Istanbul residence permit appointments scheduled for early 2017 to be rescheduled

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The Turkish government has rescheduled a host of appointments for foreign nationals seeking residence permits in Istanbul.

What does the change mean? Foreign nationals who had appointments scheduled between Jan. 2 and Feb. 8, 2017 will have them rescheduled to sometime between Oct. 8 and Dec. 25. Authorities said they will contact affected applicants by email or text message soon.

• Implementation time frame: 
• Visas/permits affected: Residence permits.
• Who is affected: Foreign nationals with an appointment for a residence permit between Jan. 2 and Feb. 8, 2017 in Istanbul.
• Next steps: Authorities are expected to send out additional information soon, but it does not appear they have begun doing so yet.

Background: Appointments are required for all residence permit applicants in Istanbul, including renewal applicants. Authorities announced this week that appointments scheduled in Istanbul at the beginning of next year will be rescheduled for sometime between Oct. 8 and Dec. 25.

BAL Analysis: Affected foreign nationals should expect to be contacted by Turkish authorities about changing their appointments soon. Those with questions or who will have trouble rescheduling an appointment should contact BAL.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Turkey. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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