Short-term residence permits are regulated in Articles 31 to 33 of Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection. Foreigners who will stay in Turkey for more than the duration of their visa or visa exemption or for more than 90 days are required to apply for a residence permit.
Currently, residence permit applications can be made through the website e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr in electronic format. When accessing this website, one of the options for Turkish, English, Arabic, or Russian can be selected from the top right corner. Then, by clicking on the option for first-time applications, extension applications, transition applications or application result inquiries as shown in the image below and filling in the necessary sections, an application can be made. However, applications made through this system must be made from within Turkey. Applications made from abroad will not be considered.
The foreigners who are eligible to obtain a short-term residence permit according to Article 31 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection are as follows:
- Those who will come for scientific research purposes
- Those who have immovable property in Turkey
- Those who will establish commercial connections or set up a business
- Those who will participate in in-service training programs
- Those who will come for education or similar purposes within the framework of agreements or student exchange programs to which the Republic of Turkey is a party
- Those who will stay for tourism purposes
- Those who will receive treatment, provided that they do not carry any of the diseases considered a threat to public health
- Those who need to stay in Turkey upon request or decision of the judicial or administrative authorities
- Those who transition from family residence permit to short-term residence permit
- Those who will attend Turkish language courses
- Those who will participate in education, research, internship and courses in Turkey through public institutions
- Those who have completed higher education in Turkey and apply within six months from the graduation date
- Those who will invest in Turkey within the scope and amount to be determined by the President, as well as their foreign spouse, their dependent foreign child, and those who will not work in Turkey
- Citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
After making an appointment online, the applicant should be present in person at the appointment location on the scheduled date with the required documents requested by the Directorate General of Migration Management. Regardless of the reason for the short-term residence permit application, the following documents must be completed. However, the requested documents are not limited to the ones listed below, and the Directorate General of Migration Management may also request additional documents. If additional documents are requested, the missing documents must be completed within 30 days. Otherwise, the application will be considered incomplete. The documents that are required as a fixed standard are as follows:
- Residence Permit Application Form
- Photocopy of passport or passport substitute document
- Biometric photograph
- Declaration of sufficient and regular financial means for the duration of stay
- Document showing payment of residence permit fee and card fee
- Valid health insurance
- Document indicating the place of residence
In addition, if the parents cannot be identified from the child’s passport or passport substitute, or their national identity cards, an approved birth certificate is required. In cases where one of the parents is not present, an approved consent letter is required, and in cases where one of the parents has passed away, an approved death certificate from the surviving spouse must be presented. In the event of a divorce, an approved custody certificate for the child is required. Additionally, if the person is under the age of eighteen, an approved consent letter from their mother/father or legal representative abroad and a notarized commitment letter from a real or legal person in Turkey, provided that it is specified in the consent letter, are required.
If these documents are obtained from Turkish authorities, they must be e-signed/signed and stamped/sealed. If they are obtained from abroad, they must have an apostille annotation and their Turkish translation must be notarized. If the person is a citizen of a country that is not a party to the apostille convention or if the document does not have an apostille annotation, the documents must be authenticated by the relevant authorities of that country (consulate/embassy approval and approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or authorized Turkish authorities in this regard).