The question is asked constantly and answered badly. Search for the cost of a Turkish residence permit and you will find figures that differ by a factor of ten, most of them true for somebody and wrong for you. The reason is that Türkiye does not charge one fee: it charges according to nationality, duration and permit type, under a reciprocity principle. This article sets out the 2026 figures and, more usefully, explains how the calculation works so you can apply it to your own case.
The two components
Every residence permit involves two separate payments.
The card fee (belge bedeli) — the cost of the physical card. It is uniform, applies to everyone, and is 964 TRY for 2026.
The residence fee (harç) — the actual charge for the permission to reside. This is the variable component, and it depends on your nationality and the duration you are granted.
Almost all the confusion in online sources comes from quoting one of these and calling it "the fee".
The 2026 tariff
For nationalities on the standard tariff, the residence fee in 2026 is calculated as follows:
- First month: 348.10 TRY per day, subject to a minimum of 653.70 TRY and a maximum of 3,359.90 TRY for the first month of any application.
- Each subsequent month: 2,232.30 TRY.
- Card fee: 964 TRY, once per permit.
A worked example. A twelve-month permit on the standard tariff: the first month at the monthly maximum, plus eleven further months at 2,232.30 TRY, plus the 964 TRY card fee. Read the figures rather than a rounded total, because the daily calculation for the first month means two applicants can pay different amounts for nominally identical permits.
There is a further charge that catches first-time applicants who entered Türkiye visa-free and then applied for a residence permit from within the country: a single-entry visa fee of 9,376.40 TRY. It is a substantial sum, it is not mentioned in most cost guides, and it is payable at the point the permit is issued.
Reciprocity: why your neighbour paid something else
Türkiye applies reciprocity (mütekabiliyet) in setting residence fees. What a national of a given country pays reflects what Türkiye's citizens pay in that country. The consequence is that fees differ by nationality — sometimes considerably — for exactly the same permit.
Some nationalities pay a schedule denominated in US dollars, commonly in the region of USD 25 for the first month and USD 5 for each additional month. Others pay the lira tariff above. A number are exempt entirely.
Nationals of the following are exempt from residence fees: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Kosovo, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkmenistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Palestine. The card fee is still payable.
This is why a figure quoted by a friend of a different nationality tells you nothing about your own position, and why the only reliable number is the one calculated for your nationality, permit type and duration.
Reductions and exemptions
- Children under eighteen pay half the adult residence fee.
- Students at Turkish schools and universities are exempt from the residence fee.
- Long-term residence permit holders are exempt.
- Persons of Turkish descent benefit from exemptions.
- Victims of human trafficking are exempt.
- Humanitarian residence permits carry their own treatment.
Exemption from the residence fee does not exempt anyone from the card fee.
The costs nobody quotes
The official fees are only part of what an applicant actually spends. Budget also for:
- Health insurance. Compulsory for most permit types. Private policies for younger applicants are inexpensive; premiums rise sharply with age, and for applicants over sixty-five the insurance can exceed the permit fee several times over. Where eligible, enrolment in the state scheme (SGK) is an alternative with its own contribution rate.
- Notarised lease. Where accommodation is rented, the tenancy agreement generally must be notarised, at a cost that depends on the rent.
- Sworn translations and apostilles for foreign documents.
- Biometric photographs.
- Cargo delivery of the card.
- Professional fees where an agent or lawyer prepares the application.
For a first application, these secondary costs frequently exceed the government fee. An honest budget accounts for them.
How and when payment is made
Fees are not paid at the time the online application form is completed. The applicant attends the appointment, the file is assessed, and payment is made when required — through the tax office, an authorised bank, or the e-payment system, using the reference generated for the application.
Two practical points. Keep the payment receipt; it is requested. And do not pay anyone who offers to "settle the fees" on your behalf outside these channels.
If the application is refused
Fees already paid are not generally refunded on refusal, which is one reason a defective application is expensive beyond the wasted time.
More importantly, a refusal starts a clock. A residence permit refusal is an administrative act, and an action for annulment must be brought before the administrative court within sixty days of notification. That period is a limitation period, not a target, and it does not extend because the applicant was seeking advice or was outside the country.
Applicants who are refused are commonly given a short period — often ten days — to leave the country. Leaving does not prevent the action from being brought, and a lawyer can conduct it in the applicant's absence.
Planning the cost
Two observations that save money.
First, longer permits are usually more economical per month than a sequence of short ones, because the first-month charge and the card fee recur with each application. Where the permit type and the applicant's circumstances allow a longer grant, it is worth requesting.
Second, the largest avoidable cost for most applicants is not the government fee at all. It is the single-entry visa charge of 9,376.40 TRY that applies to those who entered visa-free and applied from within Türkiye. Whether it can be avoided depends on the applicant's nationality and how they entered, and it is worth establishing before travelling rather than after.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the figures online differ so much? Because fees vary by nationality and duration, and many sources quote one component or an outdated tariff.
Can I pay in foreign currency? Payment is made in Turkish lira. Where a dollar tariff applies, it is converted.
Are fees refunded if I leave early? No.
Do I pay again when I extend? Yes — an extension is charged as a new permit, including the card fee.
Is health insurance really compulsory? For most permit types, yes, and applications are refused without valid cover for the full requested period.
My child is sixteen. What do they pay? Half the adult residence fee, plus the full card fee.
Where can I confirm my own nationality's tariff? Through the migration authorities or a representative, calculated for your specific permit type and duration. Do not rely on a third-party table.
Before you apply
The fee is knowable in advance, and so is everything that makes an application fail — insurance that does not cover the full period, an unnotarised lease, a passport with insufficient validity, documents that were translated but not legalised.
Dural Hukuk prepares residence permit applications and extensions for foreign nationals, and represents applicants before the administrative courts where a permit has been refused. Call +90 535 260 74 54 or use the contact form on this site.
This article is general information on Turkish law as at August 2026 and is not legal advice. Fees are set annually and vary by nationality; verify the figures applicable to your case before applying.