Currently, due to the war in Ukraine, among other things, conditions are more than tense both for applicants for residence permits and for officials in the foreigners’ offices. In addition to the onslaught of Ukrainian and Russian people who have fled the war to Turkey, rumours and false information, especially on Facebook, are helping to unsettle people.
Yesterday, an information meeting was held in the main meeting room of the Alanya Municipality, which was attended by representatives of all foreign associations, the District Administrator Fatih Ürkmezer, Mayor Adem Murat Yücel and the head of the Foreigners Authority Rifat Çetinkaya.
Due to the numerous cases of spreading false information on social media regarding issues of issuing residence permits to foreign nationals, the Migration Service has officially informed:
Residence permits will be issued to all applicants regardless of nationality if all requirements are met (More on this below, ed.).
The governor and the mayor of Alanya drew the attention of those present to the punishment in case of spreading false information or calls for violence in social networks.
The mayor of Alanya said he was happy to lead an area where so many foreigners live and thanked all those who had chosen Alanya as their place of residence.
Reason for closer scrutiny: illegal employment
Unfortunately, it is a fact that the applications have been scrutinised much more closely for months – however, this has nothing to do with any quotas being full, but rather with the fact that the explosive growth of call centres and home office providers in particular, who employ their staff illegally, is causing growing resentment among the population (especially since they are often associated with a high noise level and are carried out unannounced in private homes). The sharp increase in illegal travel agents, brokers or car rental/transfer providers also contributes to this.
Already at the beginning of February (see here:Important change in initial Ikamet applications), the duration of initial Ikamets was therefore reduced to 6 months for applicants:inside who are not pensioners and/or property owners. The sharp increase in attempts to “cheat” on the documents submitted also contributes to the tighter scrutiny. The “quota” of issuable Ikamets, however, has nothing to do with this. (see here: Limitation of asylum grants in certain districts )
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR IKAMET APPLICATION
Although there are currently many who are unsettled by reports and drama in the social media (for completely altruistic reasons, of course) there are, on the whole, only a few requirements:
a valid passport (valid for at least 2 months longer than the application period)
sufficient financial means
proof of accommodation
proof of health insurance
biometric passport photo
proof of payment from the tax office for the Ikamet fees
the original signed application (application here: https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/)
What is actually required depends on the age and requirements of the applicant – we try to cover all possible requirements here, so please don’t be put off by the scope:
Passport
the passport must be valid and the date of the last entry stamp must be BEFORE the application for the visa – applications from abroad are possible, but the application will be rejected without further examination if the date of entry is AFTER the date of application.
Income
As has been the case for many years, 500 euros per person per month is defined as sufficient income.
This can be proven by:
a) Corresponding amount in a Turkish bank account – in case of first application 5000 Euro per person or couple for 6 months OR
b) Pension certificate WITH APOSTILLE min. 500 Euro OR
c) Tax assessment, notification of partial retirement, early retirement, EU pension, alimony of at least 500 euros per month, etc. WITH APOSTILLE
d) in case of only one income additionally
d.a) Marriage certificate or, in the case of children, birth certificate WITH APOSTILLE
d.b) under certain circumstances (e.g. in case of unmarried partners and registered partnerships a notarial guarantee of the person with the income
Note 1: the amount in the Turkish bank account for the initial application with 6 months must, if an extension after the 6 months is planned, still be in the Turkish account when the application for extension is made. It is meant to serve as security and is a kind of deposit. If no extension is planned, the amount can also be used within the 6 months.
Note 2: Particularly note: due to the sharp increase in illegal employment, younger people without property in Turkey are currently being looked at very closely as to why they are applying for an extension.
If there is a suspicion that the applicant could take up illegal employment, the application may be rejected. Young applicants should therefore prepare themselves well before the appointment when asked what they intend to do in Turkey.
Note 3: all certified and translated documents (not your German originals!) must be presented to the office in the original and will be retained, so it is best to make copies of them.
Living space
This can be proven by:
a) notarial tenancy agreement (the landlord MUST arrange this with the notary, not the tenant), – max. 6 months for first-time applicants (exceptions possible for applicants over 65, then 12 months possible) – under certain circumstances the authority will also summon the landlord OR
b) Tapu (land register entry/proof of ownership) plus registration with the city administration OR
c) Hotel reservation (issued by the hotel and stamped and signed by an authorised signatory/manager of the hotel) – max 6 months OR
d) if living together with the owner in a cohabitation: notarial guarantee of the owner – max 6 months for first application
Health insurance
All applicants under 65 years of age have to prove that they have statutory health insurance (TA/11 or TA/20) from their home country or private Turkish health insurance. For those with statutory health insurance in Germany, the TA/11 issued for 6 months is sufficient for a first-time application and a tenancy agreement, as there are only 6 months of AE for a tenancy agreement anyway.
There are special insurances for foreigners to apply for, which offer a minimum of insurance cover and cost between 200 TL to 3,000 TL per year, depending on age. The amount also depends on the benefit included. After 12 months of residence, foreign applicants can take out insurance with the Turkish public health insurance scheme; family insurance costs around 100 euros per month.
Biometric passport photo
The passport photo should have an edge length of 5:6 and comply with Turkey’s biometric requirements – as the photo is larger here in Turkey, it is strongly recommended to have it taken locally. The system already checks whether the passport photo is recognised when it is uploaded during the application process. It is therefore important that the passport photo is also available in digital form in low resolution and size (edge length max. 600 px) – scanned photos are often not recognised.
Payment of fees at the tax office
Currently the fee for the first application is about 1200 TL for one year, 2200 for 2 years (changes according to the daily exchange rate for $) plus 160 TL for the Ikamet card plus 1033 TL visa fee. The first amount (fee + card) has to be paid before the appointment, you will receive the invoice for the 1033 TL visa fee at the appointment and the receipt has to be submitted afterwards.
For the deposit you need your passport, the application and a tax number. You can get the latter with your passport directly at the tax office (1st floor).
Be sure to make a copy of the receipts, as the original will remain with the documents at the Immigration Office.
THE APPLICATION
The application must be made online at the above site. NO fees are charged at or before the application, only at the end of the application procedure, after you have chosen your competent foreigners authority (depending on your place of residence) and one of the suggested dates, the possibility to pay by credit card is also offered online for EXTENSIONS (unfortunately mostly deactivated) There is NO possibility to transfer this amount – should this be requested, it is definitely a fraud attempt.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
Apostille
Even if some German authorities state that an apostille is not necessary, it is absolutely required for documents, at least in the area of the province of Antalya. The information of the foreigners authority that a certification by the German consulate in Antalya would be possible is unfortunately not correct. Here is the information that the German consulate provided by e-mail:
Unfortunately, it is not possible for the consulate to certify the income certificate for submission to a Turkish authority. The consulate cannot issue an apostille either. If a German apostille is absolutely necessary, you must contact the Federal Office of Administration in Cologne to have an apostille issued.
Only official documents can be apostilled, not private documents. A pension certificate, for example, is not a document. Therefore, it must first be certified by a German notary, which turns it into a document and can then be apostilled by the competent authority (which varies according to the federal state).
the notorious red folder (Alanya)
without this there is no Ikamet – never and under no circumstances. It must also be a specific red folder, which you can get in the small copy shop directly in Alanya.
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