Residence Permit in Türkiye 2026: Types of Ikamet, Documents and How to Apply

A residence permit in Türkiye is called ikamet izni, and in everyday speech people simply say "ikamet". It is a plastic card carrying a personal foreigner identification number, and it gives you the right to live in the country legally beyond your visa or visa-free allowance. The law recognises six types of ikamet, and the one that fits your situation determines the document package, the length of the permit, and whether that period will count towards a long-term residence permit later on. Here is how the system works as of 2026.

When you actually need an ikamet

Nationals of many countries enter Türkiye without a visa or on an e-visa and may stay for a limited number of days — for most visa-free nationalities that is 90 days within any 180-day period, but entry rules and limits depend on citizenship and should be checked against your own passport. The moment you want to stay longer than that allowance, you need a residence permit.

An ikamet is not citizenship and not a "second passport". It does not automatically give you the right to work, it does not open visa-free travel to third countries, and it does not replace a Turkish identity card. What it does give you is the right to live in the country legally, obtain a Turkish tax number and a foreigner ID number, open a bank account, sign up for utility contracts, drive a car on Turkish plates and enrol your children in school.

The governing statute is the Law on Foreigners and International Protection No. 6458 (Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu). Applications are received and decided by the Presidency of Migration Management of the Turkish Ministry of the Interior (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı), and locally by the provincial directorates (İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü). The single helpline for foreigners is YİMER, number 157.

The six types of residence permit under Law No. 6458

The law recognises exactly six categories of residence permit. Any account that presents an "investor ikamet" or a "work ikamet" as separate types is a simplification: the investment ground sits inside the short-term permit, and a work permit is issued by an entirely different ministry.

Short-term residence permit (kısa dönem)

By far the most common category. The grounds are listed in Article 31 of the law: scientific research, ownership of property in Türkiye, business ties and commercial contacts, participation in exchange programmes and internships, tourism, medical treatment, language courses, education under programmes outside the university system, and investment at the level set by the government. The permit is issued for up to two years at a time, and up to five years on the investment ground.

Residence permit based on property ownership

This is where the single biggest change of recent years took place. Since 16 October 2023 one nationwide threshold applies: the property must be worth at least USD 200,000. The former split between large cities (75,000) and everywhere else (50,000) is gone — the old limits now apply only to properties acquired before that date.

If you have not chosen a property yet, take a look at our selection of residence-permit-eligible properties — it gathers listings whose declared value on the tapu (the Turkish title deed) clears the current threshold.

The details people tend to discover far too late:

• the threshold must be met by a single property; you cannot add several apartments together;
• the property must be classified as residential (konut) and genuinely used for living — a plot of land, a field or a commercial unit will not qualify;
• only the person whose name appears on the tapu may apply, and the ownership share must be whole;
• for properties bought on or after 16 October 2023, the reference figure is the sale price stated in the tapu, converted at the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye rate on the date of registration. Earlier transactions still follow the previous procedure based on a valuation report.

Which means that understating the price on the tapu to save on transfer duty can strip you of your ground for an ikamet altogether. For more on the deed itself, see our article on the tapu, and for the sequence of steps when buying, our guide to the purchase procedure.

Tourist residence permit

Formally this is also a short-term ikamet, simply with "tourism" as its stated purpose. It used to be the easiest way to regularise your stay; today the requirements are markedly tougher, and a stated intention to spend time on holiday is no longer enough. The directorate expects a coherent explanation of your purpose, a document covering your accommodation, and evidence that you have the means to support yourself in Türkiye. A first permit is usually granted for less than the maximum term, and renewal is not guaranteed.

Family residence permit (aile ikamet izni)

Issued to the foreign spouse and to the minor and dependent children of a Turkish citizen, of a "blue card" (mavi kart) holder, or of a foreigner who already holds a valid ikamet. The sponsor must document income, housing and health insurance for the whole family. A detailed breakdown is in our separate article on the family residence permit.

Student residence permit (öğrenci ikamet izni)

For those enrolled at a Turkish university on a bachelor's, master's, doctoral or associate degree programme, and for school pupils under certain conditions. One important nuance: when the qualifying period for a long-term permit is calculated, student years do not count in full — see below.

Long-term residence permit (uzun dönem ikamet izni)

An indefinite permit granted by the provincial governor's office (valilik) with ministerial approval after eight years of uninterrupted lawful residence. This is the one commonly and mistakenly referred to as "permanent residence". The details are in our article on the long-term residence permit.

Humanitarian permits and permits for victims of trafficking

Exceptional categories. A humanitarian ikamet is granted at the administration's discretion in special circumstances — for instance, when leaving the country is objectively impossible, or when the best interests of a child require it. It does not open the door to a long-term permit, and time spent on it does not count towards the eight-year qualifying period.

Working: a work permit instead of an ikamet

A work permit (çalışma izni) is issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, not by the migration authority. Under Law No. 6735, a valid work permit or a work permit exemption substitutes for a residence permit — you do not need a separate ikamet. The employer files the application through an electronic system; exceptions exist for certain categories of people under international protection.

The reverse is not true: holding any kind of ikamet does not in itself give you the right to work. Taking a job without a permit means fines for both the foreigner and the employer, plus a real risk of losing the residence permit.

