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Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Dates

2015 - Present

Type of practice

Project/Programme

Geographic scope

Summary

Foreigners who will stay in Turkey longer than the period granted by the visa or visa exemption or for more than ninety days are required to obtain a residence permit. The e-residence system was developed on May 18, 2015 in order to enable them to submit their first, transition and extension applications for residence permits in Turkey electronically. The application system can be accessed from the internet address e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr. With the central appointment system, the first data entry for the first application, extension application and transition applications is made electronically by the foreigner without coming to the provincial migration administration directorates. The e-residence system provides services in Turkish, English, Russian and Arabic languages. If the application is evaluated positively, residence permit documents issued for foreigners are mailed to their addresses by cargo.

Organizations

Main Implementing Organization(s)

Government of Türkiye

Detailed Information

Presidency of Migration Management, Ministry of Interior

Benefit and Impact

With the new system, it is aimed to better manage the first applications as well as the status change applications. Thus, it has been ensured that the services related to residence permit are carried out at a higher quality and are sustainable. Again, the workload and bureaucracy caused by foreigners in the Provincial Directorates of Migration Management have been reduced.
The system also helps to establish a systematic structure to support the prevention of irregular migration. Because this system allows the application to be made only during the period permitted by law. This system also allows residence permit fee payments to be made online.the results of the residence permit applications can be seen on the programme and the personel who is responsible from evaluating the applications can see his/her own perfomance as well as the others. so that the impacts can be measured. besides, Foreigners can access the e-residence system, which works 24/7, at any time and can perform their transactions at any time during their legal stay.

Key Lessons

While the e-residence system provides benefits in receiving and evaluating residence permit applications in a more systematic way, it is also beneficial for foreigners to be able to apply more quickly and to follow the application process. however, since e-residence is an electronic system at the end and it was tried for the first time, some systemic and practical difficulties were encountered. All these difficulties have been overcome over time with the feedback received from foreigners and personnel, systemic integrations with relevant institutions and test stages.
When foreigners have any problems in the e-residence system, they contact YIMER.
It is considered that it will be more beneficial to have a user login in the current e-residence system and to follow all e-residence applications from here.
During the Covid 19 process, there was no situation affecting this system. In this application, necessary precautions have been taken to prevent the use of job trackers.

Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)

Our suggestions for those who want to develop such a system; It may be useful to have a user login in the system and to follow all e-residence applications from here.

Innovation

The system is a nation-wide system. helps the foreigners to apply residence and pay the fees online. Thanks to the system, foreigners can receive online information regarding their residence permit applications and the posting processes of their residence permit cards. In the application process, it is an innovative structure to make every transaction online, such as health insurance entry and payment of fees, and to prevent wastage of paper.
At the same time, the fact that the application can be seen by the public authority minimizes the risks.

Additional Resources

E-residence Website

Additional Images

Date submitted:

28 January 2022

Disclaimer: The content of this practice reflects the views of the implementers and does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations, the United Nations Network on Migration, and its members.