Moving from Russia to Turkey
Moving from Russia to Turkey: Russia passport holders get visa-free (60 days) for short stays and need a residence permit to settle. Turkey costs about $1,150/month for one person. Citizenship takes about 5 years of residence.
Last updated August 2026 · How we calculate this
Visa & entry
Visa-free (60 days) for short visits. To settle you'll need a residence route:
- Citizenship by investment — Buy $400k of property (held 3 years) for citizenship, or take residence by property.
Digital-nomad visa: available, from $3,000/mo income. Digital-nomad visa for eligible nationalities; ~$3,000/mo income.
See all visa routes →Documents & apostille
Single apostille each end. Both countries are in the Hague Apostille Convention — one apostille from Russia makes your documents valid in Turkey.
Where in Russia: apostille issued by several bodies depending on document type — Ministry of Justice (via territorial offices) for notarial/court docs, Rosobrnadzor for education documents, regional ZAGS (civil-registry) offices for civil-status docs, and regional State Archives
↳ Turkey: Apostille is issued locally by the provincial Governor's office, not a central ministry; e-Apostille available via PTT since 2019
Check each document →Cost, tax & salary
Cost of living in Turkey: around $1,150/mo for one person.
Citizenship & residency
5 yrs continuous residence to naturalise (discretionary); long-term residence permit after 8 yrs. Property CBI ($400k) bypasses residence.
Your path to a passport →Arrival checklist
- Register your address: Adres Kayıt (address registration in the AKS National Address Database; booked via the Göç İdaresi appointment system)
- Get a tax number: Vergi Kimlik Numarası (VKN) — tax ID, issued instantly online at ivd.gib.gov.tr
- Residence permit: İkamet İzni / İkamet Tezkeresi (residence permit, applied via e-ikamet)
- Healthcare: Private health insurance mandatory for the permit; after 1 year of legal residence you may enroll in SGK/GSS (Genel Sağlık Sigortası)
Get VKN first (passport, online, free) → open bank account → sign lease + register address → then e-ikamet permit, which requires a registered address and valid health insurance.
Your move, step by step →Driving
Any country accepted — no test regardless of origin; requires notarized Turkish translation of licence
Miss the driving window and you can face penalties; drive only while foreign licence is still valid. Requires certified/notarized Turkish translation. Window figure varies by source (6 months vs 12) — verify current NVI rule.
Exchange your licence →Pets
- Microchip: Required; ISO 11784/11785, implanted before rabies vaccination
- Rabies: Required; given after microchip, from 12 weeks age, at least 30 days before entry
- Quarantine: None if fully compliant; otherwise possible hold/quarantine at owner's expense
Turkey — quick facts
Start your move from Russia to Turkey
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