LumenWhen can I get a long-term (permanent) residence permit in Turkey?
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Turkish law grants an indefinite long-term residence permit after at least eight years of uninterrupted stay with a residence permit. You also need no social assistance in the last three years, sufficient and regular income for you and your family, valid health insurance, and no threat to public order or security. Student permit years count half.
Key facts
| What | The law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Residence needed | At least eight years of uninterrupted stay in Turkey with a residence permit | Law 6458, arts. 42(1), 43(1)(a) |
| Social assistance | None received in the last three years | Law 6458, art. 43(1)(b) |
| Income | Sufficient and regular income for you and, if any, your family | Law 6458, art. 43(1)(c) |
| Health insurance | Valid health insurance | Law 6458, art. 43(1)(ç) |
| Public order | No threat to public order or public security | Law 6458, art. 43(1)(d) |
| How years count | Student permits count half; other permits count in full | Law 6458, art. 28(2) |
| Validity | Indefinite (süresiz) | Law 6458, art. 42(1) |
| Not eligible | Refugees, conditional refugees, subsidiary protection holders, humanitarian permit holders, temporary protection beneficiaries | Law 6458, art. 42(2) |
| Loss | More than one uninterrupted year outside Turkey (except health, education, compulsory public service), or a serious threat to public order or security | Law 6458, art. 45(1) |
How the eight years are checked
The regulation explains how the authority tests “uninterrupted” (art. 40(2)). Days abroad, and days in Turkey without a permit, are interruptions. If any single absence or continuous gap in the eight years is longer than six months, the application is refused without further calculation. Otherwise the authority looks back from the application date in one-year slices: no slice may contain more than 180 days of interruption, and the last five years together may not contain more than 365 days.
Income and insurance
The regulation’s income test (art. 40(5)) is means covering monthly expenses at the net minimum wage valid in the year of application, or one third of the minimum wage for each family member including you, with a total of at least the minimum wage. Promises by other people to support you are not accepted. Without valid health insurance on the application date, the application is refused (art. 40(6)).
What the permit gives you
The law gives long-term permit holders the rights of Turkish citizens, except military service, voting and standing for election, entering public service and importing vehicles duty-free, with special laws and social security rules preserved (art. 44). The President may restrict these rights.
Related questions
- If you lose the permit through a long absence, the Presidency of Migration Management’s guidance says you can reapply without the eight-year requirement, and the application is decided within one month at the latest.
Sources
- Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection, arts. 28, 42–45 (consolidated text, mevzuat.gov.tr) checked 2026-10-25
- Regulation on the Implementation of Law No. 6458, arts. 40–41 (consolidated text, mevzuat.gov.tr) checked 2026-10-25
- Presidency of Migration Management: residence permit types (İkamet İzni Çeşitleri), long-term residence permit section checked 2026-10-25
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