Job Discussion Forums

[thetongmaster]

I'm hoping somebody could give me some advice about residency permit requirements.

I am South African, and I arrived in Istanbul five days ago, hoping to secure a teaching job here. Being a South African, I have a few issues - firstly, my tourist visa is only valid for one month, so I need to try and get a residency permit as quickly as possible. And secondly, it would seem that I am unable to apply for the long term residency permit that other nationalities are eligible for.
Therefore, I must try and submit an application for a residency permit for work purposes. According to the Emniyet website, to apply for this permit I must produce a valid employment contract, and a letter from the Ministry of Labor. My question is, has anyone had the same experience, and is it difficult to get a letter from the Ministry of Labor once an employment contract has been signed?

Additionally, I recently spoke to someone at the South African Embassy in Turkey, who told me that it would be impossible to get a residency permit without first applying for a work permit from the Turkish Embassy in South Africa. Is this the only way, or are there ways around this?

Thanks.

[indigirl]

Hi Tongmaster

I'm from SA too and thus interested in the process so please do keep us updated.

Did you come on a tourist visa?

It looks like the first step is signing a contract, then taking that to the M of L with a smile and a letter that you were offered this job and need a residency permit asap!

I'd go with the process outlined by Emniyet and trust that it works out. If they grant you a residency permit for work purposes then you're good, regardless! Might as well try, and if you end up having to fly home, well, at least you took the chance, right?

I am coming in April and will likely be in a similar situation!
Good luck