Foreigners who will own immovable property in Türkiye
• Foreigners who will establish business or commercial connections
• Foreigners who will participate in on-the-job training programmes
• Foreigners who will arrive to attend educational or similar programmes
• Foreigners who wish to stay for tourism purposes
• Foreigners who intend to receive medical treatment
• Foreigners who are required to stay in Türkiye pursuant to a request or a decision of judicial or administrative authorities
• Foreigners who will be transferred to a short-term residence permit in case of the family losing their residence permit requirements
• Foreigners who will attend a Turkish language course
• Foreigners who will attend an education programme, research, internship or, a course by way of a public agency
• Foreigners who will apply within six months upon graduation from a higher education programme in Türkiye
• Foreigners who do not work in Türkiye but will make an investment within the scope and amount that shall be determined by the President of the Republic, and their foreign spouses, his and her foreign minor children or foreign dependent children
• Citizens of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Short-term residence permits are issued for up to two years at a time; permits granted on the investment ground and to TRNC citizens can be issued for up to five years at a time. For a property-based permit the property must be a dwelling used for living.

The investor residence route currently requires a USD 400,000 real estate investment.

Family Residence Permit

Family residence permits are issued to the foreigners who have lost Turkish citizenship by obtaining a leave of absence or to the foreign spouse of foreigners and refugees who hold one of their residence permits and of those with secondary protection status, or to foreigner's spouse's minor foreign child, and to his or her spouse's dependent foreign child.

Student Residence Permit

• Foreigners who shall receive primary or secondary education and who do not hold a family residence permit (Without taking residence permit, foreigners can continue studying until they are 18 (for primary and secondary education). However, when they are over 18 and still go on taking secondary education, those students are required to take residence permit.)
• Foreigners who shall attend an associate, undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate programme or receive education for speciality in medicine (TUS) or in dentistry (DUS) are issued residence permits.

Student residence permit ensures the student to be only the supporter of spouse and children in family residence permit applications. It does not provide any right to the other relatives about residence permit.

Long-Term Residence Permit

A long-term residence permit is granted by the governorates, with the Ministry of Interior's approval, to foreigners who have resided in Türkiye with a residence permit for at least eight years without interruption or who meet the conditions set by the Ministry. Refugees, conditional refugees, holders of subsidiary protection, humanitarian residence permit holders and persons under temporary protection cannot transfer to a long-term residence permit.

Long-term residence permit is issued indefinitely.

Humanitarian Residence Permit

• Humanitarian residence permit has been issued within the framework of Foreigners and International Protection Laws in the case of the child's best interests,
• -Where, notwithstanding a removal decision or ban on entering Türkiye, foreigners cannot be removed from Türkiye or their departure from Türkiye is not reasonable or possible,
• In the absence of a removal decision in respect of the foreigner
• Where there is a judicial appeal against the actions carried out
• Throughout the removal actions of the applicant to the first country of asylum or a safe third country
• In cases when foreigners should be allowed to enter into and stay in Türkiye, due to emergency or in view of the protection of the national interests as well as reasons of public order and security, in the absence of the possibility to obtain one of the other types of residence permits due to their situation that precludes granting a residence permit
• In extraordinary circumstances

humanitarian residence permit may be issued.

Residence Permit for Victims of Human Trafficking

Within the framwork of Foreigners and International Protection Laws, a residence permit for victims of human trafficking shall be granted to foreigners who are victims of human trafficking or where there is strong circumstantial evidence that they might be victims.

Those who have these conditions and permission to work do not have to apply for a residence permit in Türkiye. Work permit holder foreigners have the right to stay in Türkiye without a residence permit for the duration of work permits.

Last reviewed: September 2026