Foreign students who wish to reside in Turkey for the purpose of education must choose “Foreign Student Residence Permit” as their residence type in their residence permit applications. Foreign nationals who will be studying at universities or language learning centers affiliated with these universities in Turkey must apply for a residence permit within a month of entering Turkey.

A Foreign Student Residence Permit may be issued to foreign nationals who will be studying for a master’s, doctoral, bachelor’s or associate’s degree at any higher education institution in Turkey.

Student residence permits issued to foreign students will not provide residence rights to their parents or other relatives, including their parents.

How to Obtain a Student Residence Permit?

In order to obtain a Foreign Student Residence Permit, foreign students must be accepted into a master’s, doctoral, bachelor’s or associate’s program at a legally recognized university in Turkey and obtain a study visa (if applicable) from the Turkish Embassy in their country along with an acceptance letter. A 1-month visa is generally issued to foreign students. After entering Turkey with this visa, they must complete their university registration and apply for a residence permit within a month.

Foreign students are not required to obtain a visa for entry and exit procedures in Turkey during their residence permit period. Foreign students whose residence permits are about to expire must apply for an extension at least 60 days before the expiration date and in any case before the expiration of the residence permit. Legal proceedings will be taken against foreign students who exceed this period.

If a foreign student has been accepted to a school in Turkey but has not completed the registration process within the specified period, the information of the student will be forwarded to the security units by the school administration. In this case, the student’s residence permit will be cancelled, and the student will be required to leave the country.