To apply for a student residence permit (SRP) you must be within your visa/visa exemption period and your passport must be valid at least 60 days beyond the requested ending date of residence permit. (i.e. if you are requesting to have a residence permit that expires on June 30th, your passport must be valid until August 29th.)

For renewal applications, the earliest the online application can be made is 60 days before the expiration date of your residence permit.

All student residence permit applications must be submitted to the Migration Office at the given appointment date.
Please make sure that you double-check your documents with the list of required documents. All photocopies should be taken separately to A4 size papers. If your application file has any missing documents, the authorities will ask you to complete the missing documents. This will cause a delay in the issuance of your permit card.
Important Information
  1. An application can only be made once you are in Türkiye and registered to KU. It is not possible to apply prior to arrival.
  2. In order to make an appointment, you need to enter Türkiye with your original passport. No other entry document is acceptable for residence permit applications.
  3. The online residence permit application must be completed as shown in the guides below prior to the visa/visa exemption period/residence permit expiry.
    • Applying after will not be possible and you will be asked to leave Türkiye and re-enter with a new visa or passport entry stamp.
  4. You cannot leave Türkiye before your application is approved. You may check our “Traveling While Your SRP Application is in Process” webpage for detailed information.
  5. While filling out the application form you may encounter system failures or other technical difficulties. You should change your browser/device and try again.
    • If you are still facing issues, you may call the Migration Directorate Hotline – 157. If you cannot receive an apt response, you may send us a screenshot via email (ico@ku.edu.tr) however keep in mind that we cannot resolve general issues in the Migration Directorate platform, we can only provide guidance.
  6. For renewal applications – In case of renewing passports within Türkiye, permit holders should update their passport information at Kumkapı Migration Office. If you have not updated your passport information at the Kumkapı Migration Office as mentioned on our SRP FAQ, on the online application form, you should use your old passport details and enter the new passport dates (date of issue and date of expiry). Please attach the photocopies of your old passport ID, last entry stamp, and visa pages to your application file in addition to the photocopies of your new passport.
  7. If you missed renewing your student residence permit prior to its expiry, you must make a FIRST-TIME APPLICATION. In this case, you will be subject to a fine for overstaying and have to write an excuse letter in Turkish. The fine amount will be given on the online application platform after you submit your application file to the Migration Directorate. It is essential for you to frequently check the status of your application.
  8. Once you collect your documents and complete the online application you should obtain a folder from the International Community Services Office (ICO) preferably one week before your appointment date assigned by the Migration Directorate.
  9. You must submit your permit application file to the Migration Office at the appointment date sent to you via SMS or email a few days after completing your online application.
    • Missing this appointment will result in the rejection of your application.
List of Required Documents
1. 4 biometric headshots – in ICAO standards taken within the last six months (biometric self-service photo booth is available on campus athe Student Center, lower first floor) 

2. Printout of the online application form – signature field on the first page should be signed (after collecting all other documents, you can follow the guide below to fill out the online application form)

3. Passport photocopies after arriving in Türkiye – ID page, visa (if you have), last entry stamp page for Türkiye (all the copies should be on separate A4- size papers)

4. Photocopy of your previous residence permit card – if you had one (both sides of the residence permit card copy should be on one A4-size paper)

5. Student Enrollment Verification in Turkish

A. If you did not have a residence permit before: you should request through the KUSIS system and collect from the Registrar’s Office (click here to watch how to do it).

Upon receiving the certificate from the Registrar’s Office, make sure that it includes your temporary foreign ID number starting with “98”. If you are an exchange student, you should mention that it should also include the end date of your mobility.

You must collect the original certificate with a hand signature and stamp on it one day after your request from the Registrar’s Office. A copy or printout is not accepted.

If the document is missing your ID number, please indicate it immediately to the Registrar’s Office.

B. If you had a residence permit before: you should obtain your Student Enrollment Verification (Öğrenci Belgesi) from the e-Devlet (e-Government) platform (click here to see how). Exchange students should follow option A. even if you had a residence permit before.

