The vast majority of Ukrainians living in Turkey do not have refugee status and obtain a residence permit (ikamet) in the standard way for foreigners. Here is a look at the cost, experience and difficulties of obtaining an ikamet by Ukrainians in 2024

Legal assistance on migration issues

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Most Ukrainians who left for Turkey after the start of the full-scale invasion have now left the country. However, according to the Immigration Department of the Turkish Interior Ministry, there are about 37,000 Ukrainian citizens living in the country. 

According to the migration service, Ukrainians rank 10th among foreign nationals with residence permits in Turkey. At the same time, the vast majority of those in the country do not have refugee status and meet their financial needs on their own.

Given these circumstances, we decided to find out what difficulties Ukrainians face when obtaining a residence permit in Turkey and what the procedure for obtaining an ikamet looks like in 2024. A family of 3 Ukrainians living in Antalya shared their experience with us.

Documents required to obtain an Ikamet for a family in Antalya

According to the interlocutors, first of all, it is necessary to prepare a notarized translation of the marriage and birth certificates (Apostille). To do this, you need to notarize both documents at the Ukrainian consulate. It costs $10 consular fee for each page (there are 2 pages, so you need to spend $20).

This is where it is located in Antalya.

After that, the certified documents must be taken to a consulting agency (Ukrainian-speaking). 

The cost of one apostille will cost 1800 lira (x2 (marriage certificate + child's birth certificate) = 3600 lira).

After that, it is necessary to obtain health insurance for adults. According to our interlocutors, children do not need insurance to apply, but it is still better to get it, because children often get sick, and going to hospitals in Turkey without insurance will cost several times more and you will have to pay for each individual case.

The cost of insurance is approximately the same for all agents, but the final price will depend on the age of the insured person. Our interlocutors are 37 years old, so the insurance cost them 3020 lira per person. The cost of an insurance policy for a child is 3450 lira.

In addition, you need to prepare separate documents for submission:

– a notarized rental contract - 1340 liras

– numbering (notarized confirmation of the address) - 200 liras

– 4 biometric photos - 200 lira per person (x3 - 600 lira).

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Registration in the electronic queue at the Immigration Department and collection of documents

After all the documents are collected, you can apply for an electronic queue for a "rendezvous" (as the application to the immigration department is called in Turkey). In Antalya, it is located here.

At the same time, you need to fill out a questionnaire/application for each family member (according to the interlocutors, a residency and relocation specialist working at a consulting agency helped them with the application for free).

Copies of all documents should be made and placed in files (separately for each person), while the originals should be kept. Thus, the package of documents for each family member must include

– application/questionnaire (to be printed)

– insurance - 1, 2, 3 pages (print)

– 4 photos 

– a copy of the passport (1 page and the entry page)

– rental contract, numbering, a copy of the tapa (an analog of the technical passport for the apartment, which is given when concluding a rental contract), payment for electricity or water in your name

For a child, you should additionally put a birth certificate with a translation and apostille, a copy of the notarization, and copies of the parents' passports in the folder.

Visit to the Immigration Department in Antalya: algorithm of actions and practical tips

At the time appointed in the electronic queue, you must come to the immigration department. In the window, show the folders with documents for preliminary verification. If there are no questions about the submitted documents, the employee will give each person a form to fill out (name, phone number, email, date, signature). 

In addition, each adult will be given a questionnaire with questions:

1. What are the purposes of the ikamet?

2. What are you going to do in Turkey?

According to our interlocutors, Ukrainians can choose only a tourist purpose. As for the second question, they recommended that you write in 3 sentences about your future travel plans and the places you want to visit.

Payment of customs and visa fees

Before or after (it doesn't matter) filling out the forms issued by the migration department, you can pay the fees. If the documents are submitted for the first time, an additional visa fee is required. 

– The fee for an adult is 3132.30 lira

– The amount of the fee for a child is 1848.65 lira

In total, for a family of three, the fee and visa fee will amount to 24,550 liras (in the second year, the cost will be lower, as you will not need to pay a visa fee).

Payment receipts must be taken to the window where the preliminary verification of documents was carried out. The previously issued forms must be stamped. After that, you will be sent to a special room for fingerprinting (children under 12 do not need to be fingerprinted). This is the final stage of the application process.

Upon completion of the procedure, employees will take one half of the completed forms for themselves and give the other half to you. With this document, you can travel or be checked at street passport control posts (which, according to our interlocutors, are currently actively working). Then you just have to wait for the notification of the Ikamet.

In total, the entire procedure for obtaining documents will cost $1100-1200.

If you need assistance in obtaining a residence permit in Turkey or any other migration issues, please contact the Visit Ukraine legal team. Our specialists will answer all your questions, help you with the preparation of the necessary documents and solve your immediate problems.

Follow the link to order a consultation or full legal support.

We remind you! Ukrainians staying in Turkey can apply for passport documents in the country at the subdivision of the State Enterprise "Document". Read more about the working hours and location of the unit in our previous article.