8 Insights for Those Who Move to Turkey in 2022

Russian residents are in the top five among foreign buyers of Turkish real estate. Turkey is loyal to citizens of other countries, however, its legislation and culture have their own peculiarities. It is better to know about them beforehand. Below are tips for future migrants from persons who have already moved to Turkey. Useful information will help prevent possible mistakes when moving and make your transition easier.

Content:

Investigate The Area You Chose Coming in Person

Districts of a city can differ not only in the quality of housing stock, but also in terms of infrastructure. Therefore, it makes sense to live in the chosen area for some time before purchasing a property. This will allow you to see its peculiarities from the inside and to understand how convenient the chosen location is. Turkey consists of 81 provinces. Each of them has its own features and advantages. The choice of places to live is nearly unlimited. It is better to rent an apartment in the area you like and live there for some time than to buy a property without "trying it on".

Take Care of Your Rainy Day Fund

Turkey is considered to be a relatively affordable country. But it is important to bear in mind that obtaining a residence permit does not bring an employment visa by default. A work permit is issued separately. This process takes some time, during which you need to live on your own. At the same time, it is better to calculate the expected expenses in a particular area in advance. The expenses are:

Property maintenance;
Food expenses;
Possible expenses for medical services, if your insurance doesn’t provide for such services.

Prices vary significantly in different Turkish cities,. If there is no possibility of receiving passive income, for example, from renting out your own apartment in your hometown, it would be wise to have some extra funds for 5 to 6 months. Remote work or seasonal activities in the tourism sector can also be an option. In this case, a work visa is usually given by the employer.

The cost of utilities:

Garbage removal: $11 to $45 annually.
Electricity is paid as per meter. You’ll have to pay from $0.09 per kilowatt at a flow rate of up to 150 kW and from $0.14 if this limit is exceeded. It is important to know that electricity costs include air conditioning system functioning almost throughout the year. In summer it cools your home, and in winter it heats it.
Water: $0.32 per cubic meter.

If you apartment is heated with gas, you need to purchase gas cylinders, since there is no central gas supply in most regions. The cost of a gas cylinder, which is enough for one family for several months, is $16.5 to $33.

Housing maintenance includes not only utilities, but also aidat. This is a mandatory payment for the maintenance of common property. It depends on the comfort of your residential complex and the type of your property. Luxury property aidat in Istanbul can cost up to $445 per month.

Don't Forget About the Documents Required

Birth certificates, marriage certificates, education documents require certification. They are affixed with an apostille, confirming the authenticity of documents for a foreign official. For those who are divorced, it is important to have the consent of the child’s other parent for the minor to live in another country. Such authorization must be notarized.

Get a Medical Insurance

Officially, Russian residents do not need a medical insurance to enter Turkey. However, this document is required when applying for a residence permit, and it is better to have it in case you need some medical services. Without medical insurance, you can only get emergency assistance. All other medical services will be charged if you don’t have an insurance, whether it's a therapist's appointment or a blood test. The average cost of a health insurance varies from $50 to $150 per year.

Get to Know Local Education Peculiarities

If there are kids in your family, then going to school is mandatory. In Turkey, there are public free schools where you can register a child with a residence permit, and paid schools. There are some educational institutions where lessons are held in Russian, but these are quite few and relatively expensive. It is better to choose a school in advance so as not to “fall out” of the study process by the time you move. In preschool education sphere in the country, you can find numerous hobby groups and classes. Kindergartens in Turkey are to be paid for. These institutions are not in great demand, as it is usually mothers and grandmothers who are busy with the kids’ personal development and training.

Don’t Be Afraid of the First Year’s Issues

Even those who move from city to city within the same country face the difficulties of adapting themselves to a new place. If you change the country, a period of getting used to new realities is inevitable. It is most difficult for those who do not speak Turkish or English. They experience lack of communication. This is not a real problem: in many Turkish cities there are well-developed Russian-speaking communities, which makes it possible to find your circle of contacts among compatriots. Another option is to study the language in advance. This is especially useful for those who are going to obtain citizenship when purchasing real estate. To do this, it is not enough to buy a property worth more than $400,000. You still have to pass a Turkish language qualifying exam.

Pay Attention to Local Mentality and Local Rules

Here are a few points that may surprise or even annoy foreigners:

Mobile phones in Turkey are registered and a fee is charged. If this is not done, then the number will be blocked after you use it for 4 months. Besides, cell communication in the region is quite expensive.
The fee for registering a SIM card is about $100. The cellular communication costs start from $11. Such basic package includes a limited number of minutes and 1 to 2 GB of mobile data transfer.
Local people does not show much zeal for meeting deadlines. Therefore, don’t be nervous if you were promised that your household appliances will be fixed, but the service is postponed day by day. You’ll have to carefully monitor such issues, and getting nervous makes no sense. These are the local mentality’s features.
There is no central heating in the country. This should be taken into account when choosing a place of residence. The weather is warmer in southern regions, and electricity will cost you less in winter.

Bear in Mind Local Legislation Peculiarities and Don’t Refuse Brokers’ Services

Choosing Turkish real estate is not very difficult: there are many web-sites where ads for real estate on offer are published. But choosing a comfortable property is only one of the tasks you should perform when moving. You should know the details of the current regulations regarding the issuance of a residence permit. In 2022, Turkey introduced restrictions on obtaining a residence permit based on the property purchase minimal price. Now it is necessary that the real estate unit’s cost is at least $75,000 for large cities, and at least $50,000 for the provinces. Changes in legislation occur regularly, so sometimes it makes sense to use the services of experts who have an up-to-date list of legislative innovations.