Residence Permit and Procedures

• Follow the guides below to carry out your online residence permit application. 
• Online Application must be made, in any case, before the expiration of the visa/residence permit (you can start to do a residence permit renewal 60 days prior to expiry.) Those who have a conditional entry (from non visa required countries) must apply within 10 days
• You should not make your online residence permit application before being physically here in Istanbul. According to the laws, you can only make this application after you cross the Turkish border.
• After completing your online application, you need to visit the Migration Office and give your fingerprint there. Please make sure that you have your Passport, Online Application Form and Turkish Student Certificate with you. When you give your fingerprint, the Migration Office employees are required to write a number starting with GI on your application form. 
• As the next step, you will submit all of your documents to the International Student Advising Office. Responsible staff will assist you to complete your residence folder and then submit it to the Migration Office on behalf of you. 

* If you have Turkish nationality (TC Kimlik) or Mavi Kart, you do not need a residence permit.

Click for the guide

The Migration Office may always ask for additional information and documents concerning your residence permit request.

IMPORTANT: If you are facing any technical difficulties on the website regarding your application, we suggest you try early in the morning since the servers are less loaded at that time. You may try to use Safari or Opera browser (go into the settings and turn on VPN) and try different devices too. You may also try to do your application under the Turkish version of the First Application. To avoid language problems, we have created a presentation with translations, in this link.

DOCUMENTS 

The necessary documents are:

 1.      A printout of your online application form with the fingerprint number (can download after you complete the online application)

2.       Passport

3.       Four biometric photos (the photo must have been taken within the last 6 months (frontal, clear face, in a way that the foreigner can be recognized easily) with a white background).

4.       Photocopy of passport pages (the page with your photo, the page where validity and expiry dates are written, and the page with the last entry stamp)

5.       Photocopy of Previous Residence Permit Card (if you had one)

6.       Student Certificate in Turkish (should be recent) 

7.       Health Insurance Policy in Turkish (should be valid for one-year minimum) 

8.       565 Turkish Lira fee receipt (You can pay online here as shown on the guide. If this does not work, you will need to make the payment at Hisar Tax Office after getting a tax number from this link.)

9.       E-visa printout (for students who have e-visa)

10.     Proof of Address (If you apply for renewal and you address is registered)

11.     Notarized rental contract or Letter of Undertaking (If you apply for first-time)

12.     UETS Document (It is necessary only for renewal application and can be obtained through any PTT directorate)

• In cases where the person concerned is under the age of 18 and is arriving without a visa:

• Deed of consent (Muvafakatname) by the student's father/mother/legal guardian is required. The person under the age of 18 should obtain mentioned deed of consent from the legal authorities in their respective country before arriving in Turkey mentioning that the student has permission to live in Turkey and study in Istanbul Bilgi University.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: Certain conditions have been set for these two documents: • If students’ respective country is a party to the Apostille Convention, then the documents should have the Apostille approval by the Turkish embassy or consulate in their country. The certified Turkish translation of the documents have to be approved by the notary. • If the students’ documents have been prepared in their respective country without the Apostille approval, then they must firstly get them approved by their embassy or consulate in Turkey. Secondly, they should go to the district governorship, Legal Advisory Department to approve their certified Turkish translated documents.

• Birth certificate (Turkish translation - notary approved)

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

The International Student Advising Office will be accepting your residence permit documents only on these specific days so make sure to be there on time with all necessary documents and please do not forget to wear a mask.

Days: Monday to Friday

Time: 11 AM – 4 PM

Place: International Student Advising Office, Global Talent Management Center Building, santralistanbul Campus 

Address of Istanbul Provincial Directory of Migration Management: Hırka-i Serif District Adnan Menderes Boulevard No:64 Fatih/Istanbul

• After finishing your residence folder at the International Student Advising Office, responsible staff will submit your folder to the Migration Office on behalf of you.. 
• You will receive an email/SMS regarding an appointment date and time, you can ignore it.

To track the status of your application after it has been submitted to the Migration Office, you can check this webpage.

