The short answer: since 2021 parts of Istanbul have not accepted a foreigner's first residence permit application. From 20 October 2022 ten whole districts were closed: Avcılar, Bağcılar, Bahçelievler, Başakşehir, Esenler, Esenyurt, Fatih, Küçükçekmece, Sultangazi and Zeytinburnu. A separate list from 1 July 2022 closed 54 neighbourhoods in Istanbul, 20 of them outside those districts. Buying a home there does not reopen the address: the property route was kept only for owners whose title deed or presale contract predates the closure. Reports in June 2026 said the closures had been lifted, but no official notice had confirmed it by November 2026. Check the exact address before you pay.
At a glance
| Rule | Since | What it covers | Status, November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fatih and Esenyurt | 15 January 2021 | First residence permit applications with an address in the district | No official notice ending it |
| Eight more districts | 20 October 2022 | The same, in Avcılar, Bağcılar, Bahçelievler, Başakşehir, Esenler, Küçükçekmece, Sultangazi and Zeytinburnu | No official notice ending it |
| 54 neighbourhoods | 1 July 2022 | New registrations of foreigners, residence permits included, in listed neighbourhoods | No official notice ending it; no newer list published |
| Owners' exception | 20 October 2022 | Only for a title deed or presale contract dated before the closure | Buying later does not qualify |
| Renewals | 20 October 2022 | Permits already held can be extended within the legal period | Not affected by the closure |
The ten closed districts
The migration authority stopped accepting first residence permit applications with an address in Fatih and Esenyurt from 15 January 2021. From 20 October 2022 it added eight more districts, and in July 2023 it confirmed that 10 of Istanbul's 39 districts were closed, denying reports that the whole city was.
The closure follows the address on the application, across the whole district. The notices concern residence permits only; none of them restricts buying property. What a closed address affects is a first permit to live there.
Who is still accepted
The notice of October 2022 kept these applications open in the ten districts:
- Owners whose title deed or presale contract (satış vaadi sözleşmesi) is dated before the closure, and their family members. A home bought after the closure does not qualify.
- Family members of Turkish citizens, of Blue Card holders and of foreigners with a residence permit registered in the district.
- Students at universities in the district, and patients in hospital there.
- Applicants under the investment route of article 31(1)(j) of Law No. 6458, and their families.
- Renewals made in time, and changes from one permit type to another.
The 54 closed neighbourhoods
From 1 July 2022 the Ministry of Interior also closed 1,169 neighbourhoods in 63 provinces to new registrations of foreigners, residence permits included. 54 are in Istanbul: 34 lie inside the ten closed districts, and 20 are in districts that are otherwise open.
| District | Closed neighbourhoods, list of 1 July 2022 |
|---|---|
| Beşiktaş | Yıldız |
| Beylikdüzü | Beylikdüzü OSB |
| Beyoğlu | Asmalı Mescit, Bostan, Bülbül, Çukur, Kalyoncu Kulluğu, Kamer Hatun, Kâtip Mustafa Çelebi, Kocatepe, Şehit Muhtar, Yenişehir |
| Sarıyer | Maslak |
| Şile | Meşrutiyet |
| Şişli | Cumhuriyet, Ergenekon, İnönü, Mecidiyeköy |
| Tuzla | Aydınlı-KOSB |
| Ümraniye | Dudullu OSB |
We found no newer list made public. A neighbourhood (mahalle) is an administrative unit with its own borders, often smaller than the area name used in a listing: a project sold as "Maslak" or "Mecidiyeköy" may stand in another mahalle. Our Maslak and Mecidiyeköy pages follow the area names, not mahalle borders.
Is the rule still in force?
In June 2026 several immigration consultancies reported that applications in closed areas were being accepted again. Some said all of Istanbul had reopened; others said Fatih and Esenyurt stayed closed. None cited an official decision. As of November 2026 the notices of 2021 and 2022 were still on the migration authority's website, and we found no notice ending them. Until there is one, treat a first permit at these addresses as uncertain.
What our project records show
Of the 2,103 Istanbul projects on Property Istanbul, 454 name one of the ten districts on their page, about one in five: 145 in Esenyurt, 105 in Başakşehir, 60 in Bağcılar, 58 in Küçükçekmece, 27 in Avcılar, 23 in Bahçelievler, 22 in Zeytinburnu, 7 in Esenler, 4 in Fatih and 3 in Sultangazi. Of the 454, 398 are completed, 42 are under construction or have a future delivery date, 6 have stalled and 8 were cancelled. We counted by the district named on each project page, in November 2026; pages that name only a sub-area, such as Bahçeşehir, are not included.
