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Fatih, Istanbul · Monday–Friday
+90 535 661 15 56info@isteshirni.com
ISTeshirni Group
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Residence and citizenship

Residence permit in Türkiye

What stops most files is not the law but a missing document, or an application filed under a permit type that does not fit the case. So we start from your situation: which route is yours, what you actually need, and what gets checked before the appointment rather than after — then we follow it until the decision, and through to the card if it is approved.

What is hard for you, we can manage — God willing

Approximate duration
Depends on your case
Core documents
6 + by permit type
First consultation
Free
Languages we work in
Arabic · Turkish · English

Who is this service for?

  • You are applying for the first time for a tourist, family or student residence permit.
  • Anyone whose permit is close to expiring and needs to renew it without a gap.
  • Anyone whose application was refused before and wants to read the reason before reapplying.
  • Anyone living outside Istanbul who needs the file followed remotely.
  • Anyone who entered on a visa or a visa exemption and wants to know — before their time runs out — which route is open to them.
  • Anyone holding the kimlik (temporary protection card) who wants to understand how it relates to a residence permit before making plans.

What we do

  • We review your situation and identify the permit type that fits it.
  • Prepare a document list specific to your case, not a generic one.
  • Check the papers before the appointment to avoid the gaps that delay files.
  • Book the appointment and fill in the official form.
  • Come with you on the day and interpret where needed.
  • Follow the application status and tell you of any development until the decision is issued.
  • Obtain the tax number and pay the residence fees online, so you do not stand in a queue.
  • Help with the address registration when your file needs it.
  • If the application is approved, follow through to collecting the card from PTT and tell you when it arrives.

And what we do not do

  • We do not interfere with the administration's decision and we do not promise a guaranteed result.
  • We do not ask for any money before you know the full cost and agree to it.
  • If your situation does not allow an application right now, we tell you so directly rather than open a file we know will not pass.
  • If a refusal or a residence violation has been issued against you: we read the decision and tell you honestly whether a route exists — we do not sell you a fix we do not have.
  • We do not buy or sell appointments, and we never ask for your bank card details or the password to any account of yours.
  • We do not represent you in court and we do not draft court submissions; where needed we refer you to a lawyer.
  • We do not alter information in a document and we do not obtain a document by any route other than its official one, whatever the reason.

Documents required for the residence permit

This is the core list for most cases. Tick them off as you gather your papers — you can print this page and take it with you.

File preparation checklist

7 / 7
Send this list on WhatsApp

What you tick stays in your browser. Nothing is sent until you press the button.

Additional documents may be requested depending on the permit type and your situation; send us the details of your case and we will send the exact list before you start preparing any document. And why do we ask for a Turkish mobile number? Because the appointment notice and the decision are sent to it — with a foreign number you learn the result late.

How the procedure runs for the residence permit

  1. First contact

    You explain your situation: when you entered, what visa you hold, whether you had a previous permit. We identify the right permit type and whether applying now is possible.

    our partWhatsApp or at the office

  2. Preparing the file

    We send the document list for your case, then check it document by document. Most delays come from a gap discovered too late.

    your partDepends how fast you gather the papers

  3. Booking and filling in the application

    We book the official appointment and fill in the form with information matching your documents, then review it with you before submitting.

    the authority’s partDepends on the earliest available slot

  4. The day of the appointment

    We come with you and interpret where needed, so you are not dealing with the procedure in a language you do not speak well.

    the authority’s partOne day

  5. Follow-up until the result

    We follow the application status and tell you of any development. When the decision comes we explain what it means and what the next step is.

    the authority’s partUntil the decision

Cost: we separate what is paid to others from our fee

Paid to the state

Official fees

Residence fees are paid to the Turkish treasury and do not pass through us — we give you the receipt. Syrian nationals are exempt from the residence permit fee under the reciprocity principle, as published on the migration authority site. The residence card fee remains and applies to everyone; we work out your figure and write it down before you pay anything.

Paid to us

Our follow-up fee

For checking the papers, booking the appointment, filling in the application, accompaniment and interpretation, and following the file until the result. We tell you the full amount before we start.

Why do we separate them? Because the most common complaint in this field is a single vague amount where nobody knows how much went to the state and how much stayed with the office. Here the two numbers are separate and written down before you pay anything.

Read this before you pay any office

What usually stops a file

We list these because knowing them before applying is more useful than knowing them after a refusal. These are the most frequent reasons in the files that reach us:

A missing or expired documentOne missing or expired document is enough to stop the whole file.
Information that does not matchA difference in the spelling of a name or a date between passport, form and documents.
The housing document is not acceptedAn unnotarised contract, or an address that does not match the registered one.
Health insurance does not cover the whole periodInsurance that ends before the end of the requested residence period.
Applying under a permit type unsuited to the caseThe most avoidable reason of all — one call before starting prevents it.
A passport close to expiryIt recurs that the requested period is longer than what is left in the passport; renewing the passport before applying costs less than repairing the file afterwards.
You cannot be reachedAn inactive number, or an address that changed after submission: a notice is sent and never reaches you, so the file looks silent while you have read nothing.

If a refusal is issued, you have the right to go to the administrative court within a period set by law, starting from the date the decision is served on you. We explain the decision, set out your options, and refer you to a lawyer where needed.

Our office

This is a real place with an address, a door and working hours — not just a phone number. Team names and professional registration numbers are not published until their documents are complete: we would rather say “not published yet” than print a name you cannot verify.

Where we are

İskenderpaşa, Fatih — Yeşil Tekke Kuyulu Sk., Turan Han

Open the location on the map
Opening hours

Monday–Friday · 09:00–18:00

You may drop in without an appointment

Questions people ask about the residence permit

Can I apply if my previous permit has expired?
It depends on how long the gap has been and on your situation. Send us the expiry date of your previous permit and we will tell you honestly whether applying is possible now, or whether a step has to come first.
What happens if the application is refused?
We read the reason stated in the decision and explain it to you, then set out the options: correcting the gap and reapplying, applying under a different permit type, or going to the administrative court within the legal period — in which case we refer you to a lawyer.
How much does the procedure cost with you?
Two separate figures, written down for you before you pay anything: what goes to the state, and what goes to us. We do not give a single number over the phone before we know the permit type and your situation, because the amount changes with the type, the length and the documents you need. And the first consultation is free whether you continue with us or not.
How do I know an appointment website is not the official one?
The official appointment is booked on the migration authority's own site, and it is not for sale. Any page asking for your bank card details in exchange for “an earlier appointment” is a danger sign, and the pattern recurs in complaints published on the Turkish complaints platform Şikayetvar. We never ask for card details, we do not take payment into a personal account, and state fees are paid with a receipt in your name.
Do I have to come to the office?
Communication and document checking happen remotely. Attending in person is required only for the official appointment, and we come with you.
How often will you contact me during the process?
Whenever the file actually changes state — not weekly just to reassure you. You can ask us at any time and usually get an answer the same day.
Do you stay in touch after I receive the card?
Yes. We remind you well before the renewal date, because being late with a renewal causes bigger problems than the original application.
Does time under the kimlik count towards years of residence?
No. The temporary protection card is not a residence permit, and time spent under it is not added to your total years of residence — this is set out by the migration authority. We say it early because many people build plans on that time and find out late.
All frequently asked questions

Official reference

Presidency of Migration Management — document fee and residence permit feeLast checked:

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Guides for this procedure

Read before you start — with the official source and the date we last checked it.

All guides

Not sure where to start?

Tell us your situation in one message. If your procedure is not possible right now we will say so honestly, and we will not charge you for that answer.

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