TurkeyAsylum / refugee statusLimited

International protection in Turkey

International protection in Turkey is a status for a person who cannot return home because of a well-founded fear of persecution or a threat of the death penalty, torture or violence in an armed conflict. Applications are considered by the Directorate General of Migration Management under the Turkish Ministry of the Interior: it assigns the status and issues documents in place of a residence permit. Each applicant's history is assessed individually. No financial evidence is requested — only the personal threat.

Visa term

Valid for as long as the threats exist

Threshold

There are no financial requirements; support from the state and from organisations

Processing time

Registration takes days or weeks; the decision takes months or years

Work

For temporary protection — a permit with simplifications; for other statuses it is limited

Source: goc.gov.tr — international protection: refugee, conditional refugee, secondary protection

What situation determines the protection status

Within one programme Turkey assigns a different status depending on where the events of persecution took place and what risk the person faces on return.

Persecution in a European country

The applicant is a national of a country that belongs to the Council of Europe
A well-founded fear of persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion
The status of mülteci (refugee) is assigned — the widest set of rights under the law on international protection

Persecution outside Europe or a threat of serious harm

The applicant is a national of any other country that does not belong to the Council of Europe
The same fear of persecution, but the events took place outside Europe — conditional refugee status until resettlement in a third country
Or there are no grounds for refugee status, but on return the person faces the death penalty, torture or violence in an armed conflict — subsidiary protection status

When this programme will not suit you

I came to Turkey as part of a mass influx — fleeing a war, for instance — and am not prepared to go through an individual assessment

Temporary protection (geçici koruma) — a separate Turkish programme specifically for a mass influx of people, without examination of the individual case

I am not being persecuted — I simply want to live in Turkey lawfully

An ordinary residence permit: the tourist permit or the permit through the purchase of property — without international protection status

I need a clear route to a long-term residence permit or Turkish citizenship

International protection does not give such a route: refugees and persons with subsidiary protection are expressly excluded from moving to a long-term residence permit — other migration programmes are needed for that

I want a lawyer to file the application for me so that I do not have to go to the province myself

Attending in person is compulsory at this step — an application for international protection cannot be filed through a representative or a lawyer

What it costs

International protection applicant identity document (for 1 year)Issued free of charge after registration and renewed annually until the case is decided	0 TRY
Status identity document — refugee / conditional refugee / subsidiary protection (for 3 years)Issued free of charge after a positive decision and renewed every 3 years	0 TRY
Booking an appointment at e-randevu.goc.gov.trBooking is free; charging for it is prohibited	+0 TRY
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Booking an appointment at e-randevu.goc.gov.tr” adds 0 TRY. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	0 TRY

Paid separately

Interpreter or lawyer services, if the applicant chooses to use them — The state does not pay for them; in any event the application can only be filed in person
Health insurance after the first year for adults without special needs — State cover lasts 1 year from the date of registration; after that only by a separate decision to extend it

Documents to gather

Based on the official Migration Management page «Düzenlenecek Belgeler» and the general information about the programme.

The applicant must attend the provincial directorate of migration management in person (in Istanbul — the Kumkapı coordination centre)
International protection applicant identity document — issued after registration, valid for 1 year with annual renewal, free of charge, replaces a residence permit
Status identity document (refugee / conditional refugee / subsidiary protection) — issued after a positive decision, valid for 3 years with renewal, free of charge
Foreigner identification number — assigned together with the identity document
Documents for family members who arrived with the applicant — issued at the same time as the applicant's case

How the process runs

Based on the FAQ section of the Migration Management directorate on international protection.

1
Attending in person and filing the application
The applicant applies in person to the provincial directorate of migration management for the place where they are (the valilik); in Istanbul — to the Kumkapı coordination centre. The application cannot be filed through a representative or a lawyer — only in person.
2
Registration and issue of the applicant identity document
1 year, renewed annually until the decision
Once the registration formalities are complete, the applicant and the family members who arrived with them are issued, free of charge, the International Protection Applicant Identity Document with a foreigner identification number; the document replaces a residence permit.
3
Consideration of the application on the merits
up to 6 months
The standard time for a decision is 6 months from the date of registration. If no decision is taken within that period, the applicant is notified but consideration continues on the same terms; throughout this time the applicant must live in the province assigned to them.
4
Decision on the status and issue of the identity document
3 years, renewed every 3 years
If the decision is positive, a status is assigned — refugee, conditional refugee or person with subsidiary protection — and the status identity document is issued free of charge; it is valid until the status changes or is revoked.
5
Appealing against a refusal
15 days to bring a claim
If the application is refused or the case is dealt with under the accelerated procedure, a claim is brought before the administrative court within 15 days of notification; the court's decision is final. After a final refusal it is possible to remain in Turkey only on another lawful ground.

