Glossary
The Turkish terms you will meet on forms, in notification letters and at counters — with what each one actually means for your file.
- Aile ikamet izni
- family residence permit
The residence permit granted to the family members of a Turkish citizen or of a lawfully resident foreigner, under Articles 34–35 of Law No. 6458. Issued for up to three years at a time. See the family residence permit guide. - Evlendirme dairesi
- marriage office
The municipal office at which the civil marriage is celebrated before an authorised marriage officer. The only body that can validly marry a Turkish citizen. - Evlenme ehliyet belgesi
- certificate of capacity to marry
The document issued by a foreign national's own state confirming that nothing in their national law prevents them from marrying. The single most common cause of delay in a marriage file — see the document checklist. - Evlilik birliği
- family union
The condition in Article 16 of Law No. 5901 that the spouses live together as a family. Verified through address records, neighbourhood enquiry and interview rather than assumed from the marriage certificate. - Muvazaalı evlilik
- marriage of convenience
A marriage contracted for a purpose other than family life, typically to obtain immigration status. A finding of muvazaa defeats both the residence and the citizenship application — see the genuineness assessment. - Vukuatlı nüfus kayıt örneği
- detailed population registration record
The civil registry extract showing marriages, divorces, children and other events. Required in almost every application on this site. - Uluslararası aile cüzdanı
- international family booklet
The booklet issued at the end of the civil ceremony recording the marriage. Retain it: it is requested repeatedly in later applications. - Tahdit kodu
- restriction code
An entry on a foreign national's record — arising from an overstay, a deportation decision or a security assessment — that blocks permits independently of the merits of an application. See refusal and appeal. - e-ikamet
- online residence permit system
The Directorate General of Migration Management's online system through which residence permit applications are filed and appointments allocated. - İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü
- Provincial Directorate of Migration Management
The provincial authority that receives and decides residence permit applications. - Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Müdürlüğü
- Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs
The provincial authority that receives citizenship applications and conducts the investigation before the file goes to the Ministry of Interior. - Apostil
- apostille
The certificate under the 1961 Hague Convention that authenticates a public document for use in another contracting state. Obtainable only in the country that issued the document. - Yeminli tercüman
- sworn translator
A translator sworn before a Turkish notary. Foreign documents must be translated by one and the translation notarised in Türkiye; translations notarised abroad are frequently refused. - SGK
- Social Security Institution
The Turkish social security body. Dependent health cover through a Turkish spouse's SGK registration satisfies the insurance condition and independently evidences the family relationship. - Evlenmenin iptali
- annulment of marriage
A judicial declaration that a marriage was defective from the outset, as distinct from a divorce, which ends a valid marriage. See annulment and the good-faith spouse. - Muhtar
- neighbourhood head
The elected head of a neighbourhood. Frequently consulted during the enquiry into whether a couple genuinely live at the registered address.