How to benefit from family residence in Turkey?

Turkey is one of the few countries in the world that allows foreigners the opportunity to benefit from many types of stays on its land, the most famous of which is the tourist residence that is deserved by every foreigner who desires for a year, renewable for some nationalities recently, after it was open to everyone in the past years, followed by then Family residence through which the head of the Turkish citizen or the resident under a work permit or purchase of property in Turkey from granting it to his family members.

The law allows Turks to grant family residency to people who do not hold Turkish citizenship if it is proven that there is a family link between them.

Are all family members entitled to a family residence permit?

According to the provisions of Turkish law, the individuals who are entitled to benefit from family residency are both the wife and children under the age of 18 in addition to parents who are over 65 years of age and above.

According to Turkish legislation, the grantor of a family residency married to more than one wife must choose only one of them to obtain family residency, however children of all wives have the right to benefit from family residency.

As for people married to Turks, they are entitled to benefit from family residence for a period of 3 years, after which an application for Turkish citizenship can be submitted provided that the marriage is to establish a family.

Conditions for obtaining family residence in Turkey

According to Turkish law, the following conditions must always be met by the family residence grantor:

• The grantor has a monthly income of no less than the minimum wage in Turkey.
• That the grantor be able to provide adequate housing for the general conditions for living in Turkey.
• The necessity of providing all family members with health insurance or the so-called "sigorta" in Turkish.
• That the grantor proves that he did not violate the family system by committing misdemeanors during the last five years from the date of filing the application for granting family residence.
• As for the foreign donor, he must prove that he has been residing in Turkey for a period of no less than a year.
• The grantor must have a registered address in the Registry department for the duration of the family stay.

Duration of family residence and how to renew it

The duration of the family residence in Turkey is estimated to be a maximum of 3 years, renewable, as the law requires beneficiaries to renew it before the expiry of the legal deadlines, as the electronic residence system does not accept applications that remain at the end of 60 days or two months, so the applicant for family residence must not miss the date of renewal in its legal deadlines.

Applications for renewing a family residence are submitted via e-mail, i.e. without the need to move, by writing down all personal information, including the name, surname, date of birth, address, passport information, etc., along with attaching the application with a recent personal image, i.e. not exceeding 6 months from the date of submitting the application.

It should be noted that if the applicant's data changes to the application for family residence in Turkey, he must immediately notify and update the Immigration Department before applying for renewal of residence.

The necessary documents to apply for family residence in Turkey

The applicant for obtaining a family residence in Turkey, whether from a Turkish donor, working in Turkey or buying apartments in Turkey, must provide the following documents:

• All electronic communications received by the applicant electronically.
• A copy of the passport of the person granting the family residence.
• 4 personal photos.
• Health insurance covering the length of stay.
• A house rental contract or a title deed in the event that the grantor has purchased property in Turkey or who obtained Turkish citizenship in Turkey.
• A marriage contract authenticated by the consulate if the applicant is the husband or wife.
• Paying the family residence application fee, which is a simple fee that varies from country to country.

Family residence is considered one of the best types of residency in Turkey due to the ease of obtaining it and facilitating entry, exit and movement of the bearer with the advantage of applying after 3 years requesting obtaining Turkish citizenship, especially for the beneficiaries of it by marrying a Turkish citizen.