Temporary protection is the protection status established by the Temporary Protection Regulation dated 22 October 2014. According to this regulation, the status is applied to foreigners who were forced to leave their country, who cannot return to the country they left, who arrived at or crossed Turkish borders en masse or individually, and who will not have their international protection needs adjudicated under an individual procedure.
Syrian nationals as well as refugees and stateless persons from Syria who have arrived in Turkey en masse or individually are granted temporary protection status. Thus, the Temporary Protection Regulation covers not only Syrian nationals but also refugees, including Palestinians and other stateless persons coming from Syria.
In addition, the amendment introduced to the Temporary Protection Regulation on 7 April 2016 states that Syrian nationals who irregularly crossed to the Aegean Islands after 20 March 2016 and were subsequently readmitted to Turkey may also be granted temporary protection status.
The temporary protection regime establishes a safeguard against the return of individuals with temporary protection status to Syria against their will. The regime also grants legal residence, as well as access to fundamental rights and entitlements, including health care services and education, to those registered with Turkish authorities.
The Directorate General of Migration Management is the main body responsible for registration of all individuals under the temporary protection regime. The Directorate General of Migration Management is a specialized government institution with offices throughout Turkey. The headquarters of the Directorate General of Migration Management are in Ankara and there are Provincial Directorate of Migration Management offices across Turkey.
To complete your temporary protection registration, you should approach the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office in your city of residence. Please be informed that as registration procedures may vary, it is best to consult the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office in your city of residence for further details.
During registration, the authorities will request your basic demographic details, such as your name and surname, and your date and place of birth. If you have any identification documents, it is important for you to present them during registration. Please be advised that this is not a requirement for registration, and individuals who do not possess an identity document are still entitled to register. In such cases, your statements will suffice for the completion of registration. During registration, the competent authorities will also record your biometric data.
Please be informed that the authorities will also require you to present documents (such as utility bills, a certificate of residence, or a rent contract) to verify your contact details and address. The authorities will treat all information and data with strict confidentiality.
Upon the completion of your registration, the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management authorities will issue a Temporary Protection Identity Document. This document is free of charge and will include your photo and basic identification information. This identity document will also contain your foreigner ID number starting with ‘99’.
The Temporary Protection Identity Document legalizes your presence in Turkey, and the foreigner’s ID number on this card is necessary to access fundamental rights and services such as health care and education. Moreover, you may enter into contracts, including for services such as telecommunications (i.e. cellular phone, internet) with your Temporary Protection Identity Document.
Please note, the Temporary Protection Identity Document is not a substitute for a residence permit or any other equivalent document. This document also does not allow its bearers to obtain long-term residence permits.
First and foremost, registering with the Turkish authorities enables you to stay legally in Turkey. Once you are registered, you will also be able to access public services granted under the temporary protection regime. If you have arrived to Turkey irregularly or do not have a valid travel document or a residence permit, and if you wish to travel outside of Turkey, including for resettlement or family reunification, you will need an exit permit, which is only attainable if you are registered. Finally, all persons seeking temporary protection are required to register, according to the Temporary Protection Regulation.
Registration does not impose any restrictions on you. You do not have an obligation to go to temporary accommodation centers or camps after being registered. However, please be informed that as a rule, you will only be able to benefit from rights and services in the province where you completed your temporary protection registration.
The document which contains a foreigner ID number starting with ‘98’ is officially known as the Foreigner’s Identity Document. This document demonstrates that you have registered with the Turkish authorities and therefore legally reside in Turkey. However, to avoid any difficulties in accessing rights and entitlements, you are required to obtain a foreigner ID number starting with ‘99’. You may visit the website of the Directorate General of Migration Management at www.goc.gov.tr and obtain a new foreigner ID number beginning with ‘99’ by entering your ID number starting with ‘98’. You also need to approach the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management in your city to obtain a Temporary Protection Identity Document containing your foreigner ID number starting with ‘99’.
