Small administrative changes in Turkey, some outlined earlier this year by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are set to make life a bit easier for expats. Andy Probert, a resident of Didim and author of TurkeyBuyingGuide.com, sheds some light…

Article written by The Overseas Guides Company

Visas
The new e-visa system kicked in on 11th April, which means you can enter Turkey using a visa purchased on-line for £13 prior to your arrival. The system is in a transition period, so traditional stamp-on-arrival visas will remain available at airports until the end of the year, costing £20 after 11th April – double the previous price.

E-visa officials have said 74,949 British residents have applied for e-visas since they were made available last year– for the April launch this year, and they should reduce queues at Turkish airports on entry by 30 per cent. For those wanting to pay for an e-visa at Turkish airports, they will be able to utilise kiosks in the building.

Resident Permits
The old residency system which issued permits lasting between one and five years also changed on 11th April. Turkey has moved to a new system that requires residents to buy a residence permit every year. Renewals of residence permits can be done at the newly created foreigners’ units, as opposed to a police station under the old system.

First-time applicants for a residence permit can now obtain one from the Turkish embassy in their native country. Foreign residents who have lived in Turkey for eight years or more will be able to apply for a long-term residence permit – certain conditions apply and the cost of the permit has yet to be revealed.

Healthcare
There have also been developments on the controversial new rules that had excluded some resident foreigners from Turkey’s state healthcare system, known as SGK. Residents considered retired and receiving a UK pension were not entitled to join the SGK scheme, but external pressure from has resulted in a change to this.

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