The documents you will usually need

• the application form generated in the e-ikamet system, printed and signed;
• your passport and copies of the data page and of the most recent entry stamp; the remaining validity of the passport must exceed the requested permit term by a comfortable margin;
• recent biometric photographs to the prescribed standard;
• an accommodation document: a tapu in your own name, a notarised lease agreement, or a confirmation from a hotel or guesthouse;
• valid health insurance covering the entire requested period;
• proof of financial means — a bank statement, an income certificate, a pension document;
• receipts for the fees paid;
• for minors — a birth certificate and the notarised consent of the other parent;
• documents supporting your stated purpose of stay, depending on the ground you rely on.

All foreign documents must be legalised. For countries party to the Hague Convention that means an apostille, followed, once in Türkiye, by translation by a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman) and notarial certification at a noter.

How to apply through e-ikamet

1. Complete the application at e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr, selecting the permit type and the legal ground, and book an appointment (randevu).
2. Pay the applicable fees: the permit fee itself and the cost of the card. The amounts are revised periodically, so check current figures in the system when you apply or with your provincial directorate.
3. Assemble the document package, order it exactly as the form specifies, and appear on the appointed day and time — or, if your province accepts postal submissions, send it by cargo within the deadline.
4. Give your biometric data and, if asked, sit a short interview about the purpose of your stay.
5. Wait for the decision. By law, an application is assessed within a maximum of 90 days from the moment the complete package is filed.
6. Receive the card by post at the address you gave, and register that address in the system.

While an application is pending you can normally remain in the country on the strength of the submission document — but that is not the same as a valid residence permit, and it is unwise to plan departures and re-entries during this period without advice.

Health insurance

Insurance is compulsory for applicants aged roughly 18 to 65; children and people over 65 are usually exempt. A private policy from a Turkish insurer written to the standard for foreigners will do — it must cover the entire requested permit term with no gaps.

The alternative is state health insurance (genel sağlık sigortası, SGK). Foreigners who have lawfully lived in Türkiye for more than a year may join the scheme, but the rules impose application deadlines and do not cover everyone, so this is worth checking individually with SGK. Anyone working on a work permit is insured through their employer.

Address registration and the question of "closed" mahalle

Once you have the card, you must register your address: declare it to the civil registry office (Nüfus Müdürlüğü) or to the migration directorate. You have 20 working days to file your address details and to notify any change; late filings carry administrative fines.

For several years a restriction applied at the level of individual neighbourhoods — mahalle: in those where the share of foreigners exceeded a set quota, new registrations and first-time applications were not accepted. During 2026 this restriction was lifted on a large scale: by June, provincial lists were reported to have been opened, including in İstanbul and in the coastal districts of Alanya. Even so, the list has historically changed several times a year, so check the current status of an address before signing a lease or closing a purchase — with the migration directorate or through YİMER 157.

Terms and renewal

A renewal application goes through the same e-ikamet system and can be filed from 60 days before the card expires — and in any event before it does expire. Overstaying turns lawful residence into a violation, and a violation turns into a fine and an entry ban (tahdit).

Keep a separate eye on days spent outside Türkiye. A prolonged absence is a ground for cancelling the permit in its own right, and the thresholds differ by permit type: a family ikamet, for example, is cancelled after an absence of more than 180 days during the final year of the permit's validity.

What most often goes wrong

• A lease agreement without a notary. A simple written arrangement with the owner will not be accepted: you need a notarised contract, often confirmation from the owner as well, and the address must match the street-numbering certificate (numarataj) and the entries on the tapu.
• A passport with little validity left. The requested period cannot extend beyond your passport's expiry date, and a substantial margin is required on top.
• Insurance bought "just in case". A policy taken out for a month, or one that does not cover the whole period, is a classic reason for documents being returned.
• A mismatch between the stated purpose and the documents. If the ground is medical treatment, the clinic's paperwork is expected; if it is property, a tapu in your own name.
• An overstayed visa-free period before applying. You must file the application while you are still in the country lawfully.
• Understating the price on the tapu. Saving on duty closes off the property route to an ikamet and, further down the line, to citizenship by investment.

If the decision does come back negative, there is no need to panic: the appeal procedure and its deadlines are covered in a separate article on residence permit refusals.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a residence permit by buying an apartment for less than USD 200,000?

Not on the "property ownership" ground, if the property was acquired after 16 October 2023. But ownership is not the only route: the tourism, family, student and work grounds remain, each assessed against its own criteria.

Does an ikamet give me the right to work in Türkiye?

No. Employment requires a separate work permit, which the employer arranges through the Ministry of Labour. A valid work permit, on the other hand, substitutes for a residence permit in its own right.

How long does an application take?

The law allows up to 90 days from the filing of a complete package. In practice timescales differ from province to province, and any request for missing documents restarts the clock.

Do I need a Turkish tax number before applying?

A tax number (vergi numarası) is practically unavoidable: without it you cannot pay the fees or open an account. How to obtain one is set out in our article on the Turkish tax number.

What if I lose the card or move house?

A change of address must be reported within 20 working days. A lost card is reported to the provincial migration directorate and a duplicate is issued; the permit itself is not affected.

Does time on an ikamet count towards citizenship?

Naturalisation on general grounds requires five years of uninterrupted residence and is assessed separately from your migration record. The conditions and the alternative routes are set out in our article on Turkish citizenship.

This information is provided for general guidance. Migration service requirements, document lists, value thresholds and fee amounts change, sometimes more than once a year, so check the current rules on goc.gov.tr, with your provincial migration directorate or with a specialist lawyer before you file.

Need help?

New Time Investment handles property transactions and paperwork in Alanya and across Türkiye. We will check a property and its suitability as a basis for a residence permit, advise which type of ikamet fits your situation, and help you assemble a correct document package — without wasted trips or repeat submissions. Come to us before the deal: it is cheaper and faster that way.