You can see these projects on the map, the project list and the area pages for Esenyurt, Başakşehir, Küçükçekmece and Fatih, check each developer's record, and set buildings side by side in compare projects.
Before you buy, step by step
- Get the full official address: district, mahalle, street and building number. The title record shows the mahalle: see our title deed guide.
- Compare it with both lists: the ten districts and the 54 neighbourhoods.
- Ask the authority, not the seller. Call YİMER 157, the migration authority's line for foreigners, open on weekdays from 08:00 to 18:00 in Turkish, English, Russian, Arabic and Persian, or ask the Istanbul provincial migration office. Ask whether a first property-based permit is accepted at that address today.
- Check again just before you sign and before you apply. The answer can change.
- Meet the other conditions: a home worth at least USD 200,000 that you live in, as our residence permit guide explains. Citizenship by investment is a separate route, not named in these notices: see Turkish citizenship. Budget the purchase with the closing costs calculator.
Related guides
- Residence Permit Through Real Estate Investment: conditions, documents, fees and renewals
- Buying Property in Turkey: the steps of a purchase
- Title Deed (Tapu) in Turkey: what the title shows and how to check it
- Turkish Citizenship by Real Estate Investment: the other residence route through property
Sources
- Presidency of Migration Management, 19 October 2022: residence permit applications in Istanbul (opens an external site): the ten districts from 20 October 2022 and the exceptions
- Presidency of Migration Management, 24 January 2021: residence permit requests (opens an external site): Fatih and Esenyurt from 15 January 2021
- Presidency of Migration Management, 16 July 2023: statement on reports that 39 districts were closed (opens an external site)
- YTT Law: the ten districts closed from 20 October 2022, with the exceptions (opens an external site)
- NTV, 16 July 2023: the migration authority's statement, 10 districts and 54 neighbourhoods (opens an external site)
- Hürriyet Daily News, 17 July 2023: migration body denies Istanbul-wide residency ban (opens an external site)
- Daily Sabah, 7 October 2022: eight more Istanbul districts closed (opens an external site)
- BirGün, 1 July 2022: the list of 1,169 neighbourhoods (opens an external site)
- Habertürk, 2 July 2022: the list of 1,169 neighbourhoods (opens an external site)
- TRT Haber, 11 June 2022: neighbourhoods closed to residence permits from 1 July 2022 (opens an external site)
- Turk.Estate, updated 4 November 2026: residence permits in closed districts in 2026 (opens an external site)
- Online Çalışma İzni, 29 June 2026: has the closed neighbourhood rule ended? (opens an external site)
- DHA: YİMER 157 after 11 years (opens an external site)
- Yeni Asır, 21 August 2026: YİMER supports foreigners in five languages (opens an external site)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. It reflects the rules and the published lists as of November 2026; confirm an address with the migration authority before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
6 questions foreign buyers ask us most, grouped by topic.
The basics
Which Istanbul districts are closed to residence permits?
Ten districts stopped accepting first applications: Fatih and Esenyurt from January 2021, and Avcılar, Bağcılar, Bahçelievler, Başakşehir, Esenler, Küçükçekmece, Sultangazi and Zeytinburnu from 20 October 2022.
Can a foreigner still buy property in a closed district?
Yes. The notices concern residence permits only; none of them restricts buying. The closure affects a first permit at that address.
Buying in a closed area
Does buying a home in a closed district give me a residence permit?
Not if you bought after the closure. The exception for owners covers only a title deed or presale contract dated before it.
Can I renew a permit I already hold at a closed address?
Yes. Renewals made within the legal period, and changes of permit type, stayed open under the notice of October 2022.
Status in 2026
Were the closed neighbourhoods reopened in 2026?
Consultancies reported in June 2026 that applications were being accepted again, but none cited an official decision, and no notice ending the rule had been published by November 2026.
How do I check a specific address?
Get the full address with its mahalle, compare it with the ten districts and the 54 neighbourhoods, and ask YİMER 157 or the Istanbul migration office before you sign.
