Planning to Live in Türkiye? Türkiye Residence Permit (Touristic Residence Card TRC) allows foreign nationals to stay in Türkiye for more than 90 days in every 6 months for the purpose of Tourism, Work, Study or Settlement.
Türkiye is an awesome beautiful country. Most of the country is surrounded by water. The beautiful coastline of Turkey makes it more attractive. Inland, the cities are well developed, organized and easy to travel around on public transport. Istanbul’s Metro system is one of the most advanced transportation systems in Europe.
How can one forget the Turkish Food. Turkish cuisine ranks in top 10 in the world among Italian, Chinese or Thai. A mixture of Traditional, European and Mediterranean Food can be found on the streets of Istanbul.
There are more benefits of the Turkish Residence permit like
- One can Live in Turkey
- Study at any Turkish Institution
- Get married in Turkey
- Obtain a Turkish Driver’s License
- Obtain a Turkish Tax Number
- Open a Bank Account
- Buy a Property in Turkey
- Buy an existing Business or Open a New Business
- and many more…
If you want to Work in Türkiye, you must obtain a separate Work Permit as well to work legally.
Who Needs a Türkiye Residence Permit
Anyone (foreigner from any country) who intends to stay in Türkiye for the period exceeding than their Visit Visa duration or 90 days in every 180 days must obtain Türkiye Residence Permit or TRC.
Process Time for TRC Application in 2025
The process time given by Turkish authorities a Residence Permit Application is 90 days.
Many of the foreigners visiting Türkiye wants to stay longer. Once they are inside the country, on a Tourist Visa / Business Visa (either Sticker Visa stamped in their passports or an e-visa) or are Visa Exempt then they need to apply for TRC within the duration their legal stay in Turkey.
This is one of the many types of Residence Permits offered by Directorate General Migration Management of Türkiye. The holders of this Short Term Turkish Residence Permit (TRC) can travel in and out of the country Visa-Exempt and can stay in the country as long as the permit is valid.
Validity of Türkiye Residence Permit
TRC is usually issued for the validity of 1 year for the first time. In some cases we have seen the issued permit’s validity was only six months, depending on the application and documents submitted to obtain the TRC the validity could be up to 2 years also.
Special Restrictions
To obtain 1 year residence permit, applicant’s passport must be valid for 14 months. For a 2 year permit applicant’s passport must be valid for 26 months.
Another restriction now a days is the location where you are residing in Türkiye. Before, foreigners staying in any city or in any part of Istanbul, were eligible to apply for TRC.
Now Turkish authorities announced the name of regions where foreigner population reached the maximum number 25% of the locals. Now foreigners staying in these locations are not eligible to apply for Turkey Residence Permit nor the Turkish Citizenship.
These locations are:
Kocatepe, Beylikdüzü Beylikdüzü Osb, Şehit Muhtar Küçükçekmece, Beşyol, Sariyer, Maslak Ergenekon Mahallesi, Avcilar, Denizköşkler, Başakşehir, İkitelli Osb, Katip Kasim, Kemalpaşa, Mesihpaşa, Mimar Hayrettin, Molla Gürani, Muhsine Hattın, Nişanca, Saraç Ishak, Beyoğlu, Ziya Gökalp, Beşiktaş Yildiz. Esenyurt Alevler, Gökevler Koza, Piri Reis Mah, Yeşilkent, Zafer, Fatih Mahallesi, Dudullu Osb, Zeytinburnu, Maltepe, Tuzla, Aydinli-kosb, Balabanağa, İskenderpaşa, Bülbül, Çukur, Kamer Hatun, İnönü, Mecidiyeköy, Şile Mah, Meşrutiyet, Ümraniye.
How to Apply
Application for a short term residence permit must be submitted within the country. Residence permit applications can not be submitted while staying outside Türkiye.
After gathering all the required documents, applicant must book an appointment with the office of Goc Idaresi Immigration. Goc Idaresi have around 250 locations countrywide to choose from.
Once the appointment date and time is confirmed, applicant will receive an email from Goc Idaresi and an SMS as a confirmation of the appointment. Keep the record of this email and SMS as it will help you on the day of appointment.
On the appointment date, applicant must attend a short interview at Goc Idaresi Immigration office. Applicant must bring his/her original passport along with all original supporting documents for the interview. The fee for the Türkiye Residence Permit also be paid at the time of interview.
How much is the Fee
The application fee for Türkiye Residence Permit is approx. US$100, depending on the nationality of the applicant.
Documents Required to obtain Türkiye Residence Permit
At the time of interview at Goc Idaresi office, applicant must bring these documents to submit their application for TRC.
- Original Passport
- Notarized Copy of Passport
- Application Form for Residence Permit
- Biometric Photographs (4)
- Bank Statement (from your home country)
- Health Insurance (1 year)
- Residential Rental Agreement (MUST BE NOTARIZED BY A TURKISH NOTARY PUBLIC)
- Additional supporting documents may be required depending on the Nationality of the Applicant.
Türkiye Residence Permit Service Providers
There are many Law firms and Legally authorized service providers in Turkey. They offer you their services to arrange all the required documents for you at a cost as low as US$100. The service charges of these service providers may vary depending on the conditions of the applicant.
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