Procedure for Online Turkish Resident Permit Application

[bickern]

RESIDENCY PERMIT APPLICATION PROCEDURE - Copied from Antalya Central - Residency permit application procedure



Firstly ensure you have everything required for the online application:-

BioMetric photo to upload

This needn't be a "store bought" photo, "biometric" simply means a certain composure of the photograph that conforms to a set of standards, you can take the photo at home at check it corresponds to the requirements an explanation of how the photo should look to be considered "biometric" can be found on the attachments list at the bottom of the article.

The photo must have been taken within the last six (6) months

Your passport and existing residency card/book if you have one (for reference).

First time applicants:

NOTE: If you are applying for a Long Term Residence Permit after meeting the requirements then you should use the FIRST APPLICATION option.

If you are applying for a FIRST APPLICATION you will need to get an appointment date to visit the office, if you are RENEWING an existing permit all procedures are done online and via post/courier.

Applicants should make their Residence Permit (RP) applications before their tourist visa expires.

1. Go to the DGMM website Göç ?daresi Genel Müdürlü?ü (choose the English language version if required)

2. Click on E-Ikamet (e-Residence)

3. Fill in the online application form. Below is a step-by-step example from mine, I was applying for a Long Term Residence Permit (LTRP) but the procedure should be very similar for a Short Term Residence Permit (STRP)

3.1 Choose APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION if you are simply renewing an existing STRP, Family Residence Permit (FRP) or Students Residence Permit (SRP), choose FIRST APPLICATION for all other cases:-



3.2 Choose the type of permit you require:-



3.3 Fill in all the details, the RED highlighted fields MUST be filled in, the black are optional but will help with the application so I suggest you fill as much as you can.

NOTES:

If you are British, the nationality is listed under United Kingdom, not British or English
The fields GRANTING COUNTRY and GRANTING AUTHORITY should be filled out the same
Make sure the uploaded photo conforms to the Biometric profile (see attachments at the bottom of this article for example Biometric compliant photos)




3.4 The next screen asks you to take the "below stated documents" to your appointment to be chosen on the next screen, trouble is there are no "below stated documents" so I guess they are still updating the old documents required lists.



3.5 Choose a convenient appointment date and time (when I applied the nearest appointment date was 6 weeks away!) Please note that you are legally allowed to reside in Turkey while waiting for your appointment date, the date of application is taken as the start date for your new (or renewed) permit.



3.6 You will be shown a screen confirming your application and given an application reference number, KEEP THIS SAFE, print out the page if possible. You also need to click on the RESIDENCE PERMIT APPLICATION DOCUMENT link (do NOT right-click and "open in new window" or similar, it wont work, simply left click and it will download a PDF of the completed application form filled in with the details you have already entered, this must be printed out IN COLOUR and taken with you to the appointment (or sent via post for renewals).



4. Pay the Application Fees

4.1 The fees must be paid at a branch of HALKBANK or your local Tax Office (Vergi Dairesi), quote the tax reference number: 9069 when paying to ensure your payment is accepted and registered to an Ikamet card (or Ikamet tax) payment, also if you have multiple payments then ensure each one is made seperately and you get a separate reciept for each payment, not a combined reciept for tax and card fee. Keep these safe, they must accompany your submitted documents.

5. Prepare all relevant documents and send them in or keep them ready for your appointment depending on if you are renewing or having a first time application.

6. Visit the Migration Office in person on the date and time of your appointment with your relevant documents.

7. Assessment of your application will follow. If there is any missing document (s) you will be given 30 days to submit the document(s) and complete the application. At the end of 30 days if any missing documentation is not submitted then the application will be considered abandoned which will lead to a penalty fee.

8. If your application is accepted you will be given a Proof of Application document and your residence permit is then issued within 90 days via the Turkish postal system to your address in Turkey.

If your application for a residence permit is unsuccessful the DGMM will contact you so departure plans can be made.

Once your application has been generated on the online system, you can legally remain in Turkey until the appointment date

You can leave or re-enter Turkey (within 15 days) only after your application is submitted and you have the ‘Proof of Application’ document signed and stamped by the migration officer.



Renewals of Residence Permits:

Follow steps 1-5 as for first time applicants, then:

6. Send your application by post/ courier to your provincial migration office. (Antalya is - BAYINDIR MAHALLESİ GAZİ BULVARI 07030 (MÜLGA İL ÖZEL İDARESİ) MURATPAŞA / ANTALYA)

RESIDENCY PERMIT APPLICATION PROCEDURE - Copied from Antalya Central - Residency permit application procedure

[bickern]

Originally Posted by Chinook

Bickern. I realise that you have reproduced this as printed but a little tip that you might add is make sure that the size of the electronic version of your photo is less than 500 kb otherwise it will not upload onto the form

Added

[MiddleEarth]

Norman,

Thank you for your hard work and screen shots.

I applied for the Family RP and the process is nearly identical. I am adding some notes.

The system will time out if you do not fill out the forms promptly. How long I do not know. I filled mine out the evening before and then had the Missus proof-read it the next morning and the system made me start all over. So make screenshots of what you input as you go along. I took about an hour of very careful input the second time and all was OK.

