Deportation Centers in Istanbul: 2026 List and Contacts

This guide explains how to find out which removal centre (geri gönderme merkezi) in Istanbul your relative has been taken to, and what to do next.

How to Find Out Which Removal Centre a Foreigner Is Held In

When a foreign national is detained, the family is usually the last to know. A person detained in Istanbul is first taken to the local police unit, an administrative detention (idari gözetim) decision is issued through the İl Göç İdaresi (Provincial Directorate of Migration Management), and within 48 hours the person is transferred to a removal centre. During those two days the person may not yet appear registered at any centre; do not panic, and try the following three routes in order.

1. Yabancılar İletişim Merkezi (Foreigners Communication Center). Call 157; YİMER operates seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, serves in languages other than Turkish, and can tell you which centre the person is held in. Have the foreigner's passport number or foreign identity number ready.
2. Apply in person to the İstanbul İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü (Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Migration Management). You will get a faster answer if you bring a document showing your family relationship.
3. Get support from a lawyer specialised in immigration law for foreigners. A lawyer can query where the person is and what decisions have been issued through the bar association and Migration Management systems, and can also see the notification dates of those decisions. These two pieces of information determine every step that follows.

Once you have learned through one of these three routes which removal centre your relative is in, you can reach that centre using the contact details below.

Deportation Centers in Istanbul: Addresses and Phone Numbers

There are five centres in Istanbul. Which centre a person is taken to depends on the place of detention, gender, family situation and how full the centres are that day; members of the same family may be placed in different centres.

Tuzla Removal Centre

It is the only centre on the Anatolian side and the best known removal centre in Istanbul. Most foreigners detained on the Anatolian side are brought here.

• Address: Akfırat Mah. Süleymaniye Bulvarı 140.Cadde No:65 Tuzla/İSTANBUL
• Phone: 0212 499 40 00

Arnavutköy Removal Centre

It is on the European side, close to Istanbul Airport. A significant share of foreigners refused entry or detained at the airport are placed here. There are three removal centres in Arnavutköy in total: one main centre and two temporary ones.

• Address: Hastane Mahallesi, Ayasofya Caddesi No:109 Hadımköy/Arnavutköy/İSTANBUL
• Phone: 0212 499 40 00

Çatalca Removal Centre

This centre lies in the west of the European side, far from the city centre. Plan your route before travelling there for a visit.

• Address: Kaleiçi Mahallesi (103 Ada 47 Parsel) Hanice Caddesi No:23 Çatalca/İnceğiz/İSTANBUL
• Phone: 0212 499 40 00

Binkılıç Removal Centre

It is in the Binkılıç neighbourhood of the Çatalca district and is also far from the centre of Çatalca. Families often hear this centre referred to simply as "Çatalca"; the two centres are separate, and you must confirm which one the person is in before going to visit.

• Address: Eski Kırklareli Yolu, Menekşe Sokak, Binkılıç Çatalca/İSTANBUL
• Phone: 0212 499 40 00

Silivri Selimpaşa Removal Centre

This is the westernmost centre on the European side.

• Address: Selimpaşa Merkez Mahallesi, 2124. Sokak, No:10, Silivri / İstanbul.
• Phone: 0212 499 40 00

Transfers Between Removal Centres

When there is no space in the Istanbul centres, a foreigner may be transferred to centres in other provinces such as Iğdır, Erzurum or Kayseri. The transfer is not always reported to the family; a person may be in Tuzla one day and in Erzurum the next. For this reason, do not treat the information you obtained once as final; check again before a visit or a lawyer meeting.

A transfer does not restart the administrative detention period; the period runs without interruption from the date of the first decision. For a transferred person, the objection before the Sulh Ceza Hâkimliği (Criminal Judgeship of Peace) may be filed either where the Istanbul Governorship (İstanbul Valiliği) that issued the decision is located, or where the person is being held; which one is chosen is decided according to the file. For the rules on time limits, see administrative detention period.

Visits, Phone Calls and Belongings

Family visits take place on the days set by each centre and upon presentation of identification; the number of visitors and the length of the visit are limited. Clothing, medication and, within certain limits, money may be handed over to the person held at the centre; a prescription or medical report is required for medication. Phone calls are made through the payphones at the centre using a credit (kontör) system; for the person to be able to call you, they must know your number and have credit. The details of these matters, the living conditions in the centres and the Constitutional Court's assessment of those conditions are set out in the article on removal centre conditions and rights.

Lawyer Visits and Power of Attorney

A person held in a removal centre has the right to meet a lawyer, and that meeting depends on the centre's visiting days. In practice, the most frequent question concerns the power of attorney (vekâletname): the person is in the centre and cannot go to a notary. There are two routes. The notary may come to the centre, for a fee, and draw up the power of attorney; this is a known and working practice in the Istanbul centres. Alternatively, the lawyer records the meeting held at the centre in a written minute and, if necessary, relies on a bar association assignment to file the first application, with the power of attorney completed afterwards. Foreigners who cannot afford lawyer's fees may request legal aid within the framework of Article 57/7 of Law No. 6458.

The most important thing the family should bring to the centre is not clothing but documents: the rental agreement, the marriage certificate, the children's school enrolment documents and any medical reports. How these are used in the petition is explained in the sample objection petition.

What to Do in the First 48 Hours

Find out which centre the person is held in and keep that information up to date in case of a transfer. Establish which decisions have been issued against the person and the notification dates of the administrative detention and deportation decisions; the seven-day time limit for filing a case against the deportation decision runs from that date, and missing it is a mistake that is hard to repair. Collect the address, family and health documents. Arrange the lawyer meeting. Then plan the Sulh Ceza objection and the İdare Mahkemesi (Administrative Court) case separately; how the first one works is explained in the guide on objecting to an administrative detention decision, and the second in how to stop a deportation order. For the other ways out of a centre and what follows, see how to get out of a removal centre.

Legal Sources

Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, Articles 53, 57, 57/7, 58, 59; the Regulation on the Implementation of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection; information published by the Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı (Presidency of Migration Management) on removal centres.