Residency permit renewal (June 2015) in İstanbul

The residency system is slowly changing into something new. From what I have seen.. Definitely for the better. Here is a summary of my experience this time around:

If you made an online appointment with them before 18 May -  then you have to reapply online - agaın. This part is not very clearly explaıned anywhere.  If you had a previous appointment to renew you permit then you have to click on: Make A New Appointment on the website. In other words - assume that you never made an appointment to begin with. If you try to go the "renew residency" way.. Then the system likely will tell you you are late to reapply for a residency permit. Depends of cause (you can try this first - but in my case the system showed an error because my prevıous onlıne appoıntment ıs not ın thıs new system - and ıt therefore looks lıke ı overstayed). 

Go to theır websıte: https://e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr/

Select "new appointment".  Fill in all your information like before (you now also have to upload a digital photo of yourself) (no more than 500kb which is a bit annoying)(crop or reduce the quality of your photo with photo editing software if it moans about size). It wıll also ask you to fıll ın your work details - since I'm unemployed I wrote Not Applicable everywhere. If you don't fill in things everywhere... It gives you an error at the end when you click on process information. The website went a bit mental actually after I dıd the aboce... And the pdf application form that it gave me after I wrote not applicable had computer script errors in red that had all kinds of angry computer code. :)   it also caused the pdf to have many blank pages and corrupted the layout. So it seems I single handedly broke their website. ;)    There ıs no other way as far as ı could tell - unless you make up an employer - what else ıs one supposed to do?   They were fine with thıs warped pdf prıntout at Fatih however. So I guess they are aware of thıs problem.  On the  other hand - ıt looked to me that they just use this page as a guıde to help them fill things in on their computer screens during the interview (everythıng now ıs processed vıa computers). Anyway - so when you filled in all your information and you clicked process - it will take you to the next page. If you had an old appointment date (prıor to 18 May 2015)... You can select from a drop down folder an option that say you had an old appointment date. This part is ın Turkish.. But it wasn't too hard to figure out. Select the time and date of your previous appointment - and that is it (your new appoıntment date and tıme wıll be the same as the old one). If you didn't have a prior appointment you will just select a date from the options that they give you. When you are done it will ask you to confirm that you told the truth (cross your heart and hope to die) - and on the page after you confirmed the date you will get your application form in a pdf format (plus some other useful information). 

You need private medical insurance (Allianz is ok..) - make sure you take the original document with you. You need proof of funds (I handed in an official bank statement - with lots of stamps on it - with a balance of 10700tl)(I read somewhere 10300tl or something like that is enough for a 6 month permit...roughly 500 dollars per month - check the exchange rate. I thınk ıt wıll become more and more dıffıcult to get away wıth a Dovıs slıp - so defınately do a bank account ıf you can). You need 4 biometric passport photos. An application form printed in colour. And a notarised copy of your flat/apartment contract (the one ın Taksım asked 95TL to notarıze my contract).   (IF you had an appoıntment prıor to 18 May you must also take the ınıtıal appoıntment date document - thıs ı guess shows that you dıdnt over stay).

They are now in the new building right next to the old Fatih police station. When you go through the gates at Fatih metro.. Go up the stairs on the right. There should be a tuck shop stand in front of you when you get outside. Go past it... There is a weird and dangerous 5 way intersection there.. Be careful. Keep going straight while trying to avoid murderous cars.. The Fatih police station (the old residency building) should be on your right (İstanbul İl Emniyet Müdürlüğü - http://goo.gl/maps/ZXyR) ... Go past it.. And walk for about 5min. When you see a arty looking building with a big glass wall (entrance) on your right.. Then you are at the right place (there should be a statue that looks like ataturk on the building on the opposite side of the street). Google maps:  İstanbul İl Özel İdaresi İl Genel Meclisi  -  http://goo.gl/maps/wRnUH   (when I ınıtıally searched for thıs place - google saıd thıs buıldıng was further down the street - ıt ıs not - go to the locatıon ın the lınk above - ıt ıt ıs on the left ıf you are facıng Fatıh polıce statıon from the maın road sıde).

My appointment was on a Wednesday morning around 9am. I arrived 25min earlier - since I assumed there will be a security check. There was a long line already however - and the security wasn't letting anyone through from what I could see. I think they only open at 9 (but I'm not sure). Which meant that I was over a hour late for my appointment. (I went back on the next day.. And there was almost no line - so I suspect it depends on the date - some days they are probably super busy. Either way - arriving very early might be a good option). 

After you go through the security check you must present the security officer with your passport at a small reception area. Same as in the old Fatih polıce offıce buılıdıng.. But this time there is only one officer. So this slows things down a tiny bit. If you are facing the officer at this reception desk.. Then you need to turn to your right in order to go to the right place. Keep going straight until you pass the other security check Point (for officials I think) on your right. As you pass this checkpoint you should see a set of stairs on you left (there is a slightly hidden vakıfbank atm next to it). Go up two flours. There is a reception area there. Present your documents  - they will then write down the naumber of the office that you must go to. It will look something like this: A2/3 (5) or F3/4 (2) for example. The letter stands for the room (all rooms on thst floor and the previous floor has a letter at the door). The rooms are further divided into parts/sections.. So in this example the official you are looking for is in room A that consists of two sections/divisions called 2 and 3.  Each desk in that room (A) will have a number. In this case... I should look for an official sitting behind desk number 5 in room A (in the 2/3 section of that room). The 2/3 or 3/4 part is written with board markers on the door frame above the door. This is really a bit stupid to be honest.. No one cares about the 2/3 part. All the rooms in this building are fairly small.. I suspect they originally were even smaller.. Maybe they were all once separate small offices spaces .. But now they all as far as I saw just big rooms.. No walls separating the tiny offices anymore (hence there isn't an office 2 and 3 anymore.. Just a room A)... So All they had to say really was go to room A(5) or F(2). 