The first page instructions say:
"First applications or applications for changing the type of residence permit (changing from short term residence permits to long term residence permits, from family residence permits to short term residence permits etc.) or APPLICATIONS TO BE MADE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE PURPOSE OF STAY HAS CHANGED must be made, in any case, before the expiration of the visa or the residence permit."
Also you must use this IF YOUR PASSPORT HAS BEEN RENEWED during the time of your RP.

You wrote: "If you are applying for a FIRST APPLICATION you will need to get an appointment date to visit the office, if you are RENEWING an existing permit all procedures are done online and via post/courier."

This was confusing to me. After you submit your detailed information, the system will give you an opportunity to pick a day and time to report and the location.

Your wrote at 3.4:
"...trouble is there are no "below stated documents" so I guess they are still updating the old documents required lists."

My application showed all required documents (see attachment)

There was also a Documents list on the final (green text) page (see attachment).
One of them is "The document which proves possessing sufficient and sustainable resources for the duration of the stay."
In previous RP applications, I provided my Social Security Pension document but I was required to have it translated and notarised. Does anyone know if this is still true? If anyone returns from their appointment please note your experience with this.

Also note you must provide a Criminal Record document:
"Provided by person's own country authorities of if the person has been staying for the last five years in Turkey, it may be granted by Turkish authorities."
Good luck on that if you have been here less than five years.

[AntalyaC]

Hi MiddleEarth, Bickern,

I wrote the article on antalyacentral.com that was copied here and its great to see its useful, I was applying for the LTRP and as you can see the information was lacking on screen badly and no document list was provided for me at any stage, good to see the Family permit is showing them, I think the STRP is as well? The system will no doubt sort itself out in time and settle down and I'm sure they're not that different to the previously published requirements anyway.

Thanks for the extra details and good luck with the application.

[MiddleEarth]

A recap of our visit to the Antalya İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü (ikamet/office)

On 30 June, 2015, we went to the Antalya İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü (ikamet/foreigners office). I have attached some photos of the Ikamet office in Antalya plus a map showing its location.

Follow the airport signs and at the D400 curve to the right, make sure you stay in the right hand lane and make the FIRST right and IMMEDIATELY turn right on the access road heading back the way you came off the D400. The entrance is to the left, immediately turn left again into the otopark.

My appointment given to me from the online system was for 01 July at 10:00 so we left the day before, 30 June, 2015, and planned to stay overnight so as to have a decent sleep and arrive early to encounter the bureaucracy.

We arrived mid-afternoon on 30 June and drove to the location on the map to ensure we knew the location of the foreigner's office. Since we arrived there around 15:00 we decided to get out and look around and see what we would get into the following morning.

We went inside to the information (danışma) guy who turned out to be a curmudgeon but who, after speaking with "The Missus hanım" for a few moments, lightened up and got a twinkle in his eye. The Missus explained that we had just arrived from Kaş, far away, and even though we had an appointment for the next morning, asked if it would be possible to be seen immediately instead. The danışmacı raised his eyebrows a bit, went away, and came back shortly with a nice-looking and very polite young man who said he might be able to help.

TRANSLATION:
They have a formal translator and many of the officials there speak a "little" English some a lot more than others. The ikamet office has a translator but that may not get one speedily past the information desk (danışma) which you must go through in order to see an official to process an applicant's paperwork. They were all very friendly and appeared sincerely trying to help and answer questions. I was pleasantly surprised at the modern offices they have as well as the sterling customer service skills demonstrated by the officials with which we interacted.

If an applicant does not speak Turkish, they would be well advised to pay for and take along an official Turkish translator or an English-speaking Turkish friend.

The young man asked a series of quick questions before he would accept us:
do you have...? yes,
do you have...? yes,
do you have...? yes, etc.

All seemed to his satisfaction so, much to our delight, he took us to his desk and started to process our paperwork. The Missus had arranged the documents and labelled them with small sticky notes to make it easy for the official to quickly and accurately look through them. There were absolutely no glitches, all was tidy, in order, and he accepted our paperwork.

They asked us why we did not mail in our paperwork. I pointed out that the final page of the online application stated clearly "you are required to apply in person..." The official assured me that they would also accept mailed-in applications. I said I felt more secure turning in the paperwork directly to an official, then I would be assured they received it, and that I would then be assured all the paperwork had been submitted.

The official then said we had to go around the corner, in the same building, to the tax office (vergi dairesi) and pay the fee for the RP. I commented that we paid 55.00 TL in Kaş which was the only fee mentioned on the web site. He said that was for the card but there is also a fee for the family (two-year) RP. This is written nowhere on the the online final page. He apologised and said I was correct, this was not stated on the web site and that it should have been.

The fee for US citizens at the tax office was $140.00 USD for my 2-year family ikamet. The gentleman at the tax office said the fee for this RP was different for different countries. Take along plenty of TL to be sure.

