Delays and limits on stays rise in Turkey over the past months, the waiting period to get an appointment to request a residence permit has encountered significant delays, while at the same time new limits have been put into place regarding the length of time foreign residents can be out of the country.
Specifically, the online system that assigns appointments to request a residence permit has been having severe delays, providing dates of up to 90 days after registering online, which could put the immigration status of the employee in the country at risk. The delays are not affecting renewals, but rather only affect requests being made for the first time.
The request for an appointment can be made via the online system before arriving in Turkey, but the applicant must go in person on the assigned day, which means planning the arrival to coincide with the assigned date. Renovations do not require the in-person appearance of the applicant, so it is not necessary to request the appointment online.
It is important to take these delays into account should the person get the process rolling with a tourist visa in order to request the appointment, as the permit may expire while the applicant awaits the assigned day.
Additionally, Law No. 6458 (on international protection and foreigners) of May 1, 2014, which regulates the amount of time foreigners with residence permits may spend outside of Turkey, has recently been established. This Law had not been put into practice up until last month, when short stay residence permits that had encroached on these regulations began to be denied.
The law establishes that foreigners with short stay residence permits may only be away from Turkey for a maximum of 120 days per year, otherwise the renewal may be denied or their permit cancelled. For family residence permits, this period may not exceed 180 days.
Delays and Limits on Stays Rise in Turkey