The year of 2022 was turbulent not only in terms of rising prices for renting and selling housing in Turkey, but also in terms of numerous changes in everyday life. There were large and small legislative initiatives (from raising the financial threshold for obtaining citizenship for investments from $250,000 to $400,000 and to adaptation courses for foreigners), changes in the "operating system" (financial transactions), in the social sphere, and so on.
Certain things have become more complicated for visitors, while other things, on the contrary, have become simpler.
Let's list the key innovations of 2022 as well as recent changes that may affect the daily life of those moving to Turkey. In the latter case, we mean both immigrants and foreigners buying housing. Those who may not be willing to live in Turkey permanently, but still plan to issue a Turkish residence permit. This information may be useful for residents.
Content:
- Some statistics
- Documents and everything connected with them
- Buying a house will become more transparent
- Taxes
- Motor transport and driving licence
Some statistics
The total number of foreign citizens who relocated to Turkey temporarily or came to obtain a residence permit became impressive in 2022. In December – according to the results of an incomplete year – their number exceeded 5.2 million. Of these, almost two-thirds (3.8 million) are refugees from Syria and beyond. About a million more are students. Finally, about 1.3 million are foreigners who rent or have purchased housing and applied for a residence permit.
In 2022, most of the latter were Russians and Ukrainians, while the most popular province was Antalya with its resort towns of Antalya, Alanya, Kaş, Kemer, Side, Belek, Kalkan, etc.
Documents and everything connected with them
Permanent residence in Turkey requires a residence permit and imposes certain obligations on new residents, whether they have bought a house or rent one.
To get used to the life in Turkey in 2022, the authorities organized social adaptation courses for foreigners. However, according to some foreign citizens who have moved to warmer climes for a long time, SMS-mailings with an invitation to courses came even to those who have been living in the country for many years and do not need any recommendations like finding the nearest supermarkets, instructions for seeking medical help, etc. On the contrary, they could conduct such briefing themselves. Apparently, the mechanism for informing about courses has not yet been debugged (not filtered by recipients), because such information is needed only for those who apply for a residence permit for the first time. It was rumoured that without confirmation of such courses, a person risks being refused a residence permit; so in cities, where the initiative works, foreign nationals who have arrived should not refuse to attend these adaptation courses. Besides, their duration is only a few hours.
It has become easier to apply for a residence permit. Previously, the huge influx of visitors since the end of February, especially on the coast of Antalya, almost led to a collapse in some bureaucratic structures – officials did not have time to process the documents submitted for obtaining a residence permit on time. Moreover, in some cases, packages of documents may be returned, as additional documents may be requested, etc.
Remember that when the interview date for obtaining a residence permit has been set, a person is in Turkey legally, even if the visa-free days have expired; and it does not matter how long you need to wait – a month or six months. However, first, it is inconvenient, because you cannot leave the country before the interview. Second, it became problematic to set a date: people spent whole days looking for free online slots in the system, and they are not always successful. However, among the so-called consultants, alas, there are many scammers who take a lot of money for their advice and disappear without a trace.
Antalya has tried to solve this problem: an information and consulting centre has been opened in the province, where any foreigner can get help in obtaining a residence permit and other documents. Although these services are paid, they are official, and you will be invited to an interview no later than in a month. In addition, here you can draw up other papers.
Alas, conflicts have become more frequent between foreign nationals and locals in Antalya. The authorities will be more vigilant about this. Another bureau for foreigners will oversee their stay in Turkey within reasonable limits: in matters of information and law enforcement. At the same time, this bureau will unite several services: the Department for Foreigners, police representatives, local elders, the gendarmerie, a part of the municipality, etc.
Buying a house will become more transparent
Over the past month, important provisions on the sale of real estate, including residential real estate, have been adopted. Earlier, the difference between the cadastral and market value of housing (especially when the buyer did not know about this nuance) caused trouble to foreigners. It was not uncommon for a person to give $400,000 or more to get citizenship for investment, and the price of an apartment according to the documents was much lower, for example, $270,000. As a result, the foreigner had to part with "citizenship under an accelerated procedure."
The Act on Mandatory Real Estate Evaluation has been adopted and will enter into force in 2023. It minimizes these price discrepancies. That is, the cadastral value at which citizenship is granted for investment will be determined based on the data of the mandatory assessment report.
Summarizing: this news is extremely important and pleasant for foreigners. Moreover, thanks to the new law, not only will prices be more transparent, but also the range of residential real estate available to foreigners will expand.
Earlier, we reported that the electronic system for checking sellers' documents will avoid TAPU forgeries, which will also make sales safer.
Taxes
There is no joyful news about taxes for the year. First, due to the high level of inflation, the property tax for owners will be raised by about 60% from the beginning of the year. Second, as for Istanbul, where there is a shortage of apartments and houses for rent, owners of empty housing (where the owner does not live and does not want to rent it out) may expect an increased tax in the near future. You can read about the reasons here.
Motor transport and driving licence
The cost of obtaining a driving licence in Turkey will increase to 15,000 liras. There is no difficulty for foreigners obtaining this document. If you want to pay this amount, you can attend these courses in English, and you can find English-speaking instructors. However, foreign citizens who have a driving licence do not need to take this course.
