Russian “relocants” are once again having problems on Turkish shores: Russians are no longer allowed to live in Turkey and are being deported en masse. As reported by “Business-FM” radio, which interviewed local emigrants, citizens of Russia were once again denied the extension of their residence permit (residence permit), even though they provided a full package of documents necessary for this. Relaxation is given only to those who came to Turkey before February 2022, that is, before the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine.
We would like to remind you that after the allowed 60 days of residence in Turkey under the visa-free regime, holders of Russian citizenship need to issue a temporary residence permit – ikamet – at the Department of Foreign Affairs. “It used to be quite simple: you had to confirm your income and your status as a landlord, and the authorities issued an annual PPP (permanent residence permit). In the spring of last year, his term for Russians was reduced to six months. And more and more frequently began to receive reports that his extradition was being refused altogether. As a rule, with the wording “the reasons for staying in the country are unclear,” the publication states.
The situation, as the “relocators” said, is developing as follows: “Two weeks ago, we prepared the entire package of documents that are needed. In the last six months, they introduced the rule that a bank withdrawal is a mandatory condition – to continue, it is necessary to see receipts within a month and the amount per person – at least 20 thousand liras. All of us, who planned to continue in October, put the money on the card with a margin, we made sure that everything fit, because this was the main condition. There is also a standard package of documents, which has always been there – this is insurance, an apartment rental agreement, and a copy of the utility bill. With such a set of documents, usually everyone approves. We had to go to the rendezvous on Friday with all our documents. On Thursday, information spread in local chat rooms that people went to the rendezvous, they were refused, and they were told that from today all Russians will be refused an extension, they don’t look at what documents, or what statements from the bank.” However, they note that only those who received their first residence permit after February 10, 2022, are in such a situation. “Long-timers” do not have such problems.
As the emigrants added, the only way to get a tourist visa at the moment is to buy real estate. This was explained by local lawyers at the beginning of the problems in August. “Currently, in Turkey, a tourist permit is not given to anyone, a humanitarian permit is given only to citizens of Ukraine, and to obtain a medical permit, very valid reasons are required, for example, a serious illness. Of the available types of PPP, only the residence permit for owning real estate remained. Moreover, the cadastral value of real estate must be at least $75,000.” In other words, obtaining a visa in Turkey for Russians has become possible only for wealthy investors, and those who cannot afford it are threatened with mass deportations.
This is confirmed by officials. At the same time, in August, Turkey’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ali Yerlikaya, said that Turkey has no intention of abandoning the practice of obtaining citizenship by foreigners in exchange for buying real estate. He stated that the procedures for granting citizenship to investors remain the same. “Foreign citizens who have the right to citizenship by purchasing real estate acquire Turkish citizenship within 2-3 months after applying,” said the head of the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs. He also denied the claim that the process of acquiring citizenship by foreigners by purchasing real estate has been stopped. But the whole question is the cost of this housing.
At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs estimated that the number of foreigners with permanent residence permits exceeded 1,300,000 people at the beginning of summer. Moreover, 147,000 are holders of Russian passports, but only those who are real estate owners made it to this list.
We will remind that another “Mecca” of resettlers – Georgia – has also thought about the eviction – or at least the thinning out of Russian emigrants. The draft law on issuing PPPs to Russians until the end of 2024 was also submitted to the Georgian Parliament at the end of August. As the authors stated, the bill is aimed at temporarily limiting the ability of Russians to receive investment and PPPs in the country.