What paperwork do you need after moving to Türkiye in 2026?

Start or renew the correct permit only through e-İkamet on the residence-permit path before your visa, visa exemption or current card expires. Choose the purpose that matches your real life: short-term, family, student or another published ground. Tourism wording does not fix an unsupported file.

Attend the İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü (provincial migration office) appointment with the documents e-İkamet generates for your case. After approval, treat delivery of the ikamet belgesi (residence card) as the start of the clock for address work, not the end of paperwork.

Secure housing a landlord will put on paper, then register your address within the official 20-working-day window. Keep the mahalle (neighbourhood), street and door number identical across the lease, permit file and population record. Some neighbourhoods restrict new foreign registration; check before you pay a deposit.

Confirm your yabancı kimlik numarası, the 11-digit foreigner identity number that usually starts with 99, on the residence card or through the NVİ inquiry route. Without it, many counters stall.

Get a Turkish tax number early if you still need a potansiyel vergi kimlik numarası for banking, utilities or a property file. Use Gelir İdaresi Başkanlığı (the Revenue Administration) Digital Tax Office rather than a paid agent's form.

Buy a local mobile number for landlord, bank and e-Devlet SMS, then open a bank account once identity and address proof are clean. Keep passport transliteration identical everywhere; a missing letter can block KYC in Istanbul or Ankara the same day.

Hold health cover that Göç İdaresi will accept for the full permit period. Most newcomers without SGK (Social Security Institution) employment cover buy a private ikamet policy that meets the current SEDDK minimums; see how to choose health insurance. Travel insurance sold for a holiday week is usually the wrong product.

Once you have a foreigner identity number and a valid residence or work document, collect an e-Devlet password in person at a PTT (national post-office) branch or another authorised channel. e-Devlet is the government online-service portal where address extracts, social-security screens and many agency services live.

If you will drive long term, plan driving-licence conversion separately. Temporary use of a foreign licence and the exchange deadline are not the same as residence approval.