Address Registration for Foreigners in Turkey

In this article, we will explain the address registration process for foreigners in Turkey. Address registration in Turkey may be straightforward for Turkish citizens, but for foreigners, it works completely differently.

Address registration for foreigners is done at the Immigration Office

Address registration for foreign nationals is only possible at the Immigration Office (Göç İdaresi). It does not matter where you are registering, whose address you are registering at, or whether you are registering at a Turkish citizen's address. The address registration process for foreigners starts at the Immigration Office.

The address registration process for foreigners;

1. The person receives their residence permit or work permit card. Address registration must be completed within 20 days of receiving this card. Address registration and the residence permit card are completely separate procedures.
2. An appointment is booked at the Immigration Office. randevu.goc.gov.tr
3. On the appointment day, you go to the Immigration Office and your address registration is completed.
4. If your address is occupied - a previous tenant may still be registered there - in this case, the Immigration Office will send you to the civil registry office (nüfus müdürlüğü) in the district where your property is located to have the previous person removed.
5. Your address registration is completed and you receive a residence certificate from e-Government (e-Devlet). You can verify that your registration was completed through e-Devlet.

Required documents for foreigners' address registration

The first requirement to mention here is that the address being registered must be classified as "residential" (mesken) in the records. Address registration cannot be done at places classified as offices, workplaces, or similar in the records.

1. Lease agreement: The lease agreement must be prepared at a notary. The important thing to note when having the lease prepared is that the correct address is written. A lease agreement you make between yourselves is not accepted. A lease agreement you make between yourselves that is merely endorsed by a notary is not accepted. The lease must be a notarially executed agreement (düzenleme şeklinde). Instead of a notarial lease, a lease can also be made through e-Government.
2. A utility bill in the name of the person registering: A bill is required in the name of whichever person the address registration will be made for. You have the option of obtaining 4 types of bills for an apartment (electricity, water, natural gas, or internet). At least one of these 4 bills is absolutely required. The bill must be current, from within the last 2 months.
3. DASK and title deed (TAPU) photocopy
4. Photocopy of the person's identification
5. Appointment confirmation printout

Note: The Immigration Office now accepts internet bills. The non-acceptance of internet bills is an old practice.

Exceptional and different situations related to foreigners' address registration

Foreign nationals may need different documents in certain situations - you rented a room at a friend's place, you are a student, you have a work permit, or you are working as a live-in under home care services. The required documents change for such situations. In this section, we will try to explain these exceptional situations for you.

1. Address registration of a Turkish citizen's foreign spouse

Here we will discuss the required documents for a person who is officially married to a Turkish citizen. The fiancée, girlfriend, or religiously married spouse (imam nikahı) of a Turkish citizen are not considered officially married, and you cannot register your address based on the documents listed here.

1. Residence certificate of the Turkish citizen spouse from e-Government
2. Marriage certificate - photocopy of the first 3 pages, with the original to be present with you on registration day
3. A bill matching the address on the residence certificate in the name of the Turkish citizen spouse (internet, water, electricity, or natural gas - current bill from within the last 2 months)
4. Photocopies of identification for the foreigner and the Turkish citizen
5. Detailed civil registry record (vukuatlı nüfus kayıt örneği) of the Turkish citizen spouse from e-Government
6. Title deed photocopy and DASK for the residence (this is not mandatory; registration can be completed without it, but it is recommended to include these documents for a definitive registration)

Where will the registration be done?

The foreigner's registration will always be done at the Immigration Office. An appointment will be booked at the Immigration Office, and the Turkish citizen spouse will go to the Immigration Office together with the foreigner. If you want your registration to be completed quickly, you can contact us through the contact tab and by granting a power of attorney to our lawyers, they will complete the registration on your behalf quickly.

2. Registration at a Turkish citizen's address

It does not matter here whether the Turkish citizen owns their home or not. If a Turkish citizen is going to register a foreigner at their address, a lease agreement must be made at a notary.

1. If the Turkish citizen is a tenant: the landlord will be consulted and a lease agreement will be made at the notary with the foreigner's name in the tenant section
   • If the Turkish citizen owns the property: the Turkish citizen will make a lease agreement at the notary for the foreigner, and the foreigner will appear as the tenant.

