Immigration Law in Turkey: Permits, Deportation, Citizenship

This page is a map of the legal procedures foreigners face in Turkey. Under each heading, the core of the rule, its time limit and its legal basis are given briefly; the details are explained in the linked guide. If you are not sure which area your problem falls into, start with the First Step by Situation section.

What Is Immigration Law in Turkey?

Immigration law in Turkey (yabancılar hukuku, literally "the law of foreigners") is the body of rules governing the entry into Turkey of persons who are not Turkish citizens, their stay and work in Turkey, their deportation, entry bans and their acquisition of Turkish citizenship. The main sources are:

• 6458 sayılı Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu (Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, YUKK): visas, residence permits, entry bans, deportation and administrative detention.
• 6735 sayılı Uluslararası İşgücü Kanunu (International Labour Force Law No. 6735): work permits and objections to refusal decisions.
• 5901 sayılı Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanunu (Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901): citizenship through the general route, through marriage and through the exceptional route.
• 2577 sayılı İdari Yargılama Usulü Kanunu (Law No. 2577 on Administrative Judicial Procedure, İYUK): lawsuits brought against these administrative acts.

The text of the law alone does not determine the outcome. The practice of the Göç İdaresi (Presidency of Migration Management), the administration's discretionary power, and the decisions of the Anayasa Mahkemesi (Constitutional Court) and the Danıştay (Council of State) are also decisive. Two files under the same heading may end differently depending on the length of the violation, prior records and the date of notification.

Key Deadlines in Turkish Immigration Law

In this field, the most common reason for losing a right is missing a deadline. As a rule, time limits run from the notification (tebliğ) of the decision; this is why the reasoned copy of the decision and the date of notification should be kept.

First Step by Situation: Where to Start

• If a deportation (deport) decision has been notified to you or a relative: the 7-day period for filing a lawsuit has started to run. See how to stop a deportation decision.
• If your relative has been taken to a removal centre: an application is made to the criminal judgeship of peace against the administrative detention. See how to get out of a removal centre and appealing an administrative detention decision.
• If you learned at the border gate that you have an entry ban: first find out the code, duration and reason of the record. See lifting an entry ban to Turkey.
• If your residence permit was refused: see what to do after a residence permit refusal.
• If your work permit was refused: see work permit application and objection.
• If your visa or residence permit has expired: see a roadmap for foreigners who have overstayed and the visa violation fine.
• If you received a call or a message from the migration administration: see being called to the migration administration and the message from the migration administration.

Residence Permits (İkamet İzni)

A foreigner who will stay longer than the period granted by the visa or visa exemption, or longer than ninety days, must obtain an ikamet izni (residence permit) (YUKK Art. 19/1). The Law provides for six types of residence permit: short-term, family, student, long-term, humanitarian, and residence permit for victims of human trafficking (Art. 30). As a rule, the application is made to the consulate in the country of which the foreigner is a citizen or where they are legally present (Art. 21/1); applying from within Turkey to the valilik (governorship) is possible in the cases listed in Art. 22. A valid work permit counts as a residence permit (Art. 27/1).

Applications and permit types:

• How to apply for a residence permit (oturum / ikamet izni)
• Short-term residence permit application
• Residence permit by buying a home
• How to obtain a family residence permit
• Student residence permit
• Digital nomad visa and residence permit
• Long-term (indefinite) residence permit
• Humanitarian residence permit
• Residence permit for a foreign baby born in Turkey
• Residence permit application receipt (ikamet izni müracaat belgesi)
• Residence permit fees and card cost

Refusal, cancellation and special cases:

• My residence permit was refused: what should I do?
• Common reasons for refusal of work and residence permits
• The closed neighbourhood (kapalı mahalle) restriction and the residence address
• Marriage interview and cancellation of a family residence permit
• Residence status of a foreigner who divorces a Turkish citizen

Work Permits (Çalışma İzni)

A foreigner who wants to work in Turkey must obtain a work permit; a deportation decision is taken against a foreigner found to be working without a permit (YUKK Art. 54/1-ğ). Applications with complete information and documents are concluded within 30 days (6735 Art. 7/8). The application of a foreigner with a record under YUKK Art. 7, 15 or 54 is refused (6735 Art. 9/1-f). An objection to the refusal decision is filed with the Ministry within 30 days of notification; if the objection is rejected, the route to the administrative courts is open (6735 Art. 21/2).

