Secure your right to live and work.

Foreign nationals: match permission to purpose

Check entry and visa requirements for your nationality through the Turkish consulate or official services before travelling. Then identify the residence purpose supported by your facts: for example family, study, qualifying property ownership or a relevant short-term category. Tourism is not a reliable substitute for a long-term working plan.

Use the official e-İkamet route. Assemble the category-specific application, valid travel document, photographs, address evidence, insurance or recognised coverage and financial evidence requested by the authority. Attend the appointment and retain the submitted application and receipts. An application or property purchase does not guarantee approval.

Ask about restrictions on the proposed district/address before signing a long lease or paying a non-refundable deposit. Permitted areas, evidence requirements and appointment practice can change. Keep track of lawful-stay expiry and ask the authority about travel while an application is pending.

Working, freelancing or running a company

Resolve the work route before performing services. Depending on the facts, an employer-sponsored, independent or other qualifying permission may be needed. A foreign company paying you offshore does not settle the question of work performed inside Türkiye.

A qualifying valid work permit generally also serves as residence permission, subject to statutory exceptions. Confirm the conditions for your exact document, employer and activity. Shareholder/manager applications can involve conditions beyond company incorporation, including labour-policy criteria; get the current written requirements rather than relying on minimum incorporation capital.

Returning Turkish citizens

Turkish citizens do not apply for foreigner residence or work permits to live and work in Türkiye. Check identity documents, population records and actual address registration. Where relevant, review military-service status, pension/social-security records and civil-status changes recorded abroad.

A foreign spouse or child who is not Turkish and has no separate entitlement needs their own route. Your citizenship does not automatically settle their permit, employment or tax position.

Article 28 / Mavi Kart holders

Eligible Article 28 holders have rights to reside in Türkiye without an ordinary foreigner residence permit. The Labour Ministry confirms they do not need its work permit, subject to professional and special-law rules. Verify the status and the records used by the relevant authority, particularly where a card is old, names differ or a descendant’s entitlement needs confirmation.

This Turkish Mavi Kart is distinct from an EU Blue Card. It is not Turkish citizenship and does not confer every citizenship right. Keep your current foreign passport and Mavi Kart/registry documentation consistent. Family members do not automatically share your entitlement.

Mavi Kart status does not itself qualify someone for the tax exemption. Residence history, tax history, income source and the certificate procedure still apply.

Renewals and changes

Put permit expiry and the relevant renewal window in your calendar. Report changes in address, passport, employer or residence purpose through the correct channel. Ask about consequences before leaving a job, changing activity or making a long trip while a renewal is pending.

Your document checklist

This is a preparation list. The receiving authority or bank may require additional or different documents.

• Current passport and lawful-entry records
• Category-specific residence/work application documents
• Insurance and address evidence
• Family relationship documents where required
• Mavi Kart and registry record if applicable
• Application receipts, decision and expiry calendar

Ask your adviser

• Does this permission cover my actual work?
• Can I travel while the application is pending?
• Does each family member have their own lawful route?