Family residence permit (aile ikamet izni): sponsor conditions, income, documents
The family residence permit under Law 6458 art. 34–37 lets the spouse and minor children of a Turkish citizen, or of a foreigner lawfully residing in Türkiye, live here on the strength of that family tie. The sponsor (destekleyici) carries most of the conditions: income, insurance, housing and a clean record. The family members carry the civil documents: marriage and birth certificates, apostilled in the issuing country and translated here. This guide sets out both sides for 2026.
Who can sponsor and who can be sponsored
A sponsor is a Turkish citizen, a holder of a residence permit of any type who has lived in Türkiye for at least one year (the one-year condition does not apply to Turkish citizens, Blue Card holders and some permit types), a work permit holder, or a refugee or subsidiary-protection status holder. The sponsored persons are the spouse, the sponsor's own or the spouse's minor children, and dependent adult children. A sponsor may support only one spouse; children of other spouses are covered only with the consent of the other parent.
Children of a sponsor who holds a short-term permit are often granted a short-term permit of their own instead; the Directorate decides by the sponsor's permit type.
The sponsor's conditions
- Income: at least the net minimum wage in total and not less than one third of the net minimum wage per family member, shown by payslips, a pension letter, bank statements or company documents.
- Health insurance covering every family member, private or SGK; a sponsor insured under SGK as an employee can usually add spouse and children as dependants free of charge.
- Housing that meets general health and safety standards, shown by a lease, a title deed and the address record.
- No conviction for a domestic-violence offence in the last five years, shown by the criminal-record certificate from e-Devlet; see our criminal record guide.
- Address registered at the Nüfus Müdürlüğü and at least one year of residence for foreign sponsors.
Documents for the family members
- Signed e-ikamet form, passport, four biometric photos per person, and the card fee and harç receipts per person.
- Marriage certificate: if issued abroad, apostilled in the issuing country, then translated by a sworn translator and certified by a notary in Türkiye (≈ ₺884 per page at the 2026 notarial tariff, paid by you to the notary). If the marriage was registered in Türkiye, the e-Devlet family register extract (nüfus kayıt örneği) is enough.
- Birth certificates of children, apostilled and translated the same way; for a child travelling with one parent, the other parent's notarised consent.
- Sponsor's documents: permit or ID, income proof, insurance, criminal-record certificate, address record.
The apostille must be obtained in the country that issued the certificate; Türkiye cannot apostille a foreign document. For the chain, see our guides on apostille and sworn versus notarised translation.
Duration, fees and what the permit allows
A family permit is granted for up to three years at a time and never longer than the sponsor's own permit. The state charges the ₺964 card fee per person plus the residence harç by nationality and duration; several nationalities are exempt. A family permit holder may attend school without a student permit; a spouse may apply for a work permit through an employer. After three years on a family permit a spouse may apply for a short-term permit in their own name, and after eight years of uninterrupted residence for a long-term permit.
The permit ends if the marriage ends, with exceptions for victims of domestic violence and for spouses who have held the permit at least three years. A sham-marriage check by the Directorate, including a home visit, is routine for recent marriages.
State fees and notarial tariffs are paid by you directly to the state or to the notary; they never pass through us and we receive nothing from any notary. The figures above are the official 2026 tariff, last checked 24.10.2026.
Last verified: 24.10.2026 · source: Law 6458 art. 34–37 — mevzuat.gov.tr; goc.gov.tr (aile ikamet izni); Harçlar Kanunu 2026 — gib.gov.tr; 2026 Noterlik Ücret Tarifesi — adalet.gov.trWhat goes wrong
- Marriage certificate translated but not apostilled, or apostilled on a copy rather than the original.
- Sponsor's income calculated on gross rather than net minimum wage, or not covering each member's third.
- Children's insurance missing because the parent's private policy covers only the holder.
- Sponsor's address record missing or different from the lease.
Our family guidance prepares both sides: the sponsor's checklist with the arithmetic done, the family's civil-document chain in the right order, e-ikamet step cards per person and a person with you at the appointment.
Sources
- goc.gov.tr — Presidency of Migration Management: family residence permit conditions and document list
- mevzuat.gov.tr — Law 6458, art. 34–37; Implementing Regulation art. 30–34
- e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr — application per family member
- nvi.gov.tr — family register extracts, marriage registration of foreigners
Questions
My spouse is Turkish. Do I still need the one-year residence condition?
No. The one-year prior residence applies to foreign sponsors only. A Turkish citizen can sponsor a spouse immediately; the income, insurance, housing and record conditions still apply, and the Directorate may verify that the couple lives together.
Can my children go to school on a family permit?
Yes. Children on a family permit attend primary and secondary school without a separate student permit. Enrolment itself needs the apostilled and translated school records; see our diploma and school guide.
We married abroad. Must the marriage be registered in Türkiye first?
For a foreign sponsor, an apostilled and translated foreign marriage certificate is accepted directly. For a Turkish sponsor, the marriage should be entered in the Turkish civil register (through the consulate or the Nüfus Müdürlüğü) so that the family register extract shows the spouse; the Directorate checks the register.