Getting my Turkish residentship

Even though I just want to stay for maybe another 3 months, I'll have to apply for a full residence permit.

There are different kinds of options when applying for a residence permit. For my purpose the "tourist" residentship visa is most fitting and should allow me to stay in Turkey up to 12 months. During my stay I will be living in an apartment that i share with other room mates.

It is not all too easy gathering information on What exactly is needed for a successful application, because the resources in English are sometimes outdated, contradictory or incorrectly translated. Eventually the process goes down as follows.

15 November. I fill in the electronic application for my "Ikamet" on the rather horrible and bug-laden website. Sometimes it boils down to guesswork and manual translating when random questions or options are displayed in Turkish language.

However after I manage to complete the application process, there is no possibility to print the application. Turns out I need to register for an appointment at the local immigration office, first. Only problem: the next available appointment is 1 month from now--about 10 days after my visa exempt status expires.

"Clearly just another glitch in the application" I think and decide to just cycle to the immigration office without any appointment. After briefly explaining my issue at the information desk I'm being received by an officer hat his desk who is playing with his phone, hardly looking at me. "Did you call 157?" he asks me. "If you have a problem you should call to 157. We cannot take your application here. Good bye."

Calling 157 helpline

I'm quite annoyed by the lack of support from the clerk. Anyhow I have a new clue now and in fact, Googling for "157" brings up information about a foreigner help line. Would have been nice to have had the information in the application process.

The guy at the hotline assures me that in fact, the late appointment date is not a problem my printed application will cover me after the end of my previous visa. Additional questions however about me leaving and re-entering the country during the ongoing application process the phone support is unable to answer.

Now I just need to get my documents in order.

It is established that I need

• The printed application form
• My passport
• A copy of my passport
  
• Health insurance
  In my case: local health insurance from a Turkish company
  
• 4 photos (Turkish form factor)
• Proof of address
  In my case: guarantee by room mate

15 December.As expected, getting the photos is the easiest job.

Cycling through the city of Antalya I stop at the first best "fotograf". I tell him I need "passport photos" and he directs me to the studio upstairs, where he takes exactly 1 shot with his DSLR and then proceeds to postprocess and print the photos, all without asking me a single question.

Even though my friend will tell me later: "Oh, that's a bad picture" I think the result is, well, okay. Just the size of the photos (about double the size of a EU passport photo) is a bit unusual to me. But he assures me that's exactly the size needed.

16 December. I am determined to get the health insurance done all by myself, without the help of any of my local friends or room mates (terrible idea!). According to my research, the "Groupama FIT" policy should cover the minimum requirements for my visa application, at a price of approx. 330 TL p.a.

Now I just have to find a local branch where I can apply. Which proves more difficult than anticipated, as the offices which are listed online have either ceased to exist or are just impossible to find! Paired with my unwillingness to ask anybody it takes me 4 tries until I eventually find a small office sporting a big Groupama sign. It's open!

Guy in there is very friendly and of course, barely speaks any English. Translation app to the rescue. I'm the first foreigner ever coming to his office I will learn later. All I can do is sit and wait.... yeah, that's What he says. He makes call after call and after 30 minutes or so indicates we have to drive together somewhere. Meanwhile his father has come to safeguard the office.

I have no idea where we're going, but after only 2 minutes we reach another, bigger insurance office where my information is processed once more and now 3 guys are involved in getting me health insurance.

Of course, I'm not getting the insurance policy from the company I asked, but from a Japanese company called "Sompo Japan". I'm honestly a bit pissed about it, because now I just have some Turkish documents which I cannot read, but in the end I just need the "right" policy for the immigration office.

350 TL later I hold the health insurance contract (at least I hope it's a contract) in my hands. Not a bad price for a 1-year-policy.

19 December. In order to have maximum flexibility and reduce the costs, I decided against renting an apartment all by myself and to move into a shared home. However for the immigration to accept this the need a statement from my room mate, also called "taahhutname", in which they basically declare that I'm staying at their place, they take responsibility for my wrongdoings and for me to leave the country once my residentship expires. And it had to be set up and signed at a notary office!

Luckily my Turkish room mate has not obligations and so we head to the noter one afternoon. A fairly busy office with 8 desks crammed into a single, larger room. After a few minutes wait, we're being called to one of the desks. The noter asks my friend a few questions, we show our ids and passports and a few minutes later we hold the paper in our hands, with which we proceed to the cash desk where it is being stamped after I pay the service fee of 51.25 TL.

That wasn't too bad!

23 January. Equipped with documents and photos I make it to the immigration office once more. "Come back later" is the only response I will get this time. Seems like nobody wants to deal with me so shortly before lunch time.

When I return 2 hours later I shall finally be successful. I have to run through various rooms where

• photos are taken of me from different angles (makes me wonder why I had to submit passport photos to begin with, but okay...)
• fingerprints of both hands are taken (yes, all fingers!)
• I get a tax number assigned
• and of course, my money is taken: 803 TL in total I have to pay for my visa (apparently, the amount depends on your passport).

In return for the ordeal I get a stamped paper certifying my pending application. The official document will then be sent to me by mail to my registered address a couple of weeks later.

23 January. About a month after my last visit to the immigration office, I receive a text message: my ID card is on the way!

Better now than never, because I'm more or less already sitting on packed bags, ready to get back on the bike after a long and very, very rainy Winter break.

I take off to the PTT post office where my registered letter should have arrived. Finding the right office is a challenge all by itself... but somehow I make it and minutes later my shivering and sweaty hands touch it for the first time: my Turkish ikamet.

I'm really grateful I only need to do this once...