• If the Migration Office requires any additional documents, you will be able to see it on the tracking webpage.

  
  

  • You may email us if you have any questions in this case: advising@bilgi.edu.tr
• Once the documents are approved, you will receive an email or SMS saying that your application has been “evaluated positively”. This may take a few weeks.
• If you received the approval message, you should wait for an SMS from the postal service (PTT) which may take a few more weeks longer than usual due to the amount of applications. Once you get the code, you can check under PTT Registered Mail tracking. For details about PTT tracking process, check the Frequently Asked Questions section below.

* If you do not receive the approval message or the PTT code in one month from receiving the submission email from us, you can call 157 regarding the status of your card.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Keep in mind that once you receive your card, you must send us a scan of the front and back to be added to the Higher Education Council database - advising@bilgi.edu.tr 

Once you do your residence permit application, you cannot leave Turkey without paying a fine until you receive your residence permit card.  The International Student Advising Office suggests you don’t take this risk and you wait until you receive your resident permit before you travel outside of Turkey. 

If you absolutely must travel, «Müracaat Belgesi» can be taken after you receive an email/SMS from the Migration Office stating that your application has been "evaluated positively". You can take it from the Migration Office at the airport by stating that you are a student leaving due to an emergency.

According to the law, you are NOT allowed to leave the country for more than 15 days without the residence permit.

Private Health Insurance

For the health insurance, you can apply to any health insurance company within Turkey. To make this process easier for you, there are a few private health insurance companies that work with our university. You may contact the companies directly to get more information regarding the coverage and prices.

Mars Health Insurance – Burcu ÇAK I burcucak@marslogistics.com I 212 4114110

Network Health Insurance  - Ayşe Gerginten | agerginten@networksigorta.com | 0216 553 42 45

Allianz Health Insurance - Gürkan Aydeniz | gurkan@tanyildizisigorta.com | 0216 456 81 11

Antares Health Insurance - Aziz Yalınkılıç | aziz.yalinkilic@antaressigorta.com | 0216 550 46 92

Guard.me International Insurance - Cansu Uzun | salesturkey@guard.me | 0532 377 17 50

Tax Number

Private Health Insurance companies require you to have a tax number. Make sure to obtain one before you apply. You can get one online or in-person.

• You may apply for a tax number online at this link.
• You may apply for a tax number in-person, all you need is your passport and a photocopy of the passport page with your photograph on it. 
  • Address of Beyoğlu Vergi Dairesi (Tax Office): Şahkulu Mahallesi, Meşrutiyet Cad. No:125, 34421 Beyoğlu
  • Phone: (0212) 244 03 83

SGK Health Insurance

DISCLAIMER: The information below is provided to help you have an idea on what to do in certain situations. Please make sure that you contact the Migration Office Hotline before you take any action. This is to ensure that you are following the latest procedure.

I did my residence permit application, how do I track my card to see when it will arrive?

After the application is submitted to the Migration Office, you will receive an email/SMS stating that your application has been evaluated positively. After that, once your card is being delivered a postal barcode will be sent to you via SMS. You may follow your residence permit progress under PTT Registered Mail tracking.

Your residence permit card will come to your house. If they cannot find you at the address and for this reason your documents cannot be delivered, documents will be held in the related branch of the PTT for 7 days and then returned to the Migration Office. In this case you can receive your residence permit card by going to İstanbul İl Goç İdaresi Müdürlüğü, Hirka - İ Şerif Mahallesi, Vatan Caddesi No: 64/34091, Fatih/İstanbul.

You can contact PTT at 444 1788.

If it has been more than one month since you submitted your folder to us and you have not received the "evaluated positively" email or SMS, you can send an email to istanbul.duzenli@goc.gov.tr with a scan of your passport or call 157 regarding the status of your card.

My residence permit card got expired, what do I do?

The residence permit applications can occur at the earliest 60 days prior to the expiration date, however students with expired residence permits can apply for a new one under "First-Time Application" on the e-İkamet website in 10 days time . 

