The penalty of overstaying residence permit in Turkey in 2024

Turkey is a popular tourist destination, offering an abundance of culture, history, and natural beauty. It has a visa-free policy for citizens of many countries and recently at the end of January, the Turkish government released a list of new visa-free countries. This is allowing foreigners to travel to Turkey without a visa. However, it’s essential to understand the rules and regulations for staying in Turkey to avoid any legal issues during your stay. This post will discuss the penalty for overstaying residence permit in Turkey.

Duration of Visa-Free Stay for Foreigners

Foreigners can stay in Turkey for up to 90 days out of every 180 days in a year without a visa.

During this time, they must apply for a residence permit if they wish to stay longer.

The duration of a visa-free stay in Turkey depends on the country of origin. It’s important to know the specific duration of stay applicable to your country to avoid overstaying. You can always take the immigration office as the reference to get the exact information

Deadline for Applying for a Residence Permit

Foreigners must apply for a residence permit within the first 90 days of their stay in Turkey. If they fail to apply for a residence permit within this period, they will be fined for violating the visa law when they leave Turkey.

Even if they apply for a residence permit during this period, but the permit card is not issued, they will still be fined for overstaying when they leave.

How much is the fine for overstaying residence permit in Turkey

The penalty for overstaying in Turkey is $50 for the first month and $10 for every month after that. For example, if someone overstays for four months, they will have to pay a fine of $90 (i.e., $50 for the first month and $10 for each of the following months). You can use these prices as a Turkey overstay fine calculator. And, The fine must be paid in cash at the airport when leaving Turkey.

These fines are applied when you go to the airport to leave the country voluntarily, unless you are caught by immigration police else where you will be deported and banned from entering Turkey for five years.

Ban from Entering Turkey

Overstaying in Turkey also results in a ban from entering the country for a certain period of time. The length of the ban depends on the length of the overstay. If someone overstays:

• for less than three months, they will not be banned
• Or if someone overstays between one and two years, they will be banned from entering for one year.

It is what is written on the immigration website, but the final decision is on the visa violation officer in the airport.

Conclusion

It’s essential to know the rules and regulations of staying in Turkey to avoid any legal issues during your stay. Overstaying residency in Turkey can result in a fine and a ban from entering the country for a certain period of time.

If someone is deported from Turkey due to overstaying, they can take action to remove the deportation with the help of an immigration lawyer or a special invitation letter with certain conditions. It’s always best to check with the Turkish embassy or consulate in your country before making travel plans.