When you locate your room - stand outside and wait. Try to catch the eye of your officer. The whole setup is so much less formal (and much less angry?) than before.  In the old Fatıh polıce statıon  ıt really felt lıke you were dealıng wıth overworked and unhappy polıce offıcers whose only enjoyment ın lıfe was to fınd somethıng wrong wıth your documents.    It felt very unfriendly - now it almost feels like you are in a bank and you came to see the bank manager and they are all happy to have your busıness. Much much better (my officer was a super friendly blue eyed girl - not a police offer - just an nice official). So try to catch the eye of your officer. Or go over to the official if they are not busy with someone else and say you are there if they are ready for you.  There is no particular system of cueing at the moment - you just hang around at the door. :)  remember this is not south Africa - watch that no one tries to pardon-pardon their way in front of you. Don't get me started on the impoliteness here..

When you sit down with your officer they will ask for all the documents. Unlike before... You sit at the desk with your officer - very relaxing atmosphere. They will go through all your documents (you have 7 days to hand in any missing documents) - and if all is OK - they will ask you to go pay 55tl for the application and another 50 dollars for the new card (Or maybe it's the other way around). Either way - you have to go to the cashier. Remember how I said you must go up two floors to find the reception area? If you are on this floor... Go down one floor and turn left... In the corner there should be a line of people who want to pay so you cant miss it. Now -  almost everyone there was confused. Your official will tell you to go pay 50 dollars... But do not take 50 dollars to the cashier like so many tried to do when I went!! Take the Turkish lyra equivalent of 50 dollars! They do not take foreign currency! I in total paid 195 tl. This amount will vary according to the exchange rate on the day I think... 

I also had to get a police certificate from a law court (it is free.. Whoohoo). I'm not sure if this is for everyone or only because I have been in Turkey for a while (or maybe because I look dodge. :)     either way...I had to go get one. It's not difficult - so don't worry. The only problem was Google maps - I find it's not always that up to date with turkey's locations. You have two options:  one close to bakirkoy metro: http://goo.gl/maps/ZK1uo
Or  one close to sisli metro: Çağlayan Adliyesi  http://goo.gl/maps/pzro2

I went to the bakirkoy one.. Seemed closer (it is on the same red metro line as Fatih.. Not far from the airport). If I wasn't stingy a taxi to the sisli one probably would have been better. It seems more modern? For good instructions what to do at the sisli one.. Search the place on Google maps and read through the reviews. There is an excellent review near the top - the person explained very nicely what to do). Watch out for Google maps and the bakirkoy location. When I initially types in the name of the law court... It marked an area on the map that's not the same as the location I posted above. You can't miss the building. It's the brownish monstrosity (somethıng about ıt remınds of me of the cube spaceshıp ın star trek :)   that you see on your left just before you get to the metro station.

When you face the law court from the street... Go to the Left side of the building. It's called Block 1.  What you are lookıng for ıs: ARSIV KAYITLI ADLI SICIL KAYDI (AKA a Polıce Certıfıcate - show thıs to someone ıf you are lost).  There is a security check (they are quıte strıct at thıs check poınt - no cameras allowed). After security check .. Turn right. Go as far as you can in that direction. Turn right... Past a food shop on your right. There should be a corridor on your left after a few meters (if you see a vakıfbank atm you know you turned left at the right corridor). There should be Stairs on left after 10m.  ... Go down 2 flours.  Then Go straight down a long corridor ... Past another door security check Point on your left (life would have been so much simpler if I knew I could just enter here..I think this check Point is at the back of the building?) ... Straight down another corridor still in the same direction.. Go as far as you can go. Turn left.. Take a ticket from machine. Go to the ladies behind the glass. Give passport. 5min later they'll give you a piece of paper.. Check your name is spelled correctly.. And that's it. Go back to Fatih. My official told me I don't have to wait in line outside.. That I must just show the security at the checkpoint outside my documents and that they will let me in vip style. However  in practice this didn't work for me. There were a 100 others trying to do the same (and most of them were not actual vips like me..just guys trying not to stand in line). These other 100 people are not polite.. They push in in front of you. They often also are able to communicate with the security guard (there was no way for me to tell the guard that I'm the real deal.. An actual actual vip ;) . So after trying for 30min to get in via the vip entrance at the front of the line.. I gave up. The actual line of normal nobodies stretched all the way to the street and around the corner.. And that line moved even slower than the supposed vip line(this was around 1pm). So I decided to come back the next day. The next day (Thursday) there was no cue (around 9.45am) - I went to find my official and submitted the cashiers receipt and police certificate. This year they at least give you an official document to proof that you are legally in the country. It's in essence a copy of your application form with one of your photos on it. Your officer will give you this two page document. You must then take this pack to the original floor with the reception area. If the reception is in front of you... Then turn right and go straight for as far as you can go. There should be a short corridor on your left.. With two doors. Go into the first door with your document.. Someone will put stamps on it to make it look official. You are now officially done. Go home and pray the postman delivers it this time around. :)

Update:  My permit was delivered at my local post office 3 weeks later. Unfortunately they screwed me somewhat again. They gave me 6 months from the time I made my original online appointment. That means I just have over 2 months left before the permit expires again. At no point was this little fact mentioned anywhere. It's ridiculous.. But what can one do?