If you have lost your Temporary Protection Identity Document, you should immediately report to the nearest Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office, which will note your declaration and give you a new identity document. You may follow the same procedure for damaged or worn-out identity documents.
In accordance with the temporary protection regime, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees does not register or adjudicate asylum claims of individuals under temporary protection. Thus, you are not required to register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Your family members can register with the competent authorities in the same manner. As registration is carried out individually, it is important for your family members to be personally present at the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office at the time of their registration appointments.
Individuals who have completed their temporary protection registration have the right to bring a claim for family reunification. As per the Temporary Protection Regulation, you can only make these claims for a spouse, minor children or dependent children of any age. You should apply to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management for family reunification. The Directorate General of Migration Management is the main body responsible for receiving and assessing the claim. Where necessary, the Directorate General will cooperate with other relevant institutions. For further information, you may approach the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office in your city of registration.
It is the duty of the mother, father, or legal guardian of a child to register his or her birth with the Population and Civil Registry Department in the province where the birth took place. The registration must be done within thirty days of the birth. Please be aware that failure to comply with this requirement may result in an administrative fine.
It is important to present the original birth report provided by the hospital or the health center and other relevant documents in your possession. However, if you do not have any of these documents or if the birth did not take place in a hospital or health center, you are still entitled to register your newborn. In some cases, particularly if the birth took place at home, the Population and Civil Registry Department authorities may order a verification.
Please also note that you are required to register your newborn with the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management of the city you in which are registered. Following the registration, your newborn will also be issued a Temporary Protection Identity Document.
Finally, please note that registering your newborn shall not directly confer Turkish citizenship to your child or to you.
According to the Temporary Protection Regulation, unaccompanied minors, persons with disabilities, elderly persons, pregnant women, a single mother or a single father with an accompanying child, and persons who have been subjected to torture, rape, or other types of serious psychological, physical or sexual violence are recognized as persons with special needs.
If you or other individuals in your family have a condition matching with the list above, please disclose this condition during registration. The authorities may decide to give you priority in registration. Moreover, the Temporary Protection Regulation specifically states that individuals recognized as persons with special needs shall be given priority in accessing rights and procedures, including the right to access health care services.
In case you have failed to disclose your special condition during registration, or if these conditions have arisen afterwards, you may also approach the registration authorities and request that your registration status to be revised accordingly.
Unaccompanied minors are recognized as persons with special needs. All protection measures and services provided to these persons are regulated under the Child Protection Law. Unaccompanied or separated minors can be accommodated either at state-run shelters or special units within camps.
According to Turkish law, it is essential to uphold the best interest of the child in every procedure. Therefore, if you are an unaccompanied minor or know any person in this situation, please approach our office to receive more detailed information and assistance.
Camps are officially known as temporary accommodation centers and they are located across several provinces in Turkey. However, these camps fall behind in meeting the current volume of demand. Thus, the final decision on admitting an individual to a camp will be made by the Directorate General of Migration Management in coordination with the governorates. According to the Temporary Protection Regulation, the responsible authorities are obligated to take your family situation and your special conditions into account while making the final decision for admission. You may contact the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office in your city of registration for further information.
There is no barrier to leaving the camps. You should approach the camp management and communicate your decision to leave the camp. However, you should be aware that there is currently no rent subsidy, social housing or any other form of state-sponsored accommodation, so you will have to rely on your own resources for your accommodation.
Please also be aware that you are legally required to provide the relevant authorities with your new address within twenty days of leaving the camp.
If you want to change your city of registration to reunite with your close family members who are registered and thus legally residing in another province or to benefit from education or health care services elsewhere or for other reasons, you need to submit a petition to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management in your city of residence. This request will be assessed by the authorities and may be accepted or rejected.
If you are granted a positive response, you must approach the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office and request travel permission. Travel permission documents are usually given for a period of fifteen days and you are required to approach the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office of the new province and notify them about this change in city of residence. Please be advised that you will need to present documents (such as utility bills, a certificate of residence, or a rent contract) to verify your contact details and address during this notification process.
