Short-term residence permit (Kısa Dönem İkamet İzni)
The general purpose residence permit, used by property owners, people with stable foreign income, and visitors converting to residence. Everyone calls it ikamet.
The most expensive misunderstanding in the Turkish system sits here: this permit carries no work right. Buying an apartment does not buy the right to earn a living in Turkey. Working while holding it, including remotely for a Turkish client, is a deportable offence rather than a fine. Living and working there needs a work permit, a separate and much harder application.
The property threshold is widely reported at USD 200,000 of title deed value for 2026, but that comes from law firm summaries, not published regulation.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Property owners, people with stable foreign income, tourists converting to residence |
| Route family | investment (property) or lifestyle |
| Validity | 1 year, sometimes 2 years for property holders |
| Stay per entry | Continuous for the permit’s duration |
| Threshold | Property route: tapu valuation reported at USD 200,000 (2026, secondary source). General route: proof of income and health insurance |
| Renewal | Annual, re-assessed on income, address and intent |
| Settlement | Switch-required |
| PR clock | 8 years |
| Citizenship clock | None by itself. Five years is the floor, but this permit rarely satisfies the intent-to-settle test |
| Family | Partial. Spouse and minor children on the same property basis |
| Local employment | No work right. Working on it is a deportable offence |
| Tax headline | 183 day rule applies; rental income from the property is taxable in Turkey regardless of residence |
| Processing | e-ikamet application, appointment, biometrics, card by PTT, 4 to 8 weeks |
Application flow
- Check the address on e-ikamet before signing a lease or deed. Closed neighbourhoods block applications regardless of merit.
- For the property route, get the valuation on the tapu and keep the Foreign Exchange Purchase Certificate (DAB) proving the money entered through a bank.
- Buy Turkish health insurance, then apply through e-ikamet with income and address evidence.
- Attend the appointment for biometrics.
- Register any change of address. The permit is tied to the address on file.
Good fit
Someone with USD 200,000 or more for an apartment who wants a base without working locally, and has foreign income to show at renewal. A family registering a spouse and minor children on the property.
Poor fit
Anyone intending to earn a Turkish salary, who needs a work permit. Anyone whose district is closed to their nationality, common in central Istanbul, Antalya and İzmir. Anyone treating this as a step toward citizenship, because short-term permits are not what naturalisation assesses.
Watchpoints
- No work right, at all. A property purchase is not a work authorisation.
- An appraisal report is not enough. The value must be on the tapu and backed by a DAB certificate proving the funds entered through a Turkish bank.
- Closed neighbourhoods override everything. Where the foreign share of a district passed roughly 20 to 25 percent, new applications were barred, by nationality rather than for all foreigners. Some Istanbul closures were reportedly lifted in June 2026, but that is unconfirmed. Check the address.
- The permit is tied to the address. Moving without registering the new address can void it.
- Renewal is not automatic. Officers re-check income, insurance and intent. A gap of days is an overstay.
- Rental income is taxable in Turkey whether or not you live there.
Sources
- Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi), residence permit categories and e-ikamet, checked 2026-10-22
- Law No. 6458, art. 31 and art. 33, checked 2026-10-22
- Law firm summary of residence permit rules and the property valuation practice, checked 2026-10-22