Who you can bring with you

Based on the Migration Management notice for applicants and holders of international protection status, and on the pages about the documents issued and the types of residence permit.

Spouse and children who arrived with the applicant

They are included in the applicant's case and receive the same document — first the applicant identity document for 1 year, then the status identity document for 3 years — without a separate application and without separate consent for minors

Family members added later: marriage, tracing, establishing kinship

Handled through the case merger service at e-randevu.goc.gov.tr; in the event of divorce or to correct errors — through the case separation service

Refugees (mülteci) and persons with subsidiary protection (ikincil koruma)

They cannot obtain a separate family residence permit (aile ikamet izni) — that route is closed to them; the composition of the family is confirmed only through the international protection identity documents, not through the ordinary residence permit system

Trips, renewal and the grace period

Residence in Turkey, with limited travel abroad

The applicant identity document is valid for 1 year and is renewed annually until a decision is taken on the application. Once a status has been assigned — refugee, conditional refugee or subsidiary protection — a new identity document is issued for 3 years; it is renewed every 3 years and remains valid until the status changes or is revoked. Both documents are issued and renewed free of charge.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	International protection	Short-term residence permit	Turquoise Card
Visa term	Valid for as long as the threats exist	Usually 1 year (property), six months / 1 year (tenancy), up to 2 years; renewable while the ground remains	The exact term and renewal are not disclosed (a transition period is provided for)
Grounds	Conditional refugee status (outside Europe)	Tourism / property	High qualifications
Work	For temporary protection — a permit with simplifications; for other statuses it is limited	A short-term residence permit is not a work permit	By its nature it is linked to the right to work; the exact regime is not confirmed
Residence	Residence in Turkey, with limited travel abroad	No specific minimum number of days is stated	No minimum number of days is stated

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

There is no standard route to a long-term residence permit

Route to citizenship

Naturalisation in exceptional cases or through a change of status

Frequently asked questions about International protection

Where is an international protection application filed, and can it be done through a lawyer?

The application is filed in person with the provincial directorate of migration management for the place where the applicant is; in Istanbul — with the Kumkapı coordination centre. The application cannot be filed through a representative or a lawyer — the applicant must attend in person.

Is it possible to work while the application is being considered?

The applicant may apply for a work permit 6 months after filing the international protection application. Refugees and persons with subsidiary protection may work without restriction as soon as the status is assigned; territorial and sectoral restrictions on work are lifted after 3 years of residence in Turkey, on marriage to a Turkish citizen or where there are Turkish children.

What about health insurance during the procedure?

If the applicant has no other insurance and no means to pay for it, the Migration Management directorate pays for general health insurance for 1 year from the date the application was registered. For those over 18 the insurance ends after a year by default, but documents can be filed with the regional directorate of migration management to extend it where there are special needs.

What happens if the applicant is refused?

A claim may be brought before the administrative court within 15 days of notification of the refusal; the court's decision is final. After a final refusal it is possible to stay in Turkey only if there is another lawful ground for the stay.

Does international protection give a right to a long-term residence permit?

No. Refugees and persons with subsidiary protection are expressly excluded from moving to a long-term residence permit — they remain on international protection status, which is confirmed by a separate identity document rather than by an ordinary residence permit.

How does refugee status (mülteci) differ from conditional refugee status?

Turkey applies the 1951 Geneva Convention with a geographical limitation. Refugee status is granted only to nationals of Council of Europe member states who are fleeing persecution arising from events in Europe. Those fleeing persecution for the same reasons but arising from events outside Europe are granted conditional refugee status — which allows them to remain in Turkey only until they are resettled in a third country.

Other ways to move to Turkey

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Turkey.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 8 August 2026.