Turkey Student Residence Permit
Students from India and Pakistan enter Türkiye on a student visa (a visa sticker in your passport for study). To stay for your course, you apply online for a student residence permit (ikamet) before your visa ends.
TurkeyTURKEY RESIDENCE PERMIT
Type: Student
ID#: Example
ID: Example
Status: Student
Example: Master's programme
Example: Turkish university
Your student residence permit (ikamet) lets you live in Türkiye (Turkey) while you study. It is the card that shows you may live there as a student.
Your visa and your permit
The visa lets you enter Türkiye. The student residence permit lets you stay for your course.
Visa or permit?
Put in your passport before you travel.
First entry only, up to 90 days.
You apply online after you arrive.
Lasts until about your expected graduation, if your insurance and passport allow.
Who handles your permit
The Presidency of Migration Management (PMM) decides on permits through its provincial migration offices.
Papers you will use
Residence permit card
Your student residence permit. It shows your foreign ID number (the ID number on the card).
e-ikamet application form
The form you fill in online, print and sign.
Student certificate
A paper from your university that shows you study there. You need a new one each year.
Health insurance
General Health Insurance (GSS) or a private policy for the permit period.
Avoid these problems
What you must keep doing
Stay enrolled
Your university tells the migration office each semester who has left. Those students lose their permit.
Keep health insurance
Your insurance must cover the whole permit period.
Register your address
Register your address at the migration office within 20 days after you receive your residence permit card.
Report changes
Tell the migration office at once if your name, address, passport or programme changes.
Work only with a permit
Working without a work permit can get your residence permit cancelled.
Renew on time
Apply for an extension on e-ikamet before your permit ends.
Your student residence permit
Bachelor's, master's and PhD students apply for the student residence permit type on e-ikamet.
Key time limits
Arrive on a student visa
Day 1
Apply on e-ikamet
Before your visa ends
Pay the card fee
After the form
Hand in your papers
On the dates your university gives.
Give fingerprints
When called
Get your card
When it is ready
Permit types for students
Student residence permit
For students in a bachelor's, master's or PhD programme.
Key Requirements:
- You are enrolled at a Turkish university.
- You have health insurance for the permit period.
Extension
Renew when your card ends, if your course is not finished.
Key Requirements:
- Your address is registered.
- A residence permit information form from your university.
Short-term permit for graduates
A 1 year permit to look for a job after you graduate from a Turkish university. You can extend it once by 1 more year.
Key Requirements:
- Apply before your student permit ends.
From arrival to your card
Arrive on a student visa
Your visa lets you stay up to 90 days.
Duration: Day 1
Apply on e-ikamet
Choose "Student Residence Permit", fill in the form and download it as a PDF.
Duration: Before your visa ends
Pay the card fee
TRY 964 in 2026, paid online with the number from your application.
Duration: After the form
Hand in your papers
Your university tells you where and when to hand them in.
Duration: On the dates your university gives.
Give fingerprints
The migration office calls students to give fingerprints.
Duration: When called
Get your card
The card is posted to your address.
Duration: When it is ready
How to get and keep your permit
You apply online on e-ikamet, then hand in your papers.
First permit, step by step
Apply on e-ikamet
Download the PDF at once and print it.
Choose "Student Residence Permit". Only fields in red must be filled.
Pay the card fee
TRY 964 in 2026.
Use the payment number from the end of your application.
Collect your papers
Use the list on e-ikamet.
Form, passport copy, photo, fee receipt, address proof, insurance.
Give your papers to your university
Follow your university's dates.
Many universities take papers to the migration office for students.
Get your card
Then register your address at the migration office within 20 days.
It is posted to your address.
Extending your permit
Register your address
Your address must be registered before you can extend.
Apply on e-ikamet
Fill in the extension form before your permit ends.
Wait for your new card
The new card is printed only when your old one ends.
If you want to work or stay on
| From Status | To Status | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student permit | Work permit | A job offer. Bachelor's students: after the first year, part-time only. | Your employer applies to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. |
| Student permit | Short-term permit | A degree from a Turkish university. | Apply before your student permit ends. This must be within 6 months after you graduate. |
Papers for your first student permit
Bring the original passport on the day you hand in your papers.
First student residence permit
Application form
Your e-ikamet form, printed and signed on the first page.
Passport copy
A copy of your identity page, plus your last entry stamp and visa page.
Photo
A passport-style photo taken in the last 6 months, on a white background.
Card fee receipt
Proof that you paid the card fee. TRY 964 in 2026.
Address proof
Dormitory: a signed and stamped letter from the dorm. Renting: a rental contract signed in front of a notary, with the landlord's details.
Health insurance
General Health Insurance (GSS) or a private policy that covers the permit period.
Student certificate
A paper from your university that shows you study there. First-semester students at some universities do not need it.
Papers for an extension
Extending your permit
- The paper that shows where you live (Yerleşim Yeri Belgesi). You download it from e-Devlet, the Turkish government website.
- A residence permit information form from your university.
- Health insurance for the new period.
How long the permit takes
You can follow your application on e-ikamet. The card is posted to you when it is ready.
Permit steps
Visa from home
Get your student visa (a visa sticker in your passport) before you travel.
Key Activities:
- India: apply at the Gateway visa centre.
- Pakistan: apply at the Anatolia or Gateway visa centre.
Online form
Apply online for your student residence permit (the card that lets you live in Türkiye as a student).
Key Activities:
- Apply on e-ikamet, the government website for residence permits.
- Download the PDF at once. You cannot get it later.
Papers and fee
Your papers go on to the migration office.
Key Activities:
- Pay TRY 964 online.
- Hand in your papers on the dates your university gives.
Card
Your residence permit card.
Key Activities:
- Give fingerprints when called.
- Your card is posted to your address.
What can slow it down
Missing papers
The migration office may ask for more papers. Your university emails you if something is missing.
Wrong insurance
A private policy must say in writing that it meets the minimum cover needed for a residence permit.
Address papers
Airbnb bookings are not accepted. A rental contract must be notarised (signed in front of a notary, a legal officer).
Time ranges
Complex Cases
Keep your permit valid
Small steps each year keep your right to stay safe.
Good habits
Register your address
Within 20 days after you receive your card.
Go to the migration office near you.
Report changes
Tell the migration office at once.
Name, address, passport, department or programme.
Changing university
Your permit is for one university only.
Same province: tell your university's international office within 20 days. Other province: apply on e-ikamet within 10 days.
Lost card
Do not wait.
Tell the migration office at once.
Common mistakes
Plan ahead
Most problems come from late applications and wrong papers.
Residence permit questions
Short answers for students from India and Pakistan with a Turkish student residence permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Useful links
Papers for a student permit
The list of papers from the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM). In Turkish.
Learn MorePay the card fee
Pay your residence permit card fee online with the number you get at the end of your application.
Learn MoreExample: METU guide
A clear step by step guide from Middle East Technical University (METU).
Learn MoreUseful numbers in Türkiye
Call 157 for questions about your permit.
- Foreigners Communication Centre (migration questions): 157
- Social Security Institution (SGK) health insurance line: 170
Complete Guide to Turkey
Explore all aspects of studying in Turkey with our comprehensive guides
Post-Arrival - Detailed Guides
Ready to Start Your Journey?
Get personalized guidance for studying in Turkey with our expert consultants
Get Free ConsultationNeed help with your Turkish residence permit?
We can check your online residence permit form (e-ikamet) and papers before you hand them in.
Get Help