Student Residence Permit

What is a Student Residence Permit?

Residence permit is a legal document that foreign nationals who wish to continue to stay in Turkey after the visa or visa exemption period has expired, are obligated to apply for.

It is legally obligatory for every international student who will study in Turkey to obtain a student residence permit.

Foreign national students who come from a country that does not require a visa, must apply for a residence permit within the visa exemption period. If they came to Turkey with a visa, they must apply for a residence permit within the visa period. Students whose visa expires must apply for a residence permit within 10 days from the expiry date of the visa.

You can access the list of countries to which Turkey applies visa exemption here, and the duration of visa exemption periods here.

For more detailed information about the residence permit application process, it is strongly recommended to review the booklet here.

Blue card holders are not required to obtain a residence permit.

• Residence Permit - First Application

First residence permit applications are made through the website of the General Directorate of Immigration Management (https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/). You can review the Checklist provided here for the documents required during the application process.

Step 1: Fill out the Online Pre-Registration Form, schedule an appointment, print out the automatically filled application form, and pay the card fee.
Step 2: Prepare the application documents and personally submit them to the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Immigration Management on the scheduled appointment day and time.
Step 3: After receiving your residence permit, a copy of your card must be delivered to the Student Services Office.

If you are applying for a residence permit for the first time, you can watch the video provided here for help filling out the form.

• Residence Permit Extension

Residence permit extension applications must be made 60 days before the expiration of the existing residence permit and in any case before the residence permit expires. If there is more than 60 days left until your residence permit expires, the system will not allow you to apply for an extension.

In residence permit extension applications, we remind you that your overall GPA is important, so you should give the necessary importance to your academic achievements.

Residence permit extension applications are made through the website of the Directorate General of Migration Management (https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/).

Step 1: Fill out the Online Pre-Registration Form, schedule an appointment, print out the automatically filled application form, and pay the card fee.
Step 2: Prepare the application documents. Within 5 working days after filling out the Online Pre-Registration Form, the application form and the necessary application documents must be sent to the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Migration Management by mail (courier).
Step 3: After receiving your residence permit, a copy of your card must be delivered to the Student Services Office.

If you are applying for a residence permit extension, you can watch the video provided here for help filling out the form.

• Important Information:

1. Applications will be processed within 90 days at the latest. To avoid any issues during your university education, you should apply for your residence permit immediately after your university enrollment.
2. To extend expiring residence permits, you must apply 60 days before the expiration date.
3. International students who change their passports must notify the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Migration Management within 20 business days.
4. If your visa or residence permit expires before your appointment date for extension, you are allowed to stay in Turkey until your appointment date with the completed application form.
5. If you continue your education in a different faculty/department of the same university without interruption to your student status, you must inform the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management within 20 business days to update your information.
6. If you transfer to a different university in the same city without interruption to your student status, you must inform the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management within 10 business days to update your information.
7. If you cannot graduate within the normal education period, you can only be granted a residence permit for a maximum of 1 year for each year you provide a student certificate showing that you are actively benefiting from your student rights.
8. You can find the frequently asked questions asked to the Directorate of Migration Management regarding the residence permit here.

• Residence Permit Card Submission to the University:

After obtaining or renewing your residence permit, a copy of your residence permit card must be submitted to the University. To provide your residence permit information, you can come in person to the Student Services Office or send an email to student.services@ozu.edu.tr from your ozu email address.

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