The very friendly official in the tax office said their system was down at that time and might not be up before the tax offices closed at 16:00. The time then was around 15:30, but he said we could wait at the small büfe in the compound which is within sight of his window. We waited for a while and finally he said it probably would not work by the time the offices closed. The problem was that the Turkish government had given a one-time amnesty to tax evaders to pay delinquent taxes by June 30 and the last day/minute applications had taken down their system.

We then went back to the residence permit office and The Missus and the official chatted for a few minutes. The official said, no problem, since we had planned to stay overnight, we could bring the tax payment receipt back the following morning when the system was back up and we would then be finished with the process. He also said that if we were not staying overnight, we could pay in Kaş and mail the tax receipt to him. I felt that a personal handover was better.

We returned the next morning around 10:00 and the tax office was open and the system was up. We paid, took our payment receipt to the RP office guy who made and gave us a copy. He then printed out a very official document which has my photo in black and white and stating that my application has been approved and that I was waiting for my card to arrive.

The official said if I planned to leave the country before my card arrived that I would need the two tax receipt copies plus the paper he printed for me. We asked him his full name and phone number at that moment and said if we had to leave and had a problem with passport control could we have passport control call him. He willingly gave us his full name, phone number and assured me he would talk to anyone who doubted my application.

He then said we were officially processed. The official said they would mail my RP to me in about 25 days or perhaps less. I had successfully submitted all my paperwork for my two-year family RP with a total office time of less than one hour.

OTHER INFO:
We took our Tapu but did not have to show any DASK or other insurance.

They told us that what the Antalya office wanted was a police record check on The Missus and not on me. She said that did not make sense and that the website was clear to us that it was the foreign spouse who must have the police record check. I suggest that folks applying for a family RP get a police record check on both spouses. The check did not cost us anything at the Kaş savcılık office.

PERMANENT RESIDENCE PERMIT:
I asked about the permanent residence permit and he said the only cost was for the card or 55.00 TL. He also said that it could take UP TO ONE YEAR for the permanent RP to be finalised! I was astonished.

He told me that they have to run various background checks, etc on the applicant. I asked if they give some proof of application while this is happening. He said yes but that temporary proof was only good for 90 days. After that, an applicant would need to go back to the office and get another 90 day extension until the permanent RP becomes effective. OR ELSE he said, the applicant could stay sequestered at home, and certainly not drive nor leave the country until the RP came back approved. Your experience, of course, may vary from mine.

For a couple who are both foreigners, each application must be separate and each must pay the same fees. Probably obvious but rather to state the obvious than have it asked.

The date in the upper left hand corner of the final web page of the online application is important. The official looked at that first because he thought I had not made my application before my current ikamet expired. Make sure that gets printed along with the page which starts with "Your application numbered ...... has been successfully saved."

They will not send to a PO box, they send only by PTT and only to the address on the application.

The fee for BOTH 1-year Residence Permits (short-term and tourism) is 55 TL for the card and $80.00 USD for a one-year tax/fee. The fee is less if you apply for less time.

They told me that anyone who arrives on a tourist visa can wait one month and then apply, within Turkey, for a residence permit. The Antalya officials said an applicant is not required to submit their application from their home country.

TOURISM RESIDENCE PERMIT:
They said that people applying for the "tourism" RP do not need a rental contract, nor a tapu. If they are staying at a hotel they have to get a letter from the hotel they are staying for the duration of the RP which is in 3 month increments. (3 - 6 - 9 - 12 months) OR, if they have a close friend with whom they are staying the friend will need to accompany the applicant to the ikamet office and state that the applicant is staying with them. This is the same requirement as the previous "tourism" RP. The cost is 55 TL for the card and $80.00 USD for a 1-year RP, less for fewer months.

[SLEEPY]

A friend of mine who had a three year residence permit(blue book) which expired in April 2015..would now she apply for a renewal of RP or will she have to start from scratch.
I suspect it would be a renewal but I thought some members would know for certain.
Cheers

[MiddleEarth]

Originally Posted by SLEEPY

A friend of mine who had a three year residence permit(blue book) which expired in April 2015..would now she apply for a renewal of RP or will she have to start from scratch.
I suspect it would be a renewal but I thought some members would know for certain.
Cheers

We were told in Antalya she will have to apply for a new (initial) application. She will be eligible for the 1-year ikamet. (your office may say different so beware)

[SLEEPY]

Thanks ME.

[MiddleEarth]

My visit to the Antalya foreigner's office for my ikamet appointment was on 01 July. We had a successful, approved, application (see above)

Yesterday, 08 July, I received my new Residence Permit card.

On 07 July we received a SMS text message from the PTT office saying a package had been dispatched and that we should expect it to be delivered very soon. It had a PTT tracking number on it. The next day The Missus went to the Kaş PTT and they already had the envelope with my RP in it!!

When The Missus picked up the envelope and signed for it, the PTT official entered the information into their system and within minutes she received another SMS stating the package had been delivered!

Pretty smooth and relatively hassle-free.

The Antalya office told us that will soon start to send officers to various branch offices around the country and that Kaş is on the list.

[bickern]

A good guide

The 2016 KTLN Guide to Short Term Residence Permits (STRP) · Kalkan Turkey · Kalkan Weather · Kalkan Information · Kalkan Map · Kalkan Turkish Local News