"It is easy to be good; being just is the hard part."
— Victor HUGO
Immigration Law
Immigration law governs the entry, residence, work and citizenship procedures of foreign nationals in Türkiye. We handle residence and work permit applications and appeals against deportation and administrative detention decisions.
Immigration law governs every stage for foreign nationals in Türkiye, from entry to residence and from employment to naturalisation. The framework is set by the Law on Foreigners and International Protection No. 6458 and the International Labour Force Law No. 6735. Because most acts in this field are administrative, decisions must be challenged within short and strict time limits; missing the deadline usually causes consequences that are difficult to put right.
What We Advise On
Residence Permit Applications and Appeals Against Refusals
Preparing short-term, family, student, long-term and humanitarian residence permit applications; conducting administrative appeals and annulment proceedings where an application has been refused for missing documents or on stated grounds. A large share of refusals stems from gaps in the documentation and can be reversed with proper reasoning.
Work Permits and Employer Obligations
Work permit applications before the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, extension requests, independent work permits and Turquoise Card procedures. On the employer side, preparing a defence against the administrative fines imposed for employing a foreign national without a permit.
Deportation Orders and Entry Bans
Annulment actions before the administrative court (idare mahkemesi) for foreign nationals served with a deportation order, filed within 7 days of service. During that period and while the case is pending, the person cannot be deported without their consent (Law No. 6458, Art. 53/3). A deportation order may not be issued where there is a risk of the death penalty or torture, or where serious illness or pregnancy makes travel risky (Art. 55). After deportation, the entry ban and restriction code can be challenged by an application to the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı) or by an annulment action within 60 days. All routes and deadlines are explained in our guide on deportation in Turkey.
Appeals Against Administrative Detention
Applications to the criminal judgeship of peace (sulh ceza hâkimliği) on behalf of people held in removal centres. The law sets no deadline for the application; the judge decides within five days, and a new application can be made if circumstances change (Law No. 6458, Art. 57/6). For the steps, see how to get out of a removal centre in Turkey.
International and Temporary Protection
Preparing international protection applications, preparing for the interview, appeals and litigation against negative decisions; procedures relating to temporary protection status.
Turkish Citizenship Applications
Preparing applications for citizenship by the general route (based on residence), by marriage and by the exceptional route (including through investment); assessing the legal options where a file has been refused.
How the Process Works
File review: existing documents, earlier applications and any decisions served are examined, and the position on time limits is established.
Legal assessment: we determine which route (administrative appeal, annulment proceedings, fresh application) is strongest on the facts.
Preparing the file: the file is completed with a reasoned petition, supporting documents and, where required, sworn translations.
Follow-up: you are kept informed throughout the application or proceedings, and interim decisions are monitored.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the time limit for appealing a deportation decision?
The time limit for filing an action with the administrative court against a deportation order is 7 days from service of the order (Law No. 6458, Art. 53/3). During this period and while the case is pending, the person cannot be deported without their consent. If the deadline is missed, the order becomes enforceable, so act on the day you receive the notification.
My residence permit was refused — can I apply again?
It depends on the reason for refusal. Some grounds allow a fresh application once the gap has been remedied; for others, annulment proceedings must be brought first. The stated reason, and any code applied, determines the route to follow.
Does marriage to a Turkish citizen give citizenship automatically?
No. Marriage alone does not confer citizenship; the minimum period of marriage required by law, living together as a family and the other conditions must all be satisfied, and the application is assessed separately.
What can I do for a relative held in a removal centre?
Separate objections must be made against the administrative detention decision and against any deportation decision. Contacting us as soon as possible with your relative's identity details and the centre where they are held prevents loss of time.
06 September 2026
Legal Counsel
İstanbul
Do You Need Help with Immigration Law?
Get in touch now for expert legal support. After the first meeting we provide professional advisory services.
A map of immigration law in Turkey: residence and work permits, deportation, administrative detention, entry bans and citizenship. The key deadlines (7, 30 and 60 days) with article numbers, and links to the detailed guides....
Why a temporary protection kimlik is cancelled or deactivated in Turkey, how to get a travel permit (yol izni) for another city, whether you can work or switch to a residence permit, and how to challenge a cancellation. Based on the current Temporary Protection Regulation....
