Residence permit fees slashed

[John Codling]

We are all hoping that this isn't an elaborate April Fools joke being perpertrated by a number of people on another forum.

Here is a link to a story in Voices Newspaper Read More (http://www.voicesnewspaper.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4670)

Fingers crossed this is for real.

[Andy]

Another one here so its starting to look True

Read More (http://kalkan.turkishlocalnews.com/portal/kalkan-news/139424-turkish-residency-fees-slashed-from-1st-april-2011)

[Andy]

Update from the British Embassy:

Important Information for British nationals resident in Turkey

Residence Permit Fees for UK Nationals

Following the bilateral consular meeting with the Turkish authorities in December, the Turkish Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have now confirmed that they have agreed to the British Ambassador’s request to reduce the residence permit fees for British nationals to 60 Euros/$80/year from 1 April. Fees will be charged at $25 for one month and $5/month for each subsequent month. Further information is available from the Alien’s Department in your local area.

We want to thank the Turkish Government for listening to our concerns and hope that British nationals will take advantage of the reduced rate to regularise their stay in Turkey.

Turkish Visa System

The Turkish authorities have not yet set a firm date for implementation of the 90/180 day visa. We continue to ask for a notification period of 3 months in advance and for an expiry date to be placed on the visa sticker. We have pointed out how confusing it is for British nationals to receive visa stickers which state that they are valid for 90/180 days but which are actually valid for just 90 days.

If you are entering Turkey on a £10 tourist visa, be sure to leave within 90 days of the date of first issue. If you plan to leave within 90 days and then to re-enter Turkey and if your stay will take you past 90 days from the date the visa was issued, buy a new visa. If you do not, you risk overstaying and may be given a substantial fine and/or a ban from re-entering in the future.

Healthcare

Confusion continues as to whether the Universal Healthcare Scheme is compulsory for British residents. We will be having further meetings with the Health Authorities to clarify their position. In the meantime, we continue to advise all British nationals living overseas to obtain healthcare that covers their needs or to ensure that they have access to funds to cover medical care in Turkey, should they need it.

Property

Recognising that we cannot get involved in individual legal disputes in Turkey, we continue to ask the Turkish Authorities to review the systemic issues that affect some British nationals buying property in Turkey. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures us that the Turkish Government takes this seriously and that work is going on to make buying in Turkey more secure.

Conclusion

We are grateful to community for helping us to identify problems and possible solutions to these and other problems.

It is clear that the Turkish authorities value the contribution that British residents and visitors make to the economy and Turkish national life and, as can be shown by the reduced residence permit fee, are willing to tackle problems if they can. We will continue meeting with the Authorities and following up on these and other issues that affect British nationals in Turkey.