The Government of Turkey is the principal provider of protection in Turkey. Registration with the Turkish authorities is therefore the most important way of securing your rights in Turkey. Registration is an important obligation for foreigners in Turkey as it forms the legal basis for your stay in Turkey and allows you access to public services. Registration protects you against forced return to your country.
On the basis of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection, you are obliged to apply to the Provincial Directorates of Migration Management (PDMM) individually to be registered under the provision of international protection procedures. (Following your registration with UNHCR, you will be given a referral letter to a province of Turkey. You are expected to approach the PDMM in the city to which you have been referred to complete the registration with the authorities.)
PDMM’s procedure will determine whether or not you qualify for international protection under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection and the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Following your registration with PDMM, an International Protection Applicant ID (IPAID) will be issued for you and your family members; you will be legally staying in Turkey with your ID document. When you receive your ID document, an individual foreigner’s ID number (99 xxxxxx), will be granted to you and your family members. This ID number grants you and each of your family members the access to a set of rights and services in Turkey.
Related information
Registration and RSD with UNHCR
International protection in Turkey
Rights and obligations