Before you start

A passport valid at least 60 days beyond the permit period you request
A residential address (lease) in a mahalle OPEN to foreigner registration — check the exact mahalle, not the district
Valid health insurance covering the whole permit period (private foreigner policy, or SGK if eligible)
Proof of sufficient funds, plus a credible non-tourism purpose of stay — property, study, business, family or work

Step-by-step

1
Enter Türkiye visa-free or on an e-Visa
Citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most EU states enter visa-free for up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period; others apply online at evisa.gov.tr before flying, since walk-up airport visa counters are closed. İzmir's airport is Adnan Menderes (ADB), about 18 km south and — unusually for Türkiye — on the İZBAN commuter line straight into the city. You must lodge the e-İkamet application within the 90-day window.
OnlineWho: You, before and on arrivale-Visa issued in minutes; entry stamp on arrivalVisa-free for most Westerners; e-Visa about 50-60 USD where required
2
Secure an address in an open mahalle — and in a building you trust
Confirm the exact mahalle still accepts new foreigner residence registrations before signing: since 1 July 2022 any mahalle where foreigners exceed 20% of the population is closed, and İzmir's closures cluster in the older inner-Konak neighbourhoods. Then apply the İzmir-specific filter that has nothing to do with immigration: after the 2020 Bayraklı collapses, ask the building's construction date and any retrofitting record before you commit. Get a written lease, ideally notarised, and a foreigner health policy spanning the whole permit term.
In personWho: You, with a landlord or emlakçı1-3 weeks to find a compliant homeInsurance roughly 100-250 USD/year; notarised lease about 50-100 USD
3
Apply on e-İkamet and book the İzmir appointment
Create an account at e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr, complete the short-term (kısa dönem) form, upload documents and select a purpose of stay that is NOT bare tourism — property ownership, a language course, study, business ties or family. The system assigns an appointment at the İzmir Provincial Directorate of Migration Management. Pay the residence-permit fee and the card fee and keep every receipt; the officer will ask for them.
OnlineWho: You (or a licensed immigration lawyer)Form takes about an hour; appointments often weeks out1-year permit fee about 630 USD, 2-year about 1,260 USD for listed countries; card fee about 21 USD
4
Attend the appointment with a complete file
Go in person with your passport and a copy, biometric photos, the printed application form, insurance policy, lease and address proof, proof of funds and the fee receipts. An officer reviews the file and takes biometrics; files are approved, queried for missing documents, or refused. If your file needs something only your embassy can issue — a police certificate, an apostille, a consular attestation — remember İzmir has only consulates, so build the Ankara trip into your timeline rather than discovering it at the counter.
In personWho: You, at the İzmir Provincial Directorate of Migration ManagementAppointment under an hour; decision in days to weeks
5
Receive the card and YKN, then unlock everything else
On approval the permit card is printed and posted by PTT to your registered address, carrying your Yabancı Kimlik Numarası (YKN) — 11 digits starting with 99. With the YKN you can open a bank account, get a tax number, register a SIM, use MHRS and e-Nabız, and create an e-Devlet account (verify the password in person at a PTT branch). Institutions ask for the number far more often than for the card itself.
In personWho: You; card delivered by PTT postCard typically arrives within 2-3 weeks of approval

Documents you’ll need

Passport (original plus a copy), valid well beyond the permit period
Biometric photographs to official specification (usually 4)
Valid health insurance covering the full permit term (private, or SGK if eligible)
Proof of address — lease/rental contract, ideally notarised, in an open mahalle
Proof of sufficient funds and the residence-permit + card fee receipts

Things most newcomers don’t know

İzmir has consulates; Türkiye's embassies are all in Ankara. Plan for the difference.

A consulate can do a lot — notarial acts, passport services, emergency assistance — but some documents an ikamet or work-permit file needs are embassy-issued, and every embassy accredited to Türkiye sits in Ankara. Discovering that at the counter costs a week; building it into the plan costs an afternoon on the high-speed rail or a short flight.

Source: Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs — foreign missions in Türkiye

The closed-mahalle rule is published by neighbourhood, not district — 'Konak is fine' is not an answer.

Since the threshold dropped from 25% to 20% on 1 July 2022, closures are decided mahalle by mahalle. İzmir's cluster in the older inner-Konak neighbourhoods, which sit right beside districts that are entirely open, so a street's reputation tells you nothing. Check the exact mahalle on the current Göç İdaresi announcement before signing.

Source: Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı closed-neighbourhood announcements

A short-term permit on a purely touristic basis is frequently refused now, for first applications and renewals alike.

Since the 2022-2025 tightening, Migration Management expects a concrete, verifiable purpose of stay — property ownership, a language course, study, business or family — rather than a wish to live in Türkiye. İzmir sees a lot of retiree and lifestyle applicants, and a thin file is exactly the profile that gets refused.

Source: Presidency of Migration Management; immigration-law firm guidance, 2026

The YKN, not the plastic card, is what institutions actually key off.

Banks, the tax office, mobile operators, hospitals and e-Devlet all work from your 11-digit foreigner ID starting 99. Without a permit there is no YKN, and without a YKN almost nothing else — a local bank account, a registered SIM, MHRS appointments — can be set up.

Source: NVİ / Göç İdaresi; e-Devlet (turkiye.gov.tr)

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a lease in a closed inner-Konak mahalle and only then learning you cannot register the address there.
Assuming a consulate can issue everything an embassy can — and losing a week to an unplanned Ankara trip mid-application.
Letting the 90-day visa-free window lapse before lodging the e-İkamet application, or overstaying and triggering a fine and re-entry ban.
Buying health insurance that is too short or non-compliant — it must cover the entire permit period, or the file is rejected.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.