6. Address Certificate

A. If it is your did not have a Turkish residence permit card before;

KU Dormitories: You must provide two documents for your SRP application. The first one is a Residence Certificate (in Turkish) from the KU Housing Directorate by making a request through H-Track-it. The second one is the Financial Statement-Address Declaration Document (can be found here – sample form can be found here).

Off-campus Housing: You must submit the photocopy of your notary approved rental contract. Your landlord should be present with you at the notary to obtain the approval. Please make sure that your address and full name are explicitly written on the documents you bring. If the house contract is not in your name, you should go to the notary with the person to who the contract is assigned and get a “taahütname” (an official document that states you are living with the person who is the tenant/the owner). That person should bring their rental contract or the certificate of ownership to the notary.

B. If you had a residence permit card before, you should submit your address registration certificate along with a copy of your notary approved rental contract and a utility bill (electricity, gas or water).

C. If you are an exchange studentyou should download, print, fill out and submit the Financial Statement-Address Declaration Document (Can be found here – sample form can be found here.)

7. Health Insurance Documents

A. If it has been less than 3 months since your registration to KU and you did not have a residence permit card before, you should download, print, fill and submit the Health Insurance Compliance Document (can be found here – sample form can be found here). You must obtain health insurance within 3 months if you submit this document.

B. If it has been more than 3 months since your registration to KU/you had a residence permit card before, you should submit the following documents:

If you are not insured by KU:

Degree-seeking students: Private health insurance policy which covers the period you are requesting for. If you came from a country that has a Social Security agreement with Türkiye, you should provide Home Country Social Security.

Exchange students: Health insurance policy from your home country which covers the period of  your mobility and a cover letter from ICO. If you came from a country that has a Social Security agreement with Türkiye, you should provide Home Country Social Security.

If you are insured by KU:

1. Health insurance policy to be obtained from the Human Resources Office (HR) – request by emailing (catespare@ku.edu.tr)

2. Original signed and stamped hard copy of the health insurance letter to be obtained from the Human Resources Office (HR) – request by emailing (catespare@ku.edu.tr)

3. Health Insurance Compliance Document filled out by you (can be found here – sample form can be found here.)

If you do not know whether you are insured by KU or not, you may check the Acceptance Letter you received upon enrolment and/or consult your program advisor.

8. Receipt of 356₺ Card Fee payment – you have 2 options:

A. Online: You can pay at the Interactive Tax Office website as shown in the guide below after collecting all other documents.

B. To Sarıyer Tax Office: Obtain your tax ID number, visit Sarıyer Tax Office and make the payment for the 9207 reference code. Please make sure you have a stamp on the receipt. If not, please ask for a stamp by saying “Makbuza mühür basar mısınız?”. (If you are under 18, make sure to go with a relative/friend that can use their tax ID number instead.)

 

Additional Documents

* If you are below the age of 18 who arrived to Türkiye without a student consular visa, you must bring two additional documents:

  1. Apostilled birth certificate in Turkish (doğum belgesi)
  2. Apostilled consent letter signed by both parents in Turkish (muvafakatname)

 

You may find all relevant information on the page below.

Additional Documents for Under 18
* If you are studied at a Turkish university before, you are also required to submit a Graduation or Deregistration Letter as mentioned on the Transfer Students page.

* If you completed the online application after your residence permit/visa expired, you are required to submit a Letter of Excuse in Turkish with supporting documents. If you do not have any Turkish-speaking friends, we can help you write the petition. You can find an excuse letter sample in Word format to edit it here.

Document Check with ICO
Once you collect required documents and complete your online application, you should pick up a residence permit folder from the ICO before your appointment date.

Upon collecting all necessary documents mentioned under “List of Required Documents”, you can visit ICO by booking an appointment to have your folder checked.

Document Submission to Migration Office
Within a few days of completing your online application, you will receive an email or SMS (depending on your preference) with your appointment date and time

Make sure to stay updated so you do not miss the appointment sent to you by the Migration Directorate/ İl Göç İdaresi.

All students applying for a residence permit must be present at their appointment date at the chosen Migration Office to submit their application files and provide their fingerprints. Therefore, you are required to submit your application file in personMake sure to have your passport with you.

Migration Office Addresses