Türkiye Reviews Residence Permit Fees for 1M Foreigners
Türkiye's residence permit fee structure is under scrutiny. With over 1 million foreigners holding permits, the complex fee calculation based on nationality, stay length, and age is being reviewed. Proposed changes aim to promote legal certainty and regular migration.
Currently, fee exemptions do not apply in case of overstay, and nationals of exempted countries face double fees. This complexity pushes foreigners towards cheaper visa options, hindering purpose-appropriate stays. A separate, non-refundable application fee is proposed to cover administrative costs and enable proportional refunds in case of termination.
The Law on Fees is set to be revised, detailing calculation rules and clarifying refund mechanisms. This will help guide foreigners towards lawful stay, making regular migration more accessible and interacting with public revenues and integration objectives.
The fate of fees paid in advance for residence permits that terminate before expiry remains uncertain, with no explicit refund provision. As of 2025, no reforms to residence permit fees in Türkiye, as proposed in the academic study 'Residence Permit Fees in Türkiye', have been implemented or detailed regarding their status.