If you are out of the rights of being a student the other types of residence permit procedures will apply; in all cases you should apply before the expiration date or within the 10-day period for the residence permit that will fit your situation.

I lost my residence permit card, what do I do?

If you lost your residence permit card or got it stolen, you should first go to the nearest police station and report that it is no longer in your possession. You will receive a report stating that it is lost. With all of these documents, you should go to the Migration Office and submit it to them.

Required Documents:

• Passport
• Police Report
• 365 TL residence card fee payment receipt

Kumkapı Migration Office, Bilgi Güncelleme Odası (Information Update Room) Address: Muhsine Hatun, Büyük Kömürcü Sokağı No:2, 34130 Fatih/İstanbul

I froze my semester (Leave of Absence)/took a gap semester, what happens to my residence permit?

If you freeze your semester or take a gap semester, the Migration Office can cancel your student residence permit since you are not seen as an active student. If you wish to stay in Turkey, you can make a transfer application from Student to Short-Term residence permit. You may get more information regarding the process and documents from the e-İkamet website and by calling 157.

I graduated, what happens to my residence permit?

Once you receive your final grades, before you receive the  "Graduated" status on SIS, you should complete the online transfer application from Student to Short-Term residence permit if you wish to stay in Turkey after you are seen as "Graduated". 

When you are doing the transfer application on the e-İkamet website, your “Reason for Stay” will be “6-months within graduation” and you should take your diploma/diploma supplement with you to the appointment. You may get more information regarding the process and documents from their website and by calling 157.

My information has changed, what do I do?

If you have changed your address, phone number, marital status, name, birth certificate, you have to notify it to the Migration Office by: 

• filling out this form - (English translation)
• emailing the copy of your passport and residence permit card with the form to the Migration Office (Göç İdaresi) at: istanbul.degerlendirme@goc.gov.tr 

If you are facing any issues, you should call 157.

I changed my university/major/faculty, what do I do?

If you are a transferred student from another University in Turkey, or changed your faculty or department in İstanbul Bilgi University, you have to inform and register your new contact information to Göç İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü/Migration Office.

If the student is changing his/her school from one city to another then they are responsible inform the Migration Office within 10 days.

If the student is making any changes within the same city then they are responsible to inform the Migration Office within 20 days.

I withdrew my registration/my registration to BİLGİ is cancelled, what do I do?

If you are no longer a student at BİLGİ, you will not be eligible to hold a student residence permit card anymore. Regarding this, you should get in touch with Migration Office as soon as possible by calling 157.

Important Notes While Applying for Residence Permit

You should make your application between the time period of visa or visa dispensation. During the application appropriateness to the 180/90 rule is checked. According to this, foreigners who enter Turkey under the concept of visa or visa dispensation can only stay in our borders for 90 days without a residence permit. Students who entered the country with a conditional acceptance have to make their application within 10 days of notice; fail to do so, then the office cannot accept the applications in any case. Student Residence Permit Application can be made during the visa time/visa dispensation after the registration to a university is completed. If students who entered the country with a conditional passport fail to make their registration to a university on the day that they entered the country, they cannot receive a student residence permit. According to law 6458, students without an insurance must have a health insurance under the order of the law. If the international student had made an international insurance before arriving the country, then they are required to provide a notarized translation of the policy. Additionally, the student will need the university’s written approval for the order of residence permit application in order to continue their application.

If you have any questions, please contact us first: advising@bilgi.edu.tr 

If we direct you to the Migration Office, you may contact them at:

• 157 if you are in Turkey

• +90 312 157 11 22 if you are abroad

• istanbul.duzenli@goc.gov.tr for checking your application status (should email with a scan of your passport)

The Address of İçişleri Bakanlığı Göç İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü / Directorate General of Migration Management:

İstanbul İl Goç İdaresi Müdürlüğü, Hirka - İ Şerif Mahallesi, Vatan Caddesi No: 64/34091, Fatih/İstanbul