Residency Details in Turkey
We have previously discussed work residency and tourist residency. Now, we will talk about student residency in Turkey.
Who is eligible for student residency?
Article 38 (1): Student residency permission is granted to foreigners who will be educated at higher education institutions in Turkey, such as institutes or universities at undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral levels.
Article 38 (2): Student residency permission and its extension may be granted to foreigners receiving primary or secondary education, whose care and expenses are covered by real or legal persons, with the approval of their parents or legal representatives throughout their education period and for a duration of one year at a time.
Article 38 (3): Student residency permission does not grant the right for the student’s mother, father, or other relatives to obtain residency permission of any kind.
Article 38 (4): The period of residency permission for a student whose education lasts less than one year cannot exceed the duration of their education.
Required Documents for Obtaining Student Residency in Turkey
- The student must obtain a final acceptance letter, which is issued by the university, school, or language institute. Upon arriving in Turkey, this must be converted into a student identification document.
- Health insurance valid for one year, which must be Turkish health insurance, not international.
- An appointment with the immigration office to submit the documents.
- Four personal photos.
Note: Unlike tourist residency, student residency does not require a bank statement or a housing contract.
Is a student allowed to work during their studies?
Article 41 (1): Students at institutes, undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels are allowed to work provided they obtain a work permit. However, for institute and undergraduate students, the right to work starts after the first year and cannot exceed twenty-four hours per week.
Questions and Answers Regarding Student Residency in Turkey
English language institutes do not grant student residency. It is required for the student to obtain acceptance from a Turkish language institute to be eligible for student residency.
The student receives residency for a maximum of one year, which is renewed based on their study duration. For example, if a student is studying at a university, they are given residency for one year, and upon entering the second year, they renew their residency. If their study duration is less than a year, they obtain residency for the duration of their studies, such as 3 months or 4 months, etc.
The cost of obtaining student residency is the student’s health insurance costs, which amount to about 300 Turkish Lira annually, plus state fees, which vary depending on the student’s nationality, starting from 80 Lira up to 350 Lira.
Student residency does not grant the holder the right to bring their family; it is a personal residency. If a student wishes to bring their family, they must make a tourist residency for their companions.
Student residency does not grant the holder the right to obtain citizenship in the fifth year; this right is only for holders of work residency and property residency.
Universities do not require students to have a study residency in Turkey; for example, you can study with your tourist residency or you can also study with your work residency.
The difference between tourist residency and student residency is that the conditions for obtaining student residency are much easier than for tourist residency. Tourist residency in Turkey requires showing a bank statement and renting a house for a year, whereas student residency does not require that.
