What actually changed
Repeat touristic renewals
Second and third touristic renewals are being refused
Reported practice since May 2025: migration officers now test whether “tourism” is still your genuine purpose of stay. Consecutive touristic renewals without a concrete justification are refused, extensions that do pass are often issued for six months, and applicants are expected to move to a permit type that matches their real situation. This is consistent law-firm and press reporting, not a published regulation — which is exactly why it keeps catching people by surprise.
Income
Provable monthly income of ~1.5x the minimum wage (about 42,000 TL/month in 2026)
The announced financial bar: 1.5x the net minimum wage per adult applicant, plus additional income for each accompanying family member. Offices reportedly back this with a demand for three to six months of signed, stamped Turkish bank statements showing regular activity — money that appears as one lump sum just before filing is read as borrowed, not yours.
Address
Neighborhood closures: imposed 2022-25, reportedly lifted June 2026
Between 2022 and 2025, 1,169 neighborhoods across İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Antalya and Bursa — every mahalle of Esenyurt among them — were closed to new foreigner registration. In early June 2026 that practice was reportedly lifted across most of the country: e-ikamet stopped blocking applications from previously closed areas. Reports conflict on whether Fatih and Esenyurt in İstanbul remain closed, and there is no official Göç İdaresi announcement either way. The address rule has now flipped twice in a year — verify your specific mahalle at application time, before signing any lease.
Insurance & timing
Full-period health insurance, and a 60-day window that matters more
Two parts of the written law that now get strict enforcement: your health insurance must cover the entire new permit period and state that it is valid for residence applications, and the extension window opens 60 days before expiry. With refusal rates up, filing early in that window — with time to fix a document deficiency — has become part of the strategy rather than a nicety.