Thread: Cost of Turkish residency permits slashed

Thousands of British expats in Turkey have received some good news - the residency permit cost has been reduced to just £50 a year and will be effective from today.

The news was confirmed yesterday by British Embassy officials.


The cost of a one year residency permit will now be 120TL (about £50 on conversion).

This means that a five-year residency can bought for just £250 – a massive price reduction on the previous £370 being asked for a one year permit.

Ms Susan Wilson, the British Foreign Office’s Director of Consular Services in Turkey, confirmed the news. She said the news was the culmination of diplomatic pressure on the Turkish authorities led by British Ambassador Mr David Reddaway.

She said: “We are delighted to confirm what thousands of British expats have been waiting for: that the cost of the permit has been massively reduced to a much more reasonable rate and which is much more comparable with our EU colleagues.

“The Ambassador is equally delighted that it will make a big difference to those British nationals living here in Turkey.

“Throughout our talks with Ministry officials we had been pushing for and favoured a rate of about £50 a year and we are grateful that they have responded positively.

“It also reflects the strong relationship between Turkey and Britain, and the fact that so many British nationals live, work and contribute to the local economy and have invested in Turkish property.”

She urged British residents to take advantage of the low residency price as the costs could be reviewed some time next year.

However, the price will likely put an end to the constant visa runs to the Greek islands for Brits who re-enter the country for 90 days and pay just £10.

The current 90 day visa looks set to continue until later this year, perhaps the Autumn, when the 90-in-180-day visa will be brought in.

We looked into buying an apartment in a nice complex awhile ago, because they were so cheap compared to Spain and it was rumoured that it was best to buy before they join the EU because prices were supposed to sky rocket after this, we thought it would be a good investment, but we never took the plunge.

come on jim!! for once in your life take a leap of faith. Go to australia now instead of sitting on your hands. You ain't getting any younger and you're a long time dead me old mucker.

I remember my mum asking me when i was goiung to have kids and i replied "when i can afford them (be more financially stable), she replied "for gawd sakes Mark you will never afford kids and if you sit about waiting you will miss out on something beautiful". I took her advice and she was right.
Now i'm telling you to stop sitting about bleating on about your bloody pay freeze and get to australia!!!

blimey i nearly popped a blood vessel!

Its too complicated.......... you are right, if it was down to me i would be there already. I have a good life in the uk and if the circumstances are eventually right for the wife to say yes' we will go............. she wears the pants in our house. lol

Turkey is a great place to buy property at the moment, it's like you said Jim the price is cheap and once they get in to the EU the prices are going to go crazy. They say property prices have already doubled in 12 months.

Turkey is a fab place. Just wish I had the confidence to buy a property there. Always that element of doubt when buying a property overseas and all the underlying 'small print' costs that don't surface until after you've signed on the dotted line. Not usually such a Doubting Thomas but if was 100% convinced that there would be no financial surprises afterwards then yes I would invest.

Totally agree there YB!

Aldo, is your property rented or have you bought and if the latter, did you encounter any nasty surprises at a later date. Also is this problem with 'land snatching' in Spain a concern for you?

I have a two bed apartment that is too small for us as a family so i rent it out. Where i live now i rent, but i've brought and sold 2 other properties here with no problems but both where on well established urbanizations. I've not encountered "land snatching" in this region at all.

Back on the Turkish issue, I no expert on the area but the goings on in the middle east would raise a few doubts. Some inverters i know are talking alot about Bulgaria again.

Problem with Bulgaria though is the 'mafia'