Important Update: Residence Permit Fees in Türkiye Have Increased

A new fee schedule from the Directorate of Migration Management has pushed the cost of a one-year residence permit close to ₺29,000. Here is what every foreign applicant needs to know before filing.

At a glance:

• New annual estimated residence permit tax in Turkey (1-year permit): ₺28,879.20
• Daily tax for the first month: ₺348.10
• Permit card fee: ₺964.00

Need Help With the Numbers?

Not sure what your permit will cost? We calculate it for you and we can also check whether the tax was applied correctly on your existing residence permit. Skip to the advisory section below or contact us directly.

As of today, the residence permit (ikamet) tax and card fees in Türkiye have been revised upward and the change is significant. If you are renewing, applying for the first time, or planning a long-stay move to Türkiye, your government fees will look very different from what they did a year ago.

What Exactly Has Changed

The Directorate of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı) has published an updated fee schedule that affects every short-term residence permit in Türkiye. The increase touches three components of the total cost: the daily tax for the first month, the monthly tax for every subsequent month, and the fixed card production fee.

Here is the new schedule, broken down line by line:

• Daily residence permit tax (first month): ₺348.10 per day. Floor: ₺653.70 — Ceiling: ₺3,359.90 for the first month.
• Monthly residence permit tax: ₺2,232.30 per month, applied to every month after the first.
• Residence permit card fee: ₺964.00, fixed and one-time per card.
• Estimated total for a 1-year permit: approximately ₺28,879.20.

For most applicants, the headline number is the one at the bottom: a one-year permit now lands somewhere around ₺28,879.20 in government fees alone before any service, translation, notarisation, or insurance costs are added.

Understanding the Calculation

The structure is unusual, so it pays to read it carefully. The first month is calculated on a per-day basis at ₺348.10, but with a floor and a ceiling: the first-month tax cannot fall below ₺653.70 nor exceed ₺3,359.90. After that, every additional month is charged at the flat rate of ₺2,232.30.

This matters because the cost of a 6-month permit is not simply half of a 12-month permit. A short-stay applicant pays proportionally more per day than someone applying for the full year, due to the way the floor and the per-day rate interact in the first month.

Worth noting: The card fee is charged per card, not per family. If you are filing for a spouse or children, expect ₺964 to be added for each individual card issued.

Who Is Affected

The updated schedule applies to virtually every short-term residence permit category, including:

• Tourist / short-term residence permits (the most common category)
• Family residence permits issued to spouses and dependants
• Real-estate-based residence permits tied to property ownership
• Renewals of any of the above, regardless of when the original was issued
• Turkish language course residence permit

If you are applying for a permit linked to a work visa, an investment-based citizenship track, or a humanitarian status, the calculation may differ and these are exactly the cases where a quick advisory check pays off.

“Foreign nationals planning to apply for, or renew, a residence permit in Türkiye should incorporate these revised costs into their applications from the outset.”
— Directorate of Migration Management

Practical Steps Before You File

The fee increase is not a reason to delay an application. Türkiye remains an attractive base for expats, students, and investors. But it is a reason to be precise. A few things to check before you submit:

Recalculate Your Budget

If your application package was prepared on the old schedule, the figures need to be updated. Underpayment at the bank or PTT will hold up your file. The bank teller calculates from your application form — if the form is wrong, the receipt will be wrong.

Verify the Tax That Was Applied to You

If you have already paid for a recent renewal, it is worth checking whether the correct rate was applied. Errors in either direction — overpayment or underpayment — happen, and they are easier to resolve sooner than later.

Plan for the Card Fee Per Person

If you are filing as a family, multiply the ₺964 card fee by the number of applicants. This is a frequent oversight on first-time applications.

Keep Documentation Organised

The fee receipt is part of the file. Keep both the bank stamp and the digital confirmation; you will be asked for both at different stages of the process.

Where We Can Help: Calculation & Tax Verification

The fee structure is straightforward in theory and surprisingly easy to miscalculate in practice — especially when applications fall across partial months, family members file together, or a renewal overlaps a fee change. We offer two specific services on this:

Personal calculation. Send us your dates and your applicant count and we return an exact figure — daily tax, monthly tax, card fees, and the total — based on the current schedule. No guesswork at the bank counter.

