Permanent Residency in Turkey

The routes to a long-term, renewable status

The ordinary status for most foreigners is the short-term residence permit, renewed in one- or two-year blocks on grounds such as property ownership, tourism, research or medical treatment. Genuine permanence is the long-term residence permit, granted after eight years of uninterrupted lawful residence — but several of the most common permit types do not count toward that total.

The short-term permit and its bases

The short-term permit is the workhorse of the Turkish system and can be granted on a long list of grounds set out in the migration law. Owning residential property in Turkey is one of them, as are conducting scientific research, participating in a training or exchange programme, receiving medical treatment, attending a Turkish language course, or coming for tourism or business contacts.

It is commonly issued for up to two years at a time. The property basis is the one most foreigners use for an open-ended stay, and it now carries a minimum value that has been raised: a purchase supporting a residence permit is commonly expected to be worth around USD 200,000 or the lira equivalent, well above the figures quoted in older material.

Closed neighbourhoods

Since 2022 the migration authority has designated large numbers of neighbourhoods where new foreign residence registrations are no longer accepted, on the basis of the share of foreign residents already living there. The list has been revised repeatedly and now covers thousands of neighbourhoods across many provinces.

The practical effect is decisive: an otherwise complete application registered at an address in a closed neighbourhood will not proceed. Existing residents are generally not expelled from their addresses, but new registrations and address changes into those areas are refused. Checking the current status of a specific neighbourhood before signing a lease or a purchase contract is the single most consequential step in the process.

Long-term residence after eight years

• Eight years of uninterrupted lawful residence, with interruptions defined by published limits on time spent outside the country.
• No reliance on social assistance in the preceding three years, and sufficient and regular means of support.
• Valid health insurance and no threat to public order or public security.
• Time spent on a student residence permit does not count, nor does time on humanitarian permits or under certain forms of international protection.
• The permit is indefinite and confers most social rights available to citizens, with the notable exclusions of voting, holding public office, military service and importing goods duty-free.

How renewals are actually decided

Renewal is not automatic. Applications are refused where the stated basis has lapsed, where the address falls in a restricted area, where insurance has lapsed, or where absences have broken continuity. The authority has wide discretion, and refusal rates on short-term applications rose considerably after 2022.

Applications are made online through the migration authority's system, followed by an appointment. Renewal applications can generally be lodged within the final sixty days of the current permit.

Official sources

• Presidency of Migration Management — residence permits
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs — residence in Turkey

Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.

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