Turkey Visas & Residency

[Renata]

Acquiring Residency in Turkey is very easy. If you meet their requirements you can get residency once you are in the country on a visitors visa or any Turkish visa.

Here's the link for Antalya, Turkey http://en.antalya.pol.tr/index.php?opti ... icle&id=45

When I came into Turkey I got a leave to remain stamp for 3 months. Found a job & then tried to get a work permit. When I went to apply for it with just a company letter in hand plus the application requirements; the immigration officer was so kind. He suggested that I apply for residency. It was not my intention but I did and I got it

With Turkish residency you can work, live, buy property, do or open business.

The best part is the immigration officer said before my residency expires come back & he'll give me a 5 year extension, then Citizenship. Shocking but great'. One can get 3 months residency or a year to start off with. I think once you have a purpose to be in this country that's all it takes to get through.

[publicduende]

Turkey is a large, great country with a bright future ahead. No surprise it's been put in the CIVETS acronym for the next bunch of fast-emerging markets, together with Colombia (the other favourite of mine ), Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt and South Africa.

I can only be happy to know they're being super-open with attracting foreign talents to settle there.

On a side note Renata, what's the situation for those who don't speak Turkish? Can they still get by and work in one of the large multinationals where everybody speaks English?

[Renata]

I have picked up about 50 turkish words or so & I'm getting by on that ... most of them are food words though LOL

I can't speak turkish at all. What I have realised is that if your English is very good, doors in Tourism open up. There are jobs but you have to find them. Import/export business also requires english & lots of private medical facilities need people because medical tourism is big here. Downside is business ethics are a bit poor. Sometimes what you are promised gets changed even if you have a contract in hand. Lots of expats complain. I have no problems though.

for TEFL jobs > http://www.tefl.com/jobs/job.html?jo_id=51762
there's an expat forum called www.mymerhaba.com

[Billy]

Renata, if you hear some nice jobs in the tourism sector maybe you can inform me. On Monday I am going to Ankara but I want to stay around Antalya later on as the climate is better specially in winter. Do you know "Mahmutlari".? It´s 10km east of Alanya. That is where all the expats and retired locals live. I could imagine living there.
So what are you doing in Turkey in your free time?

[Renata]

Billy I'll ask around. I heard about a french man doing tourism in the area.
Check with the jobs board on this forum http://merhabaforums.com/job-listings-f ... fd1e0cfe4f
Register on couchsurfing & add yourself to groups offering jobs like this one http://www.couchsurfing.org/group.html?gid=2466
I've got some friends from izmir staying with me, it's great because I was so lonely before when I first came to antalya. But they will leave again in july.

Billy, I made friends with some Kurdish & they had me over at their lara home. They're such nice people but when I mentioned it to my izmir friends they totally rubbished these kurdish people without even knowing them. What I gathered is that there is turkish & kurdish turkish; the two don't get on well. What's the story with that?

[Billy]

Thanks Renata I will check your links.

In the matter of the kurds: Their langauage was prohibited to use in public and in schools until now. So there was huge discrimination against them.

The reason behind this discrimination is turkish people were afraid that Turkey could split and so the might of the turkish people would diminish. In the near east might matters huge so everybody is trying to not lose their might, specially the turks with their dominant role in the past.

From cultural point of view the kurdish people are less "civilized" but more traditional, tribal and clanish and poorer. So turks see themself as more modern and superior. Bottom line kurdish people are nicer when they are nice but more brutal when things go bad.

As you may know there is a terrorism problem in turkey so everybody is little bit afraid of the outhers. Everybody tries to stick to his group.

[ladislav]

But why would anyone want to live in Turkey?

[publicduende]

But why would anyone want to live in Turkey?

It's a pretty cool country to live in. Lots of smart, young people, rich history and heritage, lots of potential for business growth. And the ladies are far more liberated than one can think, especially in the Aegean coastal cities.

[Renata]

ladislav Turkey is good for business. 95% of the food is organic food & affordable. The processed foods, canned foods & genetically modified foods are more expensive. I like this. Lifestyle choices here are healthy. Although I find that everyone smokes cigarettes here, including women which is a negative for me. I can't go anywhere without smelling someone's smoke, yuck.

For a Muslim country it's quite liberal. I see couples snuggling in the streets, but only here in antalya. I didn't see this in izmir. I assume istanbul is the most liberal.

You want to meet women from all over Europe, it's here in antalya. As it's easy for them to find work & live etc.

Rent is cheap, food is cheap, public transport is cheap.

When I was in izmir, my friend's mom took me to the hillside to pick wild spinach; she came back with full baskets plus wild mushrooms, & fruits.

Turkey has a rich culture, history & lots of places to visit, is quite cosmopolitan which surprised me when I came back here. This is my 2nd visit.

