Turkish Residency

While all this engine work has been going on, Bob and I have been experiencing the joys of Turkish bureaucracy in our attempts to stay in Turkey past the 90 day tourist visa.  Turkey, like most of Europe, has a 90 days within 180 days tourist visa.  Unfortunately most of Europe is also under the Schengen Agreement which means visitors who do not have an EU passport can stay a combined cumulative 90 days within the Schengen Area of 22 countries.  Thus the ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe must be completed in 90 days.  This doesn’t leave much time for each country and for those of us touring by sailboat.  There are ways around this but that is my problem for next year.  Not a problem for Bob though, as he has an EU passport.

The Schengen Area

This year we want stay in Turkey to sail along the Turkish Coast.  Last year we met many cruisers who had short term residence permits to stay in Turkey beyond the 90 day tourist visa.  So last year we made our first enquires from the foreign bureau at the local police station.  The police told us before filling out an application we must have a tax file number and a Turkish bank account.  The tax file number was easy except for the heart attack inducing steep steps up to the office.  I am quite sure the architect had a remit to build this office so that those who climbed the steps would pay any amount of tax to avoid having to return.

The steps to the Tax Office in Marmaris

Getting a Turkish bank account was another matter.  After waiting an hour to be served at the bank, and finding someone who spoke English we were told that we could not open a Turkish bank account until we had a residency permit.  Back to the police station who said no, that was not correct and the bank just across the street would let us open an account.  Off we went to spend another hour waiting to be served in another bank and finding someone who could speak enough English to understand what we wanted.  Again they could not open an account until we had a residency permit.  

Turkish Banks ATMs

We threw our hands up in frustration and resigned ourselves to not being able to overcome this Catch 22.  As people told us the rules were going to change after the New Year, we decided to wait until 2015 to do the final application. 

 

While in Bellingen we rang up the Turkish Embassy in Canberra as one of the websites said that residency applications will now need to be made in one’s home country.  But the officials there said that the new system was not yet in place and we should go back to the local police station in Marmaris and apply there.  So we printed out the application form from the website to have ready when we returned.

About a month after arriving in Marmaris we fronted up to the police station with our completed application form and all the supporting documentation other cruisers told us we would need.  This included all the boat papers – ownership, registration, insurance, transit log – plus a translated copy of our marriage certificate, proof of income and Turkish health insurance.  At the police station they said everything was fine but we had to have the application typed not filled in by hand and printed double-sided.  So back we went to the boat and found an online version of the application that was able to be filled in on line.  The next day we went back to the police station with our typed double sided application form and other documentation only to be told that as of that morning the office could no longer take applications for residency and all applications must be on in Muğla, the provincial capital about an hour away on the bus, but this would not start until the following Monday. 

Some of the forms required

On the following Monday we caught a bus to Muğla and went to the police station directly across from the Otogar (bus station).  Then we were shown to another building two doors down who then told us we were still not at the right place.  No one spoke much English so this was all done with hand gestures and showing papers.  Finally they rang someone who spoke a bit better English who told us we had to go to a building in the centre of town.  We handed the phone back to the clerk who wrote down the address and with the aid of our lifesaver, Google maps, we managed to find the place about a 2km away.  (I know we use to travel before  without smart phones and Google maps but I can’t imagine getting around without it now.)

Muğla

When we arrived at the office just before lunch, the building was in chaos – workmen painting, removalists moving furniture and staff mulling around looking harassed.  One of the staff acknowledged us and told us the application process is now all done on line.  He tried to show us the website but his computer wouldn’t connect (not a good sign).  When we asked a few more questions about the process he continued to answer that everything was on the website and all would be explained there.  I suspect that this is what he was told and he himself wasn’t aware of what was really on the website at this early stage of the new process.  We realised we were not going to get any further at this office and went off into the centre of town for a lovely Turkish lunch.  Then back on the bus to Marmaris to fill in the new application on our computer.

The website worked, sort of.  When it came to printing out the form, mine worked but Bob just got a computer error message which we printed out in lieu of the real thing.  The website also gave us an appointment time in about 10 days hence, saying that there would be no rescheduling – come or else.  The website also stated that you must come to the appointment with receipts of payment but did not say where one should make these payments.  I tried to make the payment at the tax office in Marmaris who sent me to the local police station who assured me everything would be done in Muğla

Back to Muğla on the appointed day leaving plenty of time before the appointment to do all the usual run around.  First we went to the immigration office.

New immigration office in Muğla

Then to the tax office, then to two different departments within the tax office to pay the fees, then back to the immigration office where we were given an official sheet of paper that says we can stay in Turkey for a year and were told we would receive the final card in the mail within 5 weeks.  As the drop down menus on the computer based form did not allow us to put Yat Marine as our postal address we don’t hold out much hope of the already dodgy Turkish postal service delivering the final cards to us.  We tried to explain this to the clerk who shrugged and said if it can’t be delivered it will be returned to him in Muğla.  Odds are on for another trip to Muğla in a few weeks.  But it looks like the one year residency has been approved.

Official now??