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Turkey · Relocation guide

Moving to Turkey: residence, work permits and address setup

A visa or visa-free admission is permission to visit, not permission to settle or work. Choose the residence or work route before renting, verify that the address can be registered, and keep immigration, payroll, tax and family files aligned.

Content updated 11 September 2026. Individual source-check dates are listed below.

Choose the legal purpose before committing to the move

Turkey separates admission, residence and work. A visitor who wants to remain beyond the permitted visit needs a qualifying residence basis; a foreigner who will work in Turkey normally needs a work permit or a documented exemption before starting. A valid work permit generally also serves as residence permission, so an employee should not duplicate the file without a route-specific reason.

Tourism is listed as a short-term residence purpose, but it is assessed on the stated travel plan and supporting facts. It is not a guaranteed conversion from a short visit. Property, study, family, remote work and employer-sponsored work each use different evidence and give different work rights.

Choose the legal purpose before committing to the move
PlanVisaAtlas routeBoundary to resolve
Job with a Turkish employerTurkey Work Permit (employer-sponsored)The permit must be approved before work begins and is normally employer/job specific.
Eligible foreign remote employmentTurkey Digital Nomad VisaThe identification certificate is only the first step; complete the visa and residence sequence.
Qualifying temporary non-work stayTurkey Short-Term Residence PermitTourism or ownership evidence does not itself authorise employment.
Join an eligible sponsorTurkey Family Residence PermitEach dependant needs a separate status; confirm the adult dependant's work position.
Highly qualified long-term profileTurkey Turquoise CardThis selective route is not a substitute for an ordinary sponsored application.

Build the employer and document file before departure

For the usual overseas work application, the worker applies at the Turkish mission in the country of nationality or lawful residence and gives the 16-digit reference number to the Turkish employer, which completes the Ministry filing. A domestic application normally requires a qualifying residence permit issued for at least six months and still valid; a tourism short-term permit does not create a reliable shortcut.

Agree in writing who owns the contract, translations, diploma or professional evidence, e-permit submission, fees, social-security reporting and family applications. Keep passport validity comfortably beyond the requested permit because the Ministry shortens or will not process permissions too close to passport expiry.

Test the residence purpose and address before signing a long lease

Use only the official e-İkamet process, attend the appointment with the current purpose-specific checklist and retain proof of filing. Short-term applicants must evidence the real reason for stay, adequate accommodation, an address and insurance covering the requested period. A booking or lease does not guarantee approval.

Address eligibility can change by district or neighbourhood as foreign-resident concentration measures are reviewed. The migration authority has confirmed that some areas are closed to new foreign registrations and investigates address declarations. Before paying a non-refundable deposit, ask the provincial migration office or YİMER whether the exact building can support the intended first registration. Report a later address change to both migration and civil-registration authorities within 20 working days.

Keep remote work and dependant rights route-specific

The official digital-nomad programme is limited by nationality and age and first issues an identification certificate. The published evidence includes a degree, proof of work for a company outside Turkey or a contract with a non-Turkish company, and current income evidence. The certificate then supports a visa application; do not treat a tourist entry, residence card or certificate alone as permission for Turkish-client work.

Family residence covers specified spouses and children of qualifying sponsors and has sponsor, income, insurance, address and relationship conditions. It does not automatically place every relative on the principal applicant's status. Confirm each adult's work authorisation separately and prepare legalised civil-status and custody documents before travel.

Separate tax residence, payroll and banking

Turkey's domestic income-tax analysis turns on residence and presence, with special rules and treaty tie-breakers. The Revenue Administration describes non-residents as people not settled in Turkey who do not remain continuously for more than six months in a calendar year, subject to statutory temporary-assignment exceptions. Turkish-source work can still be taxable before that point. Track days, home availability, work location, payer and foreign income from arrival.

Ask payroll for the tax and social-security registrations actually made. For banking, compare institutions' current passport, foreigner-number, tax-number, address and source-of-funds requirements before routing salary or a housing deposit. Keep an overseas payment fallback until the account and mobile access have been tested.

Prove healthcare cover and school status independently

Residence-permit insurance must cover the requested period. Employees and some treaty-covered residents may enter SGK through employment or a bilateral agreement; eligible foreign residents without another coverage basis may apply to general health insurance after one uninterrupted year. Verify the actual activation for the principal and every dependant, and keep suitable private cover until it is confirmed.

Contact the provincial education authority and intended school before fixing the home address. Ask which translated prior reports, equivalence decision, residence record, vaccination evidence and guardian documents apply. Check that any international or foreign school is authorised by the Ministry rather than relying on its marketing.

Resolve driving and pet entry before shipping

Turkey's population and citizenship authority says a foreigner may drive on a valid foreign licence for six months in Turkey; after that, a Turkish licence is required. Confirm how the six-month period is evidenced and whether a translation, exchange, test or category restriction applies before driving, and price customs, registration, insurance and inspection before shipping a vehicle.

For an accompanied cat, dog or ferret, the Agriculture Ministry's current border guidance requires a passport or ownership document, microchip, rabies vaccination after microchipping, qualifying antibody-titre evidence and an official health certificate issued within two days before travel. The first qualifying titre can create a 90-day wait. Check the live origin/species rules and airline handling before booking.

Calendar expiry, address and job changes separately

Residence extensions open 60 days before expiry and must be filed before expiry. Work-permit extensions use the Labour Ministry system on a separate timetable; the official guidance permits filing from 60 days before expiry. Confirm the rules before changing employer, job, workplace or province because a fixed-term permit records the firm and work location.

A work permit ending also removes the residence basis it supplied. Family changes, a new passport, an address move or a rejected extension can trigger other filings. Keep copies of cards, approvals, payslips, SGK records, leases, tax records and travel dates, and obtain a route-specific exit or transition plan before the underlying basis ends.

Your moving checklist

Tick off the tasks that apply to you. The timing is a planning order, not a substitute for the deadlines on your permission or an official instruction.

0 of 15 tasks completed

Before you move
On arrival
Your first month
Later and before renewal

Sources and checks

The linked authorities set the rules. VisaAtlas explains how the steps fit together; planning suggestions are not a decision on your immigration status, tax residence or entitlement to services.

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