How many days can you stay in Turkey visa-free, how do you calculate 90 days in 180, how long does an e-Visa last, and can you extend it? Worked examples with dates and article numbers for your stay in Turkey, including conditional entry....
What a foreigner marrying a Turkish citizen needs: the document list, apostille and translation, the civil ceremony step by step, registering a marriage abroad within 30 days, and the family residence permit and citizenship route after the wedding....
How to apply for asylum (international protection) in Turkey: where and how to apply, the three statuses, the interview, your assigned province, the right to work, the six-month decision period and the 15- and 30-day court deadlines after a rejection....
In 2026, an employer in Turkey who employs a foreigner without a work permit is fined TL 102,503 per foreigner. Who is fined, what happens on repetition, the SGK fine, return costs and the 15-day appeal to the criminal judgeship of peace, step by step....
Fill-in samples of a petition to annul a deportation decision in Turkey, the letter notifying the governorship of the lawsuit and the request to lift the entry ban, with the legal basis of each section and the most common mistakes....
Deported from Turkey and want to come back? Entry ban periods (official table), the annotated visa (meşruhatlı vize), applying to the migration administration to lift the ban, and the 60-day annulment action, with article numbers....
Turkish citizenship by marriage: the three-year rule, residence permit, documents, police investigation and commission interview, plus what happens on divorce, death of the spouse or refusal. Based on Article 16 of Law No. 5901 and the implementing Regulation....
Banned from entering Turkey? How the meşruhatlı (special annotated) visa works: legal basis (YUKK Art. 15/2, Art. 9/6), who can apply, documents, the ninety-day decision period, what to do if refused and what to do after entry....
Meanings of Turkey's restriction codes verified from court decisions with citations (V-87, Ç-113, G-87, N-82 and others), codes whose meaning could not be verified, the statutory upper limit (YUKK Art. 9/3), the removal application and the 60-day lawsuit route....
How do you lift a Turkey entry ban? Administrative application, annulment lawsuit, overstay ban periods, the special annotated visa and the documents you need, in an updated 2026 guide....
Is there an amnesty for illegal immigrants in Turkey? What the official records show, how to check an amnesty story, and the only real route: the domestic work permit, with its requirements, documents, the obstacles for overstayers and the 30-day appeal....
Five options for a foreigner whose visa or residence permit in Turkey has expired: leaving voluntarily, applying for residence, the domestic work permit route, the period to leave and getting caught; plus entry ban tiers and the mistakes to avoid....
Who applies for a work permit in Turkey, from where and with which documents; fixed-term, indefinite and independent permits and the Turquoise Card; 2026 fees; family residence; the 30-day objection and court route after a refusal....
Residence permit types in Turkey, consulate and e-İkamet applications, required documents, step-by-step renewal, refusals and the rules on time spent abroad; based on Law No. 6458 and Presidency of Migration Management sources....
Asylum seeker detention in Turkey: the four grounds and 30-day limit in YUKK Article 68, the accelerated procedure, protection from deportation and its exceptions....
A guide for foreign heirs of property in Turkey: which law applies, where to get the certificate of inheritance, the apostille and translation chain, the steps for transferring the title deed and the deadlines for filing inheritance tax....
How do you get a relative out of a removal centre in Turkey? The administrative detention appeal, the documents that matter, the five-day decision, the six-month limits and the difference between release and cancelling a deportation order....
How an appeal against administrative detention in Turkey works: the Sulh Ceza Hâkimliği application, the five-day review, the routes out of a removal centre, alternative obligations and what Constitutional Court precedents show....
Seven alternatives that can replace administrative detention in Turkey: designated address, reporting (imza), family-based return, return counselling, volunteering, security deposit, electronic monitoring. Who decides, and what happens if you breach them?...
Tuzla, Binkılıç, Çatalca and Arnavutköy removal centres in Istanbul: which centre your relative is in, addresses, visits, power of attorney, the Sulh Ceza objection and the 7-day deportation case....
How to stop or lift a deportation in Turkey: the 7-day court case against a deportation order, the criminal judgeship of peace for removal-centre detention, lifting an entry ban and restriction code, time limits, costs and the facts behind common myths....