Tax verification. If you have already paid, we can review the receipt against your permit dates and confirm whether the right amount was charged. If there is a discrepancy, we can advise on the correction route.

→ Contact us for a personalised calculation or tax check

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why has the residence permit fee gone up?

The fee schedule is set by the Directorate of Migration Management and is periodically revised, typically in line with broader fiscal adjustments and revaluation rates announced by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. The current update reflects the latest revaluation cycle — the daily tax, monthly tax, and card fee have all been recalculated on that basis.

Q2. Is the ₺28,879.20 figure exact for every applicant?

It is an estimate for a one-year permit calculated on the new schedule. Your actual total can vary slightly depending on your exact start and end dates, whether the floor or ceiling for the first month applies in your case, and how partial months are counted. For an exact figure, we recommend a personalised calculation.

Q3. Does the increase apply to renewals as well as first-time applications?

Yes. The new schedule applies to every application processed under the updated rates including renewals. The relevant rate is the one in force at the time your fee is paid, not the rate that applied when your previous permit was issued.

Q4. What if my application spans the date the new fees took effect?

The fee charged is generally the one in effect on the day the payment is made. If your file is in progress and you have not yet paid, the new schedule will likely apply. If you paid earlier under the old rates, immigration office will ask for additional payment according to the new calculation if your appointment is after 1 May 2026.

Q5. Are family members charged separately?

Each applicant is assessed independently for the residence permit tax, and each receives their own card. That means the ₺964 card fee is multiplied by the number of cards issued. Spouses and children all carry their own cost, even when filed as part of one family application.

Q6. What happens if I underpay the fee?

Underpayment will typically result in your application being held until the difference is settled. The migration office will not issue the permit on a partial payment. This is one of the most common — and most avoidable — sources of delay, and it is exactly why we recommend confirming the exact figure before going to the bank.

Q7. Can I get a refund if I overpaid residence permit tax?

Refunds for overpayment are possible but are processed through the tax office (vergi dairesi) rather than the migration office, and they require documentation. The process is more involved than the original payment, which is why we strongly suggest verifying the correct amount before paying — and verifying again afterwards if you suspect an error.

Q8. Do these fees include health insurance?

No. The figures above are government fees only: residence permit tax + card fee. Private health insurance, which is a mandatory document for most residence permit categories, is paid separately to your insurance provider and is not part of the migration office fee.

Q9. How can I verify whether I was charged the right amount?

The receipt from the bank will list the breakdown. Cross-reference this against your permit duration: the daily rate applies to the first month (subject to the floor and ceiling), and the flat monthly rate applies to every subsequent month, plus the card fee. If you would prefer a second pair of eyes on it, we offer a tax verification service for exactly this purpose.

Q10. How can I pay the Turkish residence permit tax?

You can pay your Turkey residence permit tax at the tax office and online at the tax website with your credit card. You can pay your tax with the tax number that is generated when you fill your application form at the immigration website.

Q11. Is the fee schedule likely to change again soon?

Fees in Türkiye are revised periodically, often at the start of a new fiscal cycle. We monitor the official source — goc.gov.tr — and update our calculations as soon as a new schedule is published. If you are planning ahead, it is worth checking the rate at the moment of payment rather than relying on the figure quoted weeks earlier.

Let Us Do the Maths and the Verification

Two services, one outcome: clarity. We calculate exactly what your residence permit will cost under the new schedule, and we check whether the tax already charged on your file was applied correctly. No surprises at the bank counter, no delays at the migration office.

Source: Directorate of Migration Management — https://www.goc.gov.tr/belge-bedeli-ve-harc-miktari

Date of Article: 29 April 2026

Written by Karanfiloglu Law Firm

Tags: #Türkiye #ResidencePermit #Immigration #ExpatsInTürkiye #ForeignersInTürkiye #Ikamet #TurkishResidencePermit #InvestmentTurkey