TurkeyResidence permit (short-term)

Short-term residence permit in Turkey

A temporary status for foreign nationals who come to Turkey for a purpose other than employment: to live in a flat they have bought, to receive medical treatment, to run a business, to learn the language or to await a court decision. The application is filed through the e-ikamet portal and decided by the Presidency of Migration Management under the Ministry of the Interior. The status is granted for a limited period and renewed on the same ground. A work permit and citizenship are arranged separately.

Processing time

Through e-ikamet and an appointment; no exact timeline stated

Work

A short-term residence permit is not a work permit

Residence

No specific minimum number of days is stated

Open-ended status after 8 years of continuous residence

Source: goc.gov.tr — types of residence permit, “Kısa Dönem İkamet İzni” section

Who is granted a short-term residence permit

The authority divides the grounds into two logics: the foreign national comes on their own initiative, or under an external programme and at the request of the authorities. Within each group the set of documents and the logic of the checks are similar.

Own initiative: housing, business, tourism

Owner of residential property in Turkey who uses it to live in
Tourist travelling on their own itinerary with no intention of working
Entrepreneur or person setting up a business — for a stay longer than 3 months a letter of invitation from the host party is required

Programme, medical treatment or a requirement of the authorities

Participant in an educational exchange (Erasmus, Mevlana, Farabi) or in Turkish language courses
Patient undergoing treatment, provided there is no diagnosis dangerous to public health
Foreign national whose presence in Turkey is required by the judicial or administrative authorities

When this programme will not suit you

I want to work for a Turkish company as an employee

A separate work permit (Çalışma İzni) is required — a short-term residence permit in itself does not give the right to work.

I am going to study full time at a Turkish university

A student residence permit (Öğrenci İkamet İzni) is issued instead of a short-term one.

I want to bring my spouse and children to Turkey on a general ground

A family residence permit (Aile İkamet İzni) is required — it has its own conditions on the sponsor's income and on health insurance for the whole family.

I have already lived in Turkey for 8 years continuously on a residence permit

You may apply for the open-ended residence permit (Uzun Dönem İkamet İzni) instead of renewing the short-term status once again.

What it costs

Residence card fee (belge bedeli)A single rate for 2026 for all applicants except nationals of countries exempt on the basis of reciprocity	964 TRY
State duty for the first month of the permit (harç), at the maximum rateCalculated at 348.10 TRY for each day of the first month, but not less than 653.70 and not more than 3,359.90 TRY	3 359,9 TRY
State duty for each further month of the permitCharged separately for the 2nd and every subsequent month of the permit	+2 232,3 TRY
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “State duty for each further month of the permit” adds 2 232,3 TRY. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	4,323.9–6 556,2 TRY

Paid separately

Visa fee (vize harcı, code 9234) — A separate line in the payment system, not included in the cost of the card or in the residence permit duty; the amount depends on nationality and visa type
Health insurance — The cost of the policy is not part of the state fee — it is bought separately and must cover the whole period of the permit applied for
Notary services — Not included in the state duty; needed, for example, for a notarised consent from the host party

Documents to gather

The exact list depends on the ground; below are the requirements common to most applicants for a short-term residence permit.

Application filed through the personal e-ikamet account
Documents confirming the purpose of stay (each ground has its own set — for example, the TAPU title deed for property or a certificate of enrolment for a course)
Address of residence in Turkey meeting the applicable sanitary and technical standards
Health insurance covering the whole period of the permit applied for
Criminal-record certificate from the country of nationality or of lawful residence — at the authority's request
Receipt for payment of the state duty and of the residence card fee
Notarised consent from the host party if the applicant is not living in their own home (and the consent of the host's spouse, if the host is married)

How the process runs

The procedure runs through the personal e-ikamet account and an in-person appointment at the local migration office.

1
Filing the application in the e-ikamet system
within 10 days in the case of conditional entry (şartlı giriş)
A foreign national planning to stay in Turkey longer than 90 days must file an application through e-ikamet. In the case of conditional entry, 10 days are allowed for this.
2
Submitting the documents in person at the migration office
on the day and at the time of the appointment (randevu)
The full set of documents must be brought exactly on the date and at the time of the appointment — otherwise the application is not taken up.
3
Consideration of the application by the authority
up to 90 days
Göç İdaresi considers a fully filed application within a maximum of 90 days. If something is missing, the applicant is given up to 30 days to supply the documents.
4
Payment of the duty and issue of the residence card
The applicant pays the state duty and the cost of the card under codes 9233 and 9207 through the online payment system, after which the authority produces and issues the residence card.

Who you can bring with you

The family residence permit is a separate programme, but rules on moving in both directions link it to the short-term status.

Spouse

Only one of the spouses receives the family residence permit; the sponsor (a Turkish citizen, the holder of another status, a refugee or a beneficiary of subsidiary protection) must have income of no less than a third of the minimum wage per family member and health insurance for the whole family. The permit is granted for a maximum of 3 years at a time.

Minor and dependent adult children

They receive the family residence permit together with the sponsoring parent; if the other parent with joint custody lives abroad, that parent's consent is required.

Divorced foreign spouse of a Turkish citizen

After a divorce it is possible to move to a short-term residence permit if the marriage and residence on the family permit lasted at least 3 years. For victims of domestic violence proven in court this 3-year condition does not apply.

Renewal and the grace period

Each individual short-term permit is granted for a maximum of 2 years (for investors and citizens of the TRNC — up to 5 years), so the status is usually renewed every 1-2 years while the same ground remains. The renewal application is filed through e-ikamet no earlier than 60 days before the current permit expires and must be filed before it expires. After a refusal, a new application for the same purpose cannot be filed for 6 months — for a different purpose it can be filed straight away.

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.

	Short-term residence permit	Turquoise Card	Humanitarian residence permit
Visa term	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)	A maximum of 1 year at a time, renewed annually
Grounds	Tourism / property	High qualifications	Exceptional circumstances
Work	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	Does not give an automatic right to work
Residence	No specific minimum number of days is stated	No minimum number of days is stated	There are no strict requirements on days of presence

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to citizenship

There is no automatic route from a short-term permit; separate grounds are required

Frequently asked questions about Short-term residence permit

How much does a short-term residence permit in Turkey cost in 2026?

The residence card (belge bedeli) costs 964 TRY for everyone except nationals of the countries exempt on the basis of reciprocity (the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Kosovo, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkmenistan, the TRNC, Palestine). The state duty (harç) is charged separately: for the first month — from 653.70 to 3,359.90 TRY depending on the number of days, and 2,232.30 TRY for each further month.

What is the maximum period a short-term residence permit is granted for?

As a rule, no more than 2 years per permit. The exception is investors under a decision of the Council of Ministers and citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, who may be granted a permit for up to 5 years.

How many days does it take to decide a short-term residence permit application?

The authority considers a fully filed application within a maximum of 90 days. If some documents are missing, the applicant is given up to 30 days to supply them.

Is a residence permit compulsory if you stay in Turkey longer than 90 days?

Yes. Foreign nationals planning to stay in Turkey longer than 90 days must apply for the appropriate type of permit through the e-ikamet system.

Can you move to the open-ended residence permit after several renewals of the short-term one?

Yes, after at least 8 years of continuous residence in Turkey on a residence permit and provided the additional conditions are met: no social assistance over the past 3 years, sufficient regular income, valid health insurance and no threat to public order. This status (uzun dönem) is granted with no end date.

If the residence permit is refused, when can you apply again?

For the same purpose of stay — no earlier than 6 months after the refusal. For a different purpose of stay a new application can be filed straight away.

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.