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Being married to a Turkish citizen is one thing, but getting a residence permit is another. In fact, that has been something of a nightmare for me for the last eight and a half years.
Even though Turkey recognizes dual citizenship, my own country does not. Therefore, it is impossible for me to apply for Turkish citizenship without losing my current citizenship. So, I have had no choice but to visit the Emniyet Müdürlüğü Office a number of times after all these years to renew my residence permit.
Every time we needed to visit the Emniyet Müdürlüğü we had to get out of the apartment by 6:30 a.m. in order to be among the first in line. Leaving the apartment even five minutes later would have made a large difference in what part of the line we were in. We had to wait in line at many counters; I was told that one counter was supposed to be for this while the other counter was supposed to be for that. And after waiting for hours, I would come up to a counter, only to be told that my documents were incomplete, necessitating another visit to the office. The next time I would go there, I would again be told that further documents were required. It seemed that the required documents changed as often as one changes clothes. Most of the time, my husband and I were left in frustration.
I was also lucky in that I could leave my children with relatives. Some had to bring their children along and, at times, their newly born babies! It was a nightmare; however, as a foreigner I had no choice but to be among those in line in order to be able to stay with my husband and children, all of whom are Turkish citizens.
My residence permit was set to expire a few days ago and I needed to go renew it yet again. Following years of experience, I wizened up and went with my husband to the Emniyet Müdürlüğü two weeks in advance to ask what documents would be needed for renewal. I was pleasantly surprised that the man at the information counter gave us a small piece of paper that listed all the necessary documents. He also gave us a copy of the residence permit declaration form.
In addition to all of this, a Web site has been set up at http://yabancilar. iem.gov.tr/ikametingilizce.html that provides this form for download and an updated list of necessary documents for renewal in Turkish, English and German. This must be something new as last year they did not have it -- or at least I was not aware of it. All of this has made the renewal process much easier. Being able to download the form, fill it out and print it at home is very convenient. Last year the process included getting the form and having your information typed on it, all for a YTL 9 fee. That was really outrageous. This year, thank God, the process has been made so much easier.
Time came to renew the permit and, with all the documents in hand, I went to the office. This time, I was confident that I had the right documents. We got to the office at around 7:15 a.m. and, unsurprisingly, many people were already there, waiting to be let into the Emniyet Müdürlüğü building compound. What I loved about the whole experience this time around was that those who came would leave their ID card or passport at the entrance counter so that when the gates were opened, those who came first would enter first and would then be the first in line to get numbers before going up to the counters. This removed the possibility of people cutting in line -- which could create great tension in an already tense atmosphere.
As expected, while waiting to pick up a number in the corridor, we froze. Years of experience have taught me that in seasons like this one, going to the Emniyet Müdürlüğü with a winter jacket on is the best way to go. This became clearer as, unlike in previous years, we had to wait longer. The numbers were only given out shortly after 9 a.m., though this might have been because the numbering machine was broken.
The whole situation with the counters has changed. Instead of having to go to many counters to complete the renewal process, we only needed to go to one, where the attendant checked all of our documents and stamped them. Previously, we had to go to two counters, both of which had very long lines; at one counter we were required to pay the fee for the permit while at the second one we needed to submit the payment receipt. This time around, my husband and I were already on our way to breakfast by 10 a.m.
The most important change I noticed was that only a certain number of people were given numbers for the morning session. Those who did not get a number would have to be in line after the lunch break to get numbers. This has greatly reduced the crowd of people waiting for their turn. In previous years, numbers for the whole day were given in the morning. This led to many people having to wait the entire day only to leave because the lines were painfully slow and the crowd suffocating. I commend the Emniyet Müdürlüğü for fixing this situation. The new system really makes a difference. For once in my life I walked away with a smile after renewing my permit.
What concerns me most, however, is a foreigner like myself who is married to a Turkish citizen is required to renew the residence permit in order to stay in Turkey. One of the requirements is that the couple must be present together at the Emniyet Müdürlüğü before the permit can be renewed. What happens after (God forbid!) my husband dies? I would not be able to renew my permit. Does this mean that would have to return to my country, Malaysia? What if I want to stay here? It would not be wise for me to move to Malaysia as my life, and more importantly, that of my children, who are Turkish citizens, is already firmly planted here. It would not be fair to my children to have to start from ground zero in another land. Wouldn't it be easier if foreigners married to a Turkish citizen are allowed to have a permanent residence permit?
It is true that a residence permit valid for several years is available, but the costs are forbidding. The fee for a one-year residence permit is approximately YTL 500 as of this writing. If I wanted to request a 10-year residence permit, the fee would climb to YTL 5,000. Renewing the permit is not cheap and I for one cannot afford that much money. But renewing the permit is still not an answer. Were my husband to die before I needed to renew my permit, what then? I personally feel that a law should be introduced that allows spouses of Turkish citizens to be granted permanent residence permits.
