Expensive and unstable: Russians are leaving Turkey en masse

Expats spoke about the difficulties of legalization in the country

Russians are leaving Turkey en masse due to refusals to issue or extend residence permits. The country’s migration legislation changes frequently and becomes less and less friendly for visitors.

Since the end of last year, many Russians have decided to move to Turkey. In Antalya, where the presence of Russians was already quite noticeable, the new arrivals noticeably displaced the local residents. Now the situation may change – more and more Russians are inclined to change their place of residence again.

The number of Russians legally residing in Turkey with a residence permit has decreased by 34% since the beginning of the year, more than 53 thousand Russian citizens left the country, according to RIA Novosti calculations.

There may be several reasons for this. But first of all, these are refusals to obtain a primary tourist residence permit and its extension. You can live in the country legally if you rent an apartment in a suitable area (some locations are closed for obtaining a residence permit). After receiving the rental agreement, you need to go to the migration service, providing them with the necessary list of documents, and wait. If previously it was quite easy to obtain a tourist residence permit, now Russians complain about continuous refusals without explanation.

“In Antalya, my family has its own apartment, the ownership contract is in my mother’s name. Last year I was denied a residence permit for this property,” Moscow resident Anton shared with MK. After that, he returned to his hometown and tried to resubmit the documents: “I was given a residence permit, but only after my mother included me in the property agreement.”

The conditions for legal stay in Turkey are constantly changing. Previously, in order to obtain a permanent residence permit, you had to buy an apartment at a price of more than 75 thousand dollars. Now this threshold has been increased to 200 thousand.

The situation is similar with obtaining citizenship. Turkish legislation provided for the issuance of a passport for the purchase of an apartment starting from 400 thousand dollars. Now they plan to increase this amount to 600 thousand. Of course, such uncertainty in the laws repels people who wanted to live and invest in the Turkish economy. They are looking for countries with a more stable system.

Another problem is prices. Muscovite Kristina moved to Antalya in 2019. She works in a cleaning service and earns about 25 thousand liras a month—about $850.

“Living has become expensive. What a year ago cost roughly five liras, today costs all 15. For example, we bought a bed last year for 9 thousand liras, and now the same bed is sold for 16 thousand liras. Previously, the salary was enough to rent an apartment and more than comfortable living, but now we have to limit ourselves in spending,” Marina, a resident of Antalya, told MK. She is in Turkey on the basis of a tourist residence permit. A month ago I sent documents for renewal, but have not yet received a response.