Extending a residence permit: timing, documents, delivery

• An extension may be filed from sixty days before the residence permit expires, and must in any case be filed before expiry.
• The application is completed online in the e-İkamet system; the file is sent by registered PTT post with return receipt, or by courier. Applications sent by ordinary post are not accepted.
• The documents must be sent within five working days of submitting the online application. Applications whose documents do not arrive by post are not assessed.
• The common documents include a notarised copy of the passport or equivalent document: the page with identity details and photograph, plus the processed pages.
• Four biometric photographs are required, taken within the last six months against a white background. A family photo, a selfie, an outdated or black and white photograph will mean the permit document is not issued.
• Documents obtained abroad must carry an apostille and their Turkish translation must be notarised. For nationals of countries not party to the Apostille Convention, certification by the relevant country's authorities plus the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or authorised Turkish bodies is required.
• If you need to leave the country after applying: with the application document and the fee receipt you may exit provided you re-enter within fifteen days. Applications are concluded within ninety days at the latest.

This page is compiled from the current document list published by the Presidency of Migration Management; it makes no promise as to fees or timing. Requirements and fees change, so check the current list in e-İkamet and the provincial directorate's announcements before you apply.

The most common failure in an extension is sending the file late or by the wrong route: ordinary post is not accepted, there are five working days to send it, and an application whose documents never arrive is not assessed. The second frequent mistake is the photographs: four are required, taken within the last six months, white background, biometric; a selfie or an old photo means the document will not be issued. The third is the translation and certification chain: a birth certificate, marriage certificate, custody decision or consent statement obtained abroad must first be apostilled in the issuing country, then translated in Turkey by a sworn translator and certified by a notary — reverse the order and the document comes back. The health insurance policy must cover the permit period requested, and a certified copy of the original policy goes into the extension file. Ask for fee and document receipts in two copies and put one in the file; if you pay by card through the system, no separate receipt is needed. Finally, your address, telephone and email must be current, because the permit document is posted to your address.