The regulations that govern Turkey’s issuance of residence permits to foreigners were under the spotlight again after a statement issued by the Council of Europe (CoE).

The council’s European Committee of Social Rights, which examines whether situations in CoE countries are in conformity with the European Social Charter, said it found numerous violations in equal opportunities for foreigners in Turkey and specifically singled out residence permit applications as too restrictive.

Indeed, the issue of residence permits for expats in Turkey has been a topic of debate in the country for a long time.

According to the provisions of Law No. 5683 persons who come to Turkey as tourists may stay for a maximum period of 90 days, unless there is a separate provision in the visa agreements between Turkey and their country of origin. Persons who wish to stay longer in Turkey are required to apply to security authorities for a residence permit.

Such an application, however, involves a hardly manageable amount of red tape for foreigners, who find fault with a lack of clear and consistent information on the procedures, along with frequently changing regulations in terms of required papers and application fees. Being issued a residence permit can easily include several time-consuming visits to the police headquarters.

Nonetheless, Turkish authorities have started to become increasingly aware of the problems and, over the last year, undertook some preliminary efforts to radically cut down on the red tape related to the issuance of permits.

In order to reduce waiting hours, applicants must now make an appointment on the Internet before turning up in person at the foreigners’ department.

Moreover, the Web site http://yabancilar.iem.gov.tr was restructured from the ground up and provides the necessary documents and an updated list of required documents in Turkish, English and German to download and print. Last year, for instance, the process included getting the form and having your information typed in by an officer, all for a TL 9 fee.

Legal hurdles, however, remain: Residence permits granted to foreigners shall not be more than five years, and they are granted a maximum of four times for a foreigner. Spouses may receive residence permits for two years when applying the first time and up to five years in subsequent applications. Unlimited residence permits do not appear to be anywhere on the horizon under Turkish law for foreigners.

Still, fees are applied to the applicant according to the country of origin and duration of stay. For Germans, it is currently 4 euros for the first month and 2 euros for each month thereafter. For other nationalities, costs can be 32 euros or more for the first month and 21 euros for every subsequent month.

Already in 2008, a study conducted by the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (ISRO) revealed that expatriates have great difficulty settling into Turkey due to problems stemming from Turkish bureaucracy and hence often refrain from getting registered as residents. They instead opt to reside on a 90-day renewable tourist visa and return to their own countries on a regular basis.

Figures illustrate that practice. While, for instance, the number of British expats in Turkey is 7,940 according to official figures in Turkey, this number is around 40,000 according to the study.

According to official figures, a total of 202,085 expats with residence permits live in Turkey. Among them, 26,575 are in Turkey for educational purposes, 22,721 for professional reasons and 152,789 for other purposes.