The ikamet: getting and keeping a Turkish residence permit in Fethiye

If you want to stay in Fethiye longer than 90 days, you need an ikamet, and you need to apply for it before your visa-free days run out.

The short version

• Any foreigner staying in Turkey longer than their visa or visa-free period, or longer than 90 days, must apply for a residence permit through the online e-ikamet system [3].
• Most Brits in Fethiye hold a short-term residence permit, as a homeowner or for tourism. It's issued for up to two years at a time [4].
• You need health insurance that covers the full period you ask for, an address in Turkey, and the documents for your reason to stay [3][4].
• In 2026 the permit card costs 964 TL (about £14) for everyone, plus a permit fee that depends on your nationality and the length of the permit [5].
• Renew online within the 60 days before your permit expires, and always before it does [3].

Which permit is yours?

The Law on Foreigners and International Protection (Law No. 6458) has six kinds of residence permit [3]. In Fethiye you'll mostly meet these:

A valid work permit also counts as a residence permit, so people employed in Turkey don't need a separate ikamet while it's valid [3].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = TRY 67.4414).

The property owner's permit

If you own immovable property in Turkey, you can apply on that basis as long as the property is a house used as your home. Family members who share ownership can apply too [4]. This is the most predictable route because the reason to stay is on the title deed.

The tourism permit

Foreigners who want to stay longer for tourism can apply, and the migration authority says it takes into account your statement on travel plans: where, when and how long you'll stay. Documents can be requested if needed [4]. Officials have more discretion here, so a tourism application stands or falls on how convincing and consistent your paperwork is. A signed rental contract, recent bank statements and a believable plan for the months ahead do far more than a hotel booking and a flight.

What you need

The conditions for a short-term permit are set out in Article 32 of Law 6458 [4]:

• documents supporting your reason to stay (a title deed, a rental contract, a course enrolment and so on);
• accommodation that meets general health and safety standards;
• your address in Turkey;
• a criminal record certificate from the UK, if asked;
• not falling within the groups barred from entry under the law.

The full list for your permit type is on the e-ikamet site, and you bring those documents to the appointment. For first applications you also bring your original passport; for extensions, a notarised copy [3]. Expect to be asked for proof that you can support yourself, so bring recent bank statements.

Health insurance

The insurance has to cover the whole period of the permit you're asking for [3]. The migration authority accepts one of four things [3]:

1. a document from the Social Security Institution (SGK) showing cover under a bilateral social security agreement;
2. a certificate of entitlement from the SGK;
3. a document proving you've applied to the SGK for General Health Insurance;
4. private health insurance.

For most Brits in their first year, that means a private policy, because the FCDO notes you can only join the state scheme after a year's residence on a valid permit [2]. Turkey has no reciprocal health agreement with the UK, so your GHIC won't help [2]. Many Brits buy a basic Turkish policy for the permit and keep a fuller international policy for real treatment. Older applicants sometimes find Turkish insurers cap cover by age, so shop around early. Our healthcare guide covers the choices.

The fees for 2026

The residence permit card is a "valuable paper" with a fee set each year by the Ministry of Finance. For 2026 it's 964 TL (about £14), and no nationality is exempt [5].

On top comes the permit fee, set for each country under the reciprocity principle. The migration authority's general 2026 table, for countries without their own rate, is 348.10 TL a day for up to a month (at least 653.70 TL, at most 3,359.90 TL, so about £10 to £50) and then 2,232.30 TL (about £33) for each further month [5]. Some nationalities pay different amounts, so check the exact figure for a UK passport when e-ikamet works out your fees before you pay.

Applying in Fethiye, step by step

1. Start in good time. Apply while your 90 days in any 180 (or your current permit) are still valid [1]. Don't leave it to the last week; appointment dates in the migration office can be weeks away, especially in spring.
2. Fill in the form at e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr. First, extension and transfer applications are all made online [3].
3. Book your appointment. The system gives you a date at the migration office for your area. Turn up with your documents. Miss it without a valid reason and you're treated as never having applied [3].
4. Pay the card and permit fees and keep the receipts.
5. Keep your application document. With it and the fee receipt, you can leave Turkey and come back within 15 days [3]. Any longer abroad and the visa rules apply.
6. Wait for the card. The law allows up to 90 days from the date your documents are complete [3]. The card comes by post, so your address, phone number and email must be correct.

The migration authority says it doesn't work with third parties, has found fake documents produced by people charging for help, and wants applications made in person [3]. Help from a friend who's done it is fine; paying someone who promises to fast-track your case is a risk.

After the card arrives

Address registration

The FCDO says you must register your address within 20 working days of arriving or getting your permit [2]. If your address changes while your permit is valid, you must tell both the migration office and the civil registration office within 20 working days [3]. This is where your address gets linked to your foreigner identity number, which matters for e-Devlet, banks and utilities; our first-month guide explains why.

Turkey has also closed some neighbourhoods to new residence applications where the share of foreign residents is high. If e-ikamet won't accept your address, that's usually why, so check before you sign a lease.

Renewals

Extensions are made online within the 60 days before your permit expires, and in any case before it expires [3]. After applying, you post the documents to the migration office within five working days. If the details you gave before have changed, the system may send you to an appointment instead [3]. Let a permit lapse without renewing and you'll be charged the permit fee for the time you spent in Turkey anyway [3].

Reasons a permit can be refused or cancelled

A short-term permit can be refused, cancelled or not renewed if you no longer meet the conditions, use the permit for something other than its purpose, have a removal decision or entry ban against you, or break the rules on time spent outside Turkey [4]. So a "tourism" permit isn't a work permit, and long stints back in Blighty can count against you.

The long game

After years of uninterrupted legal residence you can apply for a long-term permit, which doesn't need renewing in the same way. Not every kind of permit counts in full towards it, so keep every old card and receipt, and ask the migration office how your years add up before you apply.

Don't forget the UK end

Living in Fethiye on an ikamet usually means you're Turkish tax resident, while UK rules still decide your UK tax position. Check the Statutory Residence Test and tell HMRC you've gone. If you draw the UK State Pension, it's uprated every year in Turkey [6]. Fancy comparing notes with people who've renewed this year? Our community group for Brits in Turkey has plenty in Fethiye.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Turkey travel advice – entry requirements (updated 30 October 2026)
2. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Turkey (last updated 31 December 2025)
3. Presidency of Migration Management: Residence permit – general information (checked 8 November 2026)
4. Presidency of Migration Management: Residence permit types (checked 8 November 2026)
5. Presidency of Migration Management: Residence permit card fee and residence permit fee amounts 2026 (checked 8 November 2026)
6. GOV.UK (DWP): Countries where we pay an annual increase in the State Pension (updated 27 October 2026)

Keep reading

• Moving to Fethiye as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Visa-free stays in Turkey for Brits: the 90/180 rule
• Healthcare and health insurance in Fethiye
• The Statutory Residence Test explained