An open letter from Residency’s Managing Director to our residents and other community members

Dear residents and friends,

I hope that you and your family are staying safe and healthy wherever you happen to be in the world. You are probably receiving a lot of messages like this so, in true fashion, I will try to keep this one short and to the point.

The Residency team is here to support our community of residents and other stakeholders. While this has always been the case and will continue to be for a long time, it is especially relevant right now as we experience together the global public health crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

We want to empower our community to help and support each other during this tough time. If you anticipate financial difficulty or other challenges for your residency or business as a result of the crisis, please contact our support team and we will try and help in any way we can.

Turkey is not immune to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, but the fact that we are an almost fully digital society with over 99% of government services available online, helps us weather the storm a bit easier, as also mentioned in a recent article in the New York Times.

Nearly 1,200 of you have established residencies and companies in Turkey that can be managed completely from anywhere and we hope this means one less worry in your life at the moment. Turkey’s e-governance services continue to operate without disruption. So have peace of mind that you can still renew your residency, obtain insurance, file tax payments and await processing.

Plus, given that many of you are long-term resident’s yourselves, we invite you to share your knowledge and experience by giving your ideas in the comments section below.

If you are a resident who hasn’t started a company yet, it might be something to consider as having your own business, even as a side project, can help provide a small bit of stability and certainty in these confusing times. We are here to support you in your journey to entrepreneurship, which might provide you with additional income in the future as well as potentially some extra purpose in life.

But don’t take my word for it — read the stories of some of our inspiring residents who have started successful companies thanks to our partnerships.

If you have been thinking about starting a business with Residency and are ready to take the plunge, you will find ample information and resources to explain the process on our website. I also recommend visiting our website to find our guide.

Please be aware that if you’ve recently applied for Residency or renewed your card, Turkish GOC office remain closed in most part and PTT is still mailing cards. We also welcome applications for Residency, including renewals, but ask for your patience as there may be slight delays with the process.

Other important things you should know include:

Important notice - coronavirus | Residency

  • We will continue to update our social media accounts with all the latest updates too, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
  • We are sharing updates, resources for residents, and stories a few times per week on our blog. You can read the latest article here.

Stay healthy and look after your loved ones in this difficult time.

Together, we will get through this.