• Work permit application and objection
• Work permit extension application: the 60-day rule
• Refusal of a domestic work permit
• The entry-year distinction in domestic work: a precedent decision
• Is there an amnesty for illegal foreigners? The domestic work permit
• Fine for employing undocumented foreign workers: amount and objection
• Work permits for foreigners of Turkish descent and citizens of Azerbaijan
• Work permit criteria for a foreign company partner
• How a foreigner sets up a company in Turkey
• I was dismissed while holding a work permit: am I now illegal?

Deportation from Turkey and Administrative Detention

A deportation decision (sınır dışı etme kararı) is taken by the governorship and notified, together with its reasons, to the foreigner, their legal representative or their lawyer (YUKK Art. 53/1-2). The cases in which the decision is taken are listed in the Law (Art. 54); exceeding the visa or residence period by more than 10 days, working without a permit and public order assessments are the most common in practice. An action against the decision is brought before the administrative court within 7 days of notification. Unless the foreigner consents, they are not deported during the time limit for bringing an action or until the proceedings are concluded (Art. 53/3). No deportation decision is taken against foreigners for whom there are serious indications that they would face the death penalty, torture or inhuman treatment in the country to which they would be sent, or whose travel is considered risky because of their health condition (Art. 55/1).

• Lifting a deportation: the deportation decision and the entry ban
• Deportation appeal deadline calculator (7 days)
• What happens if the deportation decision is not notified?
• Foreigners who cannot be deported: YUKK Article 55
• Invitation to leave Turkey (Türkiye'yi terke davet)
• Can Uyghur Turks be deported?

A foreigner against whom a deportation decision has been taken is placed under administrative detention (idari gözetim), or is subjected to alternatives to administrative detention, in cases such as a risk of absconding or disappearing, violation of the rules on entry and exit, use of false documents or a threat to public order (Art. 57/2, Art. 57/A). Administrative detention in a removal centre cannot exceed 6 months; if the deportation cannot be completed for reasons such as the foreigner's failure to cooperate, it may be extended by at most 6 more months (Art. 57/3). An application against the decision is made to the criminal judge of peace; the judge concludes the review within 5 days, and a new application can be made on the ground that the conditions have changed (Art. 57/6).

• What is an administrative detention decision?
• Appealing an administrative detention decision
• Sample petition against an administrative detention decision
• Length of administrative detention: 6 months, extension and monthly review
• Alternatives to administrative detention (YUKK 57/A)
• What happens if the administrative detention appeal is rejected?
• Five criteria for lifting administrative detention
• How to get out of a removal centre
• Removal (deportation) centres in Istanbul
• Conditions and rights in a removal centre
• Administrative detention of pregnant and sick foreigners and foreigners with children
• International protection application and administrative detention

Entry Bans and Restriction Codes (Tahdit Kodları)

A foreigner deported from Turkey is banned from entering Turkey (YUKK Art. 9/2). An entry ban lasts at most five years; where there is a serious threat to public order or public security, the Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı (Presidency of Migration Management, called Genel Müdürlük in the Law) may increase this period by at most ten more years (Art. 9/3). The Presidency may lift the ban or, with the ban remaining in place, allow entry for a specified period (Art. 9/6). Records appear in the system as tahdit kodu (restriction codes) such as G-87 and Ç-113; the meaning of the code determines the reason for the ban and the route to follow.

• What is an entry ban to Turkey?
• Lifting an entry ban to Turkey: lawsuit and application
• What is a restriction code? Ç, G, N, V code list
• What do restriction codes mean and how are they removed?
• Deport codes
• G-87 restriction code
• Removing the Ç-113 restriction code
• How can a deported foreigner return to Turkey?
• I left Turkey and cannot come back

Entering Despite a Ban: Annotated Visa (Meşruhatlı Vize)

As a rule, no visa is issued to a foreigner who is banned from entry (YUKK Art. 15/1-b). By way of exception, a visa may be issued with the Minister's approval (Art. 15/2), or the Presidency may, with the ban remaining in place, allow entry for a specified period (Art. 9/6). This is the route known in practice as the meşruhatlı vize (annotated visa); it does not lift the ban but allows entry for a specific purpose and period.

