Turkey

Ikamet Woes and The TRAPPED IN TURKEY Tour

Birds in Flight (Ikamet)

I’ve been quiet about something that’s consumed me.

For the last eight weeks, I’ve been legally unable to leave Turkey.

If I REALLY needed to, I could… but I’d risk a large fine and potentially a temporary ban from the country.

Let me teach you a Turkish word: ikamet.

An ikamet is a residence permit, the document that allows me and many other expats to stay in Turkey beyond the duration of the 90-day tourist visa. I’ve had an ikamet for the last year.

The process of getting one used to be frustrating but relatively straightforward. The appointments are booked solid three months in advance, so it’s necessary to plan far ahead. Since my ikamet expired at the end of April, I booked my late-April renewal appointment back in January.

Eleven days before my appointment, the law changed, and everything became a bit more complicated.

As the Turks would say, UFF YAA (Ikamet)

As the Turks would say, UFF YAA

In terms of the law ITSELF, there wasn’t too much that was problematic, just inconvenient. Now it’s necessary to prove you have more money than before the law change, as well as insurance (which I already had), plus there’s more notarized documents to collect. (The information about the new requirements is nicely summed out here.) It’s inconvenient, but not impossible. My appointment this year went smoothly.

I expected I’d be told to return to pick up the document in a week—that’s what happened last year. But this year, when all the paperwork was processed, the police station issued me a receipt and informed me that the ikamet would be mailed to me within three months.

And I couldn’t leave the country without it.

I moved here to travel, so this news was seriously not cool.

Airport Waiting (Ikamet)

To make matters worse, I learned from some of the expat forums I’m a member of that people started receiving their ikamets in three weeks’ time.

Except I’d already waited three weeks. I waited for four. Five. SIX. SEVEN.

The stress has overwhelmed me. I’ve found it hard to write, hard to plan, hard to sleep. Until recently, I couldn’t even get any information about where in the process my ikamet was, and why it was held up. To make things worse, the mail system here isn’t dependable. I gnawed my nails.

I still haven’t received the ikamet but I have received news. My resident permit has been approved and it’s in the system. It’s ready to be printed and will be sent to me soon.

Still, I am unable to leave Turkey, which scrambled my original summer plans. (I’ve been aching to go to Albania.) All is not lost. The next few weeks will be a new adventure…

Kars Countryside

The TRAPPED IN TURKEY TOUR!

The details are still unfolding, but the Tour will kick off with an adventure in Turkey’s Southeast! I fly to Gaziantep next week and will venture forth from there. Everything I want to see is in different corners of this vast country, so I won’t be able to fit in all the wonderful adventures Turkey holds… but whatever route I take, it will be a pleasure to explore even more of this rich, complicated country.

I refuse to let visa bureaucracy get me down. Turkey, ahoy!

11 Comments

  • pollyheath
    June 16, 2014 at 12:38 AM

    Oh god. The joys of international visa wrangling. I’m sorry about all that, but do try to have fun on the Tour de Turkey!

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      June 21, 2014 at 11:46 AM

      I tell myself that surviving visa bureaucracy makes me a stronger person. Glass half-full, you know. (And thank you!)

      Reply
  • Dalo 2013
    June 16, 2014 at 6:17 AM

    Such a frustrating story ~ and yet, just another adventure on this path you’ve taken. Wish you well and continue to enjoy Turkey as you plan for Albania 🙂

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      June 21, 2014 at 11:46 AM

      Thank you! As sad as I am to put off Albania, I am REALLY excited about exploring more of Turkey.

      Reply
      • Dalo 2013
        June 21, 2014 at 1:46 PM

        That is great, when one plan does not work out ~ strike out on a new and bolder plan. Enjoy your travels and look forward to some new shots/stories.

        Reply
  • amandakocz
    June 16, 2014 at 7:33 AM

    Wow, that process sounds really tedious. But, as you doing, you can make lemonade from lemons. Hope you have a great Turkey Tour!

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      June 21, 2014 at 11:47 AM

      Thank you! It is incredibly tedious, but worth it to be able to live in Istanbul.

      Reply
  • Sally
    June 16, 2014 at 8:59 AM

    Ah how annoying! But that’s okay, you’re gonna have a blast seeing some of the corners you might have otherwise put off. And Albania will wait! 🙂

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      June 21, 2014 at 11:47 AM

      Yes, it gives me a great incentive to explore domestically! I always tend to leave when I have free time, so it’s a blessing in disguise.

      Reply
  • LoveinIstanbul
    August 15, 2014 at 11:48 AM

    Hey Katrinka – I guess they didn’t tell you that there is a way to leave Turkey while you’re waiting for your ikamet then… I read about this when I was applying for mine back in May. I heard some rumours that this was not reliable (i.e. you might get to the border and they wouldn’t let you back in), but it worked for me. All I had to do was go back to the Emniyet Mudurlugu where I made my application, and they gave me a 2-page document that certified that I had applied for an Ikamet and that I could leave and return to Turkey without a visa. I’ve just seen the date on your post so this is probably way too late now, but maybe useful for next year?

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      August 15, 2014 at 7:28 PM

      Thanks for your advice. I did hear about that, but since I knew I needed to go to the USA at the end of July, I didn’t want to take chances with the border police just to go on vacation. Also, I got briefly deported over visa-border issues last year, and I prefer to never ever ever go through that again. (You can read about the debacle here: http://katrinkaabroad.com/2013/05/15/i-was-deported-from-turkey/)
      Luckily, the ikamet showed up before I even left for my trip, so there wouldn’t have been anything to worry about anyway!

      Reply

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