2. Residence certificate of the Turkish citizen from e-Government
3. A bill in the name of the Turkish citizen - (internet, water, electricity, or natural gas - current bill)
4. Photocopies of identification for the Turkish citizen and the foreigner
5. DASK and title deed photocopy

Registration will be done at the Immigration Office, and the foreigner and the Turkish citizen will go to the Immigration Office together. If one of the parties does not want to come to the Immigration Office, the person who does not want to come can grant a power of attorney and have the procedures completed.

Note: If a foreign person wants to register a foreign friend at their address, the documents listed above will still be used. The point to note here is that you must have a connection with the person you want to register at your address that is consistent with the ordinary course of life. Such as working at the same workplace, being of the same nationality, or being relatives. Address registrations of persons of different nationalities who do not know each other will not be processed.

3. Address registration for student residence permit holders

The documents we listed above are required in the same way for students as well.

If students rent a property;

• The rented property may be in closed address zones.
• A notarial lease agreement is mandatory for the rented property. If more than one person will be staying in the property, everyone's name must be written in the tenant section of the notarial agreement.
• A bill in the student's name
• DASK and title deed photocopy of the property
• Student certificate from the university
• Residence permit identity card

If staying in a student dormitory;

• In this case, a document must be obtained from the dormitory administration.
• Student certificate from the university
• Residence permit identity card

4. Address registration for work permit holders

The same general documents we listed above are required for the address registration of work permit holders. The important point for work permit holders is that they are not affected by the closed area rule for address registration. These persons can register their address in any area they wish. The only limitation is that registration must be made in the province where the work permit was obtained.

Example: The person's work province is Kocaeli; in this case, they cannot register an address in Istanbul.

Address registration for work permit holders under home care services?

Persons under home care services generally work as live-in employees and their workplaces are the homes of Turkish citizen employers. In this case, the foreign person working under home care services has two options for address registration.

a. They can rent a property and register at their own home according to the general rules as we listed above.

b. They can register themselves at the employer's address. Registration at the employer's address is the recommended and easier method. The employer does not need to make a lease agreement for the foreigner or provide a written undertaking (taahhütname). The employer goes to the Immigration Office with the foreign person and registers the foreign person at their address.

Required documents;

1. A bill in the employer's name and residence certificate from e-Government
2. Employer's identification photocopy and foreigner's identification photocopy
3. DASK and title deed photocopy

Note: Persons other than those in home care services, i.e., persons who have obtained a work permit through a regular company, can only register in this manner at company lodgings (lojman). However, in this case, the lodging to be registered at must be listed as "lodging" (lojman) in the municipal address system.

Fast-tracking procedures and the order of steps

All the procedures listed above must be done at the Immigration Office. If you are going to register at someone's address, the person whose address you will register at must always come with you to the Immigration Office. Persons who do not want to come to the Immigration Office can have their procedures completed by granting a power of attorney to a lawyer. By granting a power of attorney to a lawyer, you can also have procedures completed quickly without booking an appointment.

Utility bill procedures for foreigners

Certain rules must be known for foreigners to obtain a bill in their name, and a strategy must be formed accordingly.

1. Rule: Foreigners cannot get electricity and water bills in their name without an address registration. This means that for a foreigner who has newly rented a property, it is not possible to use an electricity or water bill for the address registration process.
2. Rule: A natural gas bill can be obtained without an address registration. However, if heating is shared in a complex, then it will not be possible to obtain a natural gas bill either. In this case, you will need to get internet installed at your home and proceed with an internet bill.

The order for obtaining bills: first, a natural gas bill should be obtained; if this bill cannot be obtained, then an internet bill; after address registration is completed with the internet bill, electricity and water bills can then be obtained.

Note: Do not listen to those who say internet bills are not valid for address registration. Since March 2026, the Immigration Office accepts internet bills for address registrations. Letters from building managements such as building dues statements and letters confirming that you reside in the building are no longer accepted. Address registration using a letter from building management is an old practice.

Address registration appointment for foreigners

Address registration for foreigners is done by the Immigration Office. Persons must book an appointment at the Immigration Office before completing their address registration.

Appointments can be booked from the following link;

randevu.goc.gov.tr

Persons can register their address by booking an appointment at any Immigration Office.

Closed addresses for foreigners

There are areas closed to foreigners in Turkey. In these areas, foreign persons cannot apply for a residence permit and also cannot register an address.

The following are not affected by the closed area rule;

• those with a work permit,
• those with a student residence permit,
• those with a j-clause residence permit
• those with a family residence permit.