• Annotated visa: legal entry despite an entry ban
• Turkey 90/180-day rule: visa-free stay and how to calculate it
• Turkey 90/180 day calculator: last legal day and earliest re-entry date

Overstay and Visa Violations in Turkey

If a foreigner whose visa or residence permit has expired applies to the governorship to leave before the situation is detected, the authorities may decide not to impose an entry ban, provided that the foreigner has paid the administrative fine and has not exceeded the violation periods set by the Ministry (YUKK Art. 9/4). Once the violation has been detected, this option narrows; timing therefore directly affects the outcome.

• A roadmap for foreigners who have overstayed
• Residence permit while undocumented and the humanitarian residence route
• Can an undocumented foreign spouse obtain a family residence permit?
• Visa violation fine: calculation, payment and entry ban

Dealing with the Migration Administration (Göç İdaresi)

A call, message or notification from the migration administration can lead to very different outcomes, from a request for missing documents to an interview, and from cancellation of a residence permit to deportation proceedings. A change of address must be reported within 20 business days (5490 Art. 50/3); an out-of-date address can mean that notifications do not reach the foreigner and that time limits expire without their knowledge.

• I was called to the migration administration: what does it mean?
• I received a message from the migration administration: what should I do?
• Failure to report a change of address
• What to do if you lose your passport in Turkey

Asylum (International Protection) and Temporary Protection

A foreigner who fears persecution or serious harm if they return to their country applies in person for uluslararası koruma (international protection) to the governorship of the province where they are located (YUKK Art. 65/1). An application to the administrative court can be made within 30 days of notification against a rejection decision, and within 15 days against inadmissibility and accelerated assessment decisions, and the person is allowed to remain in the country until this process is concluded (Art. 80/1-ç, e). Geçici koruma (temporary protection), applied to those who came from Syria, is a separate status (YUKK Art. 91); the temporary protection identity document does not replace a residence permit (Geçici Koruma Yönetmeliği – Temporary Protection Regulation, Art. 25).

• International protection application: steps, rights and refusal
• Temporary protection: cancellation of the ID (kimlik), travel permit and switching to residence
• International protection application and administrative detention

Turkish Citizenship

Citizenship through the general route requires five years of uninterrupted residence in Turkey immediately preceding the date of application (5901 Art. 11/1-b). Marrying a Turkish citizen does not directly confer citizenship; a foreigner who has been married for at least three years and whose marriage continues may apply (5901 Art. 16/1). Citizenship by investment is acquired through the exceptional route by Presidential decision for those who obtain a residence permit under YUKK Art. 31/1-j (5901 Art. 12/1-b).

• Turkish citizenship by marriage: requirements and documents
• Turkish citizenship 5-year residence calculator: days abroad and the six-month limit
• Marriage with a foreigner: documents, apostille and registration
• Turkish citizenship after 5 years of residence: calculating time spent abroad
• Turkish citizenship by buying a USD 400,000 home
• Turkish citizenship with a USD 500,000 deposit
• Objecting to the refusal of a citizenship application
• Revocation of citizenship acquired by investment: spouse, children and lawsuit

Property and Inheritance for Foreigners in Turkey

A foreigner's acquisition of real estate in Turkey is subject to military restricted zone and area limits; becoming an heir is subject to title deed transfer (tapu intikali) and inheritance tax procedures.

• Military restricted zones and the 30-hectare limit when a foreigner buys property
• A foreign heir's inheritance rights in Turkey and title deed transfer
• Inheritance and transfer tax (veraset ve intikal vergisi): rate and filing deadline

Working with an Immigration Lawyer in Turkey

Attorney Esra Ateş (Av. Esra Ateş) provides advice and representation in files involving residence and work permit refusals, deportation and administrative detention, entry bans and restriction codes, annotated visas and citizenship. Because time limits are short, the reasoned copy of the decision, the date of notification, the passport and the residence history are requested at the first meeting. For the scope of services, see the immigration law service page; for an appointment, see the contact page.