Turkey

Turkey has two routes with their own pages here. The digital nomad visa suits remote workers from 36 listed countries who want to base themselves in Turkey. Citizenship through investment suits people ready to buy property or place capital for at least 3 years. Most other long stays run through the short-term residence permit, which Migration Management issues for purposes such as tourism or owning a home.

Short stays

Entry rules depend on the passport. Many nationalities can stay without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, while others get a shorter stay or need an e-Visa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the rule for each country.

The digital nomad visa

It needs income of at least $3,000 a month from companies outside Turkey, a university degree and an age of 21 to 55. The list covers EU states except Cyprus, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Applicants get a certificate on the GoTürkiye platform, a visa from a consulate, then a residence permit. No official source gives its length or fee.

Citizenship through investment

The thresholds are $400,000 for property and $500,000 for deposits, government debt, fund shares, fixed capital or private pensions. The investor holds a residence permit while the file is reviewed, and the President makes the final decision.

Which fits

• Remote workers from a listed country: the digital nomad visa.
• Remote workers from other countries, or retirees: a short-term residence permit for tourism, filed on e-ikamet.
• Investors who want a second passport: the investment route.

Numbeo's crowd-sourced prices give these monthly budgets for one person: rent for a one-bedroom apartment outside or in the center, plus other living costs.

• Istanbul (September 2026): about TRY 69,000 to TRY 86,000 (about $1,420 to $1,750).
• Ankara (June 2026): about TRY 57,000 to TRY 66,000 (about $1,180 to $1,340), per Numbeo's Ankara page.
• Izmir (June 2026): about TRY 54,000 to TRY 62,000 (about $1,110 to $1,280), per Numbeo's Izmir page.
• Bursa (June 2026): about TRY 46,000 to TRY 50,000 (about $940 to $1,020), per Numbeo's Bursa page.

Dollar amounts use the exchange rate of Sept. 24, 2026. Lira prices change quickly, so older figures understate current costs, and Numbeo's averages are a guide rather than a quote. Furnished short-term rentals in central neighborhoods usually cost more.

What the totals leave out

• Residence permit charges for stays past the visa-free period.
• Health insurance, priced by age and cover.
• Coworking, which comes on top of rent.

Istanbul spans Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus, and its historic areas are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It suits nomads who want a big city, the widest coworking choice and direct flights, and it had the highest budget of the cities in Numbeo's data.

Izmir is a large city on the Aegean coast, with a slower pace than Istanbul and a lower budget in Numbeo's figures. It suits nomads who want the sea and city services together.

Antalya is the main city of the Mediterranean coast, with beaches close to the center. It suits nomads who want warm weather and an outdoor routine.

Ankara, the capital, is a government and university city, quieter for visitors than Istanbul and cheaper in Numbeo's June 2026 prices.

For a small-town base on the coast, Fethiye and Kaş suit nomads who put the sea and hiking ahead of city life.

Speedtest's Global Index for August 2026 put Turkey's median fixed broadband download speed at about 219 Mbps and its median mobile speed at about 248 Mbps.

Those are national medians. Speeds in a given apartment depend on the building and the plan, and older buildings and rural areas can lag, so testing the connection before signing a long lease pays off.

Coworking

Istanbul has the widest choice of coworking spaces, spread across both the European and Asian sides. Izmir, Ankara and Antalya have smaller selections, and coastal towns rely more on cafes and a few independent spaces. Day passes and monthly memberships are the usual formats, and prices vary by space and neighborhood.

No Turkish visa sets tax status; residence does. Under Income Tax Law No. 193 (Article 4), a person who lives in Turkey continuously for more than 6 months in a calendar year, or is domiciled there, is tax resident and taxed on worldwide income. Temporary trips abroad don't break the stay, and the law uses six months, not a 183-day count.

Article 5 says foreigners who come for a specific temporary job, study, treatment, rest or travel aren't treated as settled even after six months. No official source says whether remote workers are covered by that exception.

The 20-year foreign income exemption

Since June 4, 2026, Law 7582 exempts foreign income from income tax for 20 years for people who become tax resident after three calendar years with no domicile and no tax liability in Turkey. The Revenue Administration sets how to claim it.

What nomads should check

• The calendar year: the six-month test runs per calendar year, so a stay split across Dec. 31 is counted in two parts.
• No nomad regime: the digital nomad visa itself carries no tax rule.
• Treaties and filing: a tax treaty with the home country can change the result, so advice before passing six months is worth it.

Arrival

Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs page for the passport in hand: some nationalities enter visa-free and others need an e-Visa before travel. Staying past the visa-free period needs a residence permit.

Residence permit

Applications are filed on e-ikamet. For a short-term permit, Migration Management asks for documents that support the purpose of the stay, housing that meets general health and safety standards, an address in Turkey and, if requested, a criminal record certificate.

Money

The currency is the Turkish lira (TRY). Cards are widely accepted in cities, and cash is still useful at markets and small shops.

Phone and internet

Prepaid SIM and eSIM plans are sold by the national carriers; a passport is needed to register a line.

Health

Private hospitals are concentrated in the big cities. Insurance that covers the whole stay avoids large bills, and a residence permit application may ask for proof of it.

Safety

Conditions differ by region. Home governments' travel advice lists areas to avoid and is worth checking before trips outside the main cities.