A BRITISH man, living in Didim, is among the first foreigners living in Turkey to be granted a lifetime residence permit – until 2099!

Former pit worker Tom Gibson, from County Durham, decided to tackle the lifetime residence application process for foreigners in Turkey with the aid of a local translator.

New rules governing residence permits mean that foreign residents living in Turkey have to apply for a one-year residence, a two-year residence for married couples or, after living here for eight years, a lifetime residence.

Tom, who is aged 65 and so does not require compulsory health insurance as part of the application, opted for the lifetime residence permit as he has been living here for the last 11 years.

He said: “My three year residence had come to an end and so I decided to opt for the lifetime residence as I was sure that I would be accepted given that I have lived here for more than a decade.”

Apart from having to follow the same rules as those applying for a one-year residence renewal, he had to go from Didim police station to the Mayor’s office to obtain a signature on a piece of paperwork.

He was then handed a receipt at the Mayor’s office and advised to go to the Didim Governor’s office to obtain another piece of paperwork before going back to the Didim police station to add that to his file for the application process. This paper trail from the police station to the Mayor’s office and the the Governor’s office was completed in an afternoon.

The application was submitted to the General Directorate of Migration Management in June. He duly received a police visit to check his bona fide address, and then waited for it to be issued.

He was handed a piece of paper allowing him to leave the country when he had to fly back to the UK and re-entered on it, with a stamp from customs.

It wasn’t until October 24 the permit was issued and he received it in early November.

Tom said: “I am just happy and relieved to have it. I think I am the first in Didim to receive one and it wasn’t as difficult to get it as I was led to believe.

“It’s thanks to translator Sami Isik for his invaluable advice that I was able to get the process going.

“It was just the waiting for the permit to be issued from Ankara that seemed to take forever. However, I have got it and I’ve got until 20999 to enjoy my time in Turkey.”