Türkiye visa, residence and work permit guide

Entry to Türkiye depends first on nationality. Some passports are visa-exempt, many can obtain an e-Visa online at evisa.gov.tr for tourism or commerce, and the rest apply for a sticker visa at a Turkish embassy or consulate after filling in the Pre-Application System on visa.gov.tr, which has been mandatory since 5 January 2016. Whatever the route, a visa or visa exemption never allows more than 90 days within any 180-day period, and the passport has to stay valid for at least 60 days beyond the permitted stay.

Anyone staying longer than 90 days needs a residence permit under Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection. The law knows six kinds: short-term, family, student, long-term, humanitarian and victim-of-human-trafficking permits. Applications are prepared on the e-İkamet system of the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı) and completed at the provincial migration directorate. A decision is due within 90 days, extensions can be filed from 60 days before expiry, and a permit that is not used within six months of issue lapses.

Work is regulated separately by the International Workforce Law No. 6735. A work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security also counts as a residence permit, so employees do not need a second permit. Employers file online, either for a foreigner already living in Türkiye or after the worker applies at a Turkish mission abroad. Highly qualified people, investors and researchers can receive the Turquoise Card (Turkuaz Kart), which leads to indefinite status after a three-year transition period.

Türkiye also runs an asylum system: international protection applications are made in person to the governorships, through the provincial migration directorates, and lead to refugee, conditional refugee or subsidiary protection status.