To be able to travel to another city, persons under temporary protection are required to secure a travel permission document from the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office where they are registered. As stated before, a travel permission document is usually given for a period of fifteen days. You are also required to report your presence to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management upon returning to your city of registration.
Please be informed that if you need to be outside of your city of registration for a period longer than fifteen days, you may apply to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office and request an extension. This extension may be granted for up to fifteen additional days. It is important to make your request for extension before your travel permission document expires.
According to the applicable legislation, all foreigners who wish to remain in Turkey beyond the duration of a visa or a visa exemption, or for longer than ninety days, should obtain a residence permit. A residence permit allows you to stay legally in Turkey within the period of its validity.
If you have entered Turkey with a valid passport and in a regular way, it is possible to apply for a residence permit. However, there are certain requirements for getting a residence permit. Please visit the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office to inquire about these requirements and to apply for a residence permit.
If you have already obtained a residence permit, this will allow you to legally reside in Turkey within the period of its validity. Thus, if you have a valid residence permit, you are not obligated to register under the temporary protection regime. However, please be advised that, if you have a residence permit, you will not be able to benefit from the rights and entitlements granted to persons under temporary protection.
Yes, you may voluntarily return to Syria. The Temporary Protection Regulation states that the government of Turkey may provide support for voluntary returns to Syria. However, please be informed that voluntary departure from Turkey is one of the grounds for cessation of your temporary protection status.
If you are certain about your decision to voluntarily return to Syria, you are required to approach the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office in your city of registration and complete a Voluntary Return Form. Upon the completion of this process, you will be provided a copy of this document along with a travel permission document. You will then be able to travel to the appropriate border crossing point and leave Turkey. Please be informed that authorities will take your Temporary Protection Identity Document away at the border.
Should you later decide to return to Turkey and re-apply for temporary protection, the Directorate General of Migration Management has discretion to grant or deny this request.
Persons benefiting from temporary protection in Turkey may benefit from resettlement, humanitarian admission or other admission programs. These options are only available to the most vulnerable individuals and the available spots for these individuals are limited. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Turkey office cooperates with the Turkish authorities and other countries to facilitate this process. Please be informed that the final decision is not taken by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but by the offices of admitting countries.
All procedures in relation to resettlement are free of charge. We therefore strongly advise you to not believe persons who promise resettlement in return for money or any other financial benefits. These practices are clearly fraudulent.
Another possibility for going to a third country is through family reunification. Applications for family reunification should be directly made to consular representatives of these countries in Turkey. Procedures of family reunification differ for each country. Many countries require that the family member in the third country initiate the process, and most of them only accept nuclear family members (meaning your spouse and children below the age of eighteen).
Finally, if you have a valid travel document and a valid visa, you may also travel to a third country. Being registered under temporary protection is not a barrier to travel, provided that you have valid documents.
However, if you do not have a valid travel document, or if you have entered Turkey through irregular channels, you will need to obtain an exit permit from the Turkish authorities before you depart from Turkey for the purpose of resettlement, family reunification, or through similar channels.
According to the Temporary Protection Regulation, all persons under temporary protection are required to obtain an exit permit from the Directorate General of Migration Management, should they wish to leave Turkey either permanently or temporarily. All individuals who do not have a valid travel document and a valid visa who wish to travel to a third country should obtain an exit permit. You may approach the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management office and present your documents demonstrating your resettlement or other official forms of entry to the third country, to apply for and obtain an exit permit.
Attempting to leave Turkey in an irregular manner constitutes one of the grounds for deportation. You may also be detained for this reason. Applicable legislation as well as international agreements to which Turkey is a party require Turkish authorities to not deport persons who are in need of international protection. This is known as the principle of non-refoulement and means that it is prohibited to send a person to any place where he/she may be at risk of serious human rights violations. If you are detained for an irregular attempt to exit Turkey and would like to receive information, you may call the Detention Hotline of Refugee Rights Turkey at +90 507 218 62 85. Our Detention Hotline operates during weekdays (Monday to Friday) between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM.