Türkiye · Diplomatic

Residence Procedures for Foreign Mission Personnel and Their Family Members

Residence Procedures for Foreign Mission Personnel and Their Family Members is issued by Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı). VisaAI tracks 7 official requirements for it, each traced to the government page that states it.

Last verified against the official source on .

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Requirements change. Confirm every item on Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı)’s own page before you apply.

Each requirement below is written in plain English by VisaAI. The indented text beneath it is quoted from Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı)’s own page, so you can check what we say against what they say. Where a quotation shows “ ... ”, text has been left out.

Conditions you must meet

  • Who gets a foreign mission identity card, and who issues itIssued by the MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, not the migration authority — the one route on this site the migration authority does not itself decide. The authority enumerates the mission types it covers.
    Foreign Mission Identity Card shall be granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for family members and foreign missionary personnels who work for accreditated Embassy, Embassy, Consulate General on duty, Consulate, Assistant Consulate, Consulate Agencies and International Foundation Agencies.
  • Article 20 exempts diplomatic and consular staff, their families, and international organisation staff — provided they are NOTIFIED to the ministryThe notification condition is what the exemption hangs on, and it sits inside the same sentence.
    Article 20 of the Law shall regulate exemption from residence permit. Pursuant to Article in question; members of the diplomatic and consular missions in Turkey, family members of diplomatic and consular officers, provided they are notified to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and members of the representations of international organisations in Turkey whose status has been determined by virtue of agreements shall be exempted from residence permit.
  • The card itself certifies the exemption from a residence permitWhich is why obtaining it inside the seven days matters.
    Additionally, Foreign Mission Identity Card certifies that the holder is exempted from residence permit.

Steps in the process

  • Apply within SEVEN DAYS of entry or of the mission start dateThe shortest deadline anywhere in the Turkish corpus. The seven days run from entry, or from the start of the mission where the person already holds a residence permit.
    Foreign mission personnel shall apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on purpose of obtaining Foreign Mission Identity Card for himself/herself and family members within seven days following the entry date or starting date of mission if the personnel is a residence permit holder in Turkey.
  • On assignment extension: apply for a new card within SIXTY DAYS before expiry — and in any case before itTwo constraints in one sentence: a sixty-day window, and an absolute bar on letting the card lapse first.
    In case of a foreign mission personnel’s assignment extension, personnel in question is required to obtain a new identity card by applying to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within sixty days prior to the expiration of the card and, in any case, before the expiration date of the card.
  • When the exempt status ends: apply to the governorates within TEN DAYS to stayThe exemption does not decay gently — ten days after the status ends, a residence permit is required.
    In cases where foreign mission personnel and their family members wish to stay in Turkey, after the end of their status that entitled them to exemption from a residence permit, shall apply with the governorates no later than ten days to obtain a residence permit.
  • Family members required to hold a permit under reciprocity apply THROUGH the mission and the Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe application is routed by the affiliated representation to the Presidency of Migration Management via the MFA, and approved applicants are then directed to the governorates. Three bodies in one path.
    The residence permit applications of foreign mission personnel for their family members who are required to obtain a residence permit document within the scope of reciprocity principle shall be made by the affiliated representations to the Presidency of Migration Management by way of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within the period stipulated in the legislation. Foreigners who are considered appropriate for the residence permit shall be directed to the governorates.

Official sources

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