08.04.2008
SIMAH ZAİM İSTANBUL
Being married to a Turkish citizen is one thing, but getting a residence permit is another. In fact, that has been something of a nightmare for me for the last eight and a half years.
Even though Turkey recognizes dual citizenship, my own country does not. Therefore, it is impossible for me to apply for Turkish citizenship without losing my current citizenship. So, I have had no choice but to visit the Emniyet Müdürlüğü Office a number of times after all these years to renew my residence permit.
Every time we needed to visit the Emniyet Müdürlüğü we had to get out of the apartment by 6:30 a.m. in order to be among the first in line. Leaving the apartment even five minutes later would have made a large difference in what part of the line we were in. We had to wait in line at many counters; I was told that one counter was supposed to be for this while the other counter was supposed to be for that. And after waiting for hours, I would come up to a counter, only to be told that my documents were incomplete, necessitating another visit to the office. The next time I would go there, I would again be told that further documents were required. It seemed that the required documents changed as often as one changes clothes. Most of the time, my husband and I were left in frustration.
I was also lucky in that I could leave my children with relatives. Some had to bring their children along and, at times, their newly born babies! It was a nightmare; however, as a foreigner I had no choice but to be among those in line in order to be able to stay with my husband and children, all of whom are Turkish citizens.
My residence permit was set to expire a few days ago and I needed to go renew it yet again. Following years of experience, I wizened up and went with my husband to the Emniyet Müdürlüğü two weeks in advance to ask what documents would be needed for renewal. I was pleasantly surprised that the man at the information counter gave us a small piece of paper that listed all the necessary documents. He also gave us a copy of the residence permit declaration form.
In addition to all of this, a Web site has been set up at http://yabancilar. iem.gov.tr/ikametingilizce.html that provides this form for download and an updated list of necessary documents for renewal in Turkish, English and German. This must be something new as last year they did not have it -- or at least I was not aware of it. All of this has made the renewal process much easier. Being able to download the form, fill it out and print it at home is very convenient. Last year the process included getting the form and having your information typed on it, all for a YTL 9 fee. That was really outrageous. This year, thank God, the process has been made so much easier.
Time came to renew the permit and, with all the documents in hand, I went to the office. This time, I was confident that I had the right documents. We got to the office at around 7:15 a.m. and, unsurprisingly, many people were already there, waiting to be let into the Emniyet Müdürlüğü building compound. What I loved about the whole experience this time around was that those who came would leave their ID card or passport at the entrance counter so that when the gates were opened, those who came first would enter first and would then be the first in line to get numbers before going up to the counters. This removed the possibility of people cutting in line -- which could create great tension in an already tense atmosphere.
As expected, while waiting to pick up a number in the corridor, we froze. Years of experience have taught me that in seasons like this one, going to the Emniyet Müdürlüğü with a winter jacket on is the best way to go. This became clearer as, unlike in previous years, we had to wait longer. The numbers were only given out shortly after 9 a.m., though this might have been because the numbering machine was broken.
The whole situation with the counters has changed. Instead of having to go to many counters to complete the renewal process, we only needed to go to one, where the attendant checked all of our documents and stamped them. Previously, we had to go to two counters, both of which had very long lines; at one counter we were required to pay the fee for the permit while at the second one we needed to submit the payment receipt. This time around, my husband and I were already on our way to breakfast by 10 a.m.
The most important change I noticed was that only a certain number of people were given numbers for the morning session. Those who did not get a number would have to be in line after the lunch break to get numbers. This has greatly reduced the crowd of people waiting for their turn. In previous years, numbers for the whole day were given in the morning. This led to many people having to wait the entire day only to leave because the lines were painfully slow and the crowd suffocating. I commend the Emniyet Müdürlüğü for fixing this situation. The new system really makes a difference. For once in my life I walked away with a smile after renewing my permit.
What concerns me most, however, is a foreigner like myself who is married to a Turkish citizen is required to renew the residence permit in order to stay in Turkey. One of the requirements is that the couple must be present together at the Emniyet Müdürlüğü before the permit can be renewed. What happens after (God forbid!) my husband dies? I would not be able to renew my permit. Does this mean that would have to return to my country, Malaysia? What if I want to stay here? It would not be wise for me to move to Malaysia as my life, and more importantly, that of my children, who are Turkish citizens, is already firmly planted here. It would not be fair to my children to have to start from ground zero in another land. Wouldn't it be easier if foreigners married to a Turkish citizen are allowed to have a permanent residence permit?
It is true that a residence permit valid for several years is available, but the costs are forbidding. The fee for a one-year residence permit is approximately YTL 500 as of this writing. If I wanted to request a 10-year residence permit, the fee would climb to YTL 5,000. Renewing the permit is not cheap and I for one cannot afford that much money. But renewing the permit is still not an answer. Were my husband to die before I needed to renew my permit, what then? I personally feel that a law should be introduced that allows spouses of Turkish citizens to be granted permanent residence permits.
08.04.2008
SIMAH ZAİM İSTANBUL