There's a huge expat community too.

It's the only country in the world bordering Europe, Asia, & the Middle east.

ladislav I guess it's all relative to what one likes & desires. I'm here, & so far so good

[Renata]

oh ok Billy, I see. Why didn't my friends tell me that, they just said kurdish =bad so stay away lol, check your pm btw.

My Kurd friends they are into construction & they're doing quite well. One thing that shocked me was the fact that they said they would approach a family who had a nice piece of land & negotiate with them to TAKE ownership of their land in exchange for 1-2 apartments in the building they would then build on this land. That's unbelievable!

[Billy]

Renata, sound´s like a good deal. For our family owned ground there was a similar offer. As construction costs are low because of the poor quality and cheap labour it does make sense specially in the coastal regions.

Thanks again for your message.

Yes I have read on Rooshv forum that there are an unbelievable amount of hot chics from slavic and west european countries there. Though I don´t think that it will be easy

[swedpdlr]

Acquiring Residency in Turkey is very easy. If you meet their requirements you can get residency once you are in the country on a visitors visa or any Turkish visa.

Here's the link for Antalya, Turkey http://en.antalya.pol.tr/index.php?opti ... icle&id=45

When I came into Turkey I got a leave to remain stamp for 3 months. Found a job & then tried to get a work permit. When I went to apply for it with just a company letter in hand plus the application requirements; the immigration officer was so kind. He suggested that I apply for residency. It was not my intention but I did and I got it

With Turkish residency you can work, live, buy property, do or open business.

The best part is the immigration officer said before my residency expires come back & he'll give me a 5 year extension, then Citizenship. Shocking but great'. One can get 3 months residency or a year to start off with. I think once you have a purpose to be in this country that's all it takes to get through.

I don't agree at all, Turkey beeing that easy country to enter, and even informed by officials like written above, to extend the stay. Having very good contacts with turkish company, or turkish National, the entrance is much easier of course, besides from that it's hardly impossible for a non-wealthy foreigner to be allowed in. I know, I live as an expat in Turkey, have residence permit, but still not allowed to invite my fiancee, even I have stated all economic funds to pay every cent of costs, free accomodation etc, from her departure in far East, until leaving 90 days later, going back. I'm still regarded as a foreign national, with no rights according to immigration, to invite a person as my personal guest. As for working here in Turkey, the rules are that you have to be a specialist of some kind, not to be found by turkish employers. But how many has this background, I'm referring to ordinary, simple, people?

[Renata]

swedpdlr things have changed. I can no longer work on my Residency Visa. A work permit is necessary which takes sometimes up to 7 months to get. So you end up working illegally waiting for it.

Your girlfriend needs to show enough funds in her bank account; all immigration here is concerned with is that she can support herself while she's here, that's the main prerequisite to get visa/entry. Most countries, including my own places priority on such as well.

[terminator]

swedpdlr things have changed. I can no longer work on my Residency Visa. A work permit is necessary which takes sometimes up to 7 months to get. So you end up working illegally waiting for it.

Your girlfriend needs to show enough funds in her bank account; all immigration here is concerned with is that she can support herself while she's here, that's the main prerequisite to get visa/entry. Most countries, including my own places priority on such as well.

It's not that easy now - they adopt silly EU-style laws and really don't want poor whites/non-Turks living there & taking jobs.

[swedpdlr]

swedpdlr things have changed. I can no longer work on my Residency Visa. A work permit is necessary which takes sometimes up to 7 months to get. So you end up working illegally waiting for it.

Your girlfriend needs to show enough funds in her bank account; all immigration here is concerned with is that she can support herself while she's here, that's the main prerequisite to get visa/entry. Most countries, including my own places priority on such as well.

I'm fully aware of this. Not only did Turkey reject my personal invitation to this Ph girlfriend, even a turkish National invitation - on my behalf - was rejected, although this friend of mine, a respected businessman as well, had all Notary documents, a fat Euro bank account set up, roundtrip itinerary paid for, accomodation granted. Two attempts, in vain. He made a phone call to turkish embassy in Manila, and they asked him to send an appeal for a last chance try. So he did, and I'm now waiting again, but my hopes are close to zero. If you check the formalities Turkey has set up, invitation on these grounds are legally correct, but they don't care anyhow.

Turkey has closed it borders, for those outside, ordinary or poor people, who lacks a fat bank account. I think it will maybe not be that wise for Turkeyin the long run, because Turkey are in the tourist centras very dependant on expats and retired peoples settlement and spendings, which to a degree will be affected negatively, I think. I'm going to Hong Kong very soon, to check for this as an alternative in stead of Turkey, maybe even Phils could be the place, I don't know yet. The only thing I decided is that I will not stay in Turkey, beeing prohibited to join with a girlfriend of mine.