Karen Brown
I DO think the new process for applying for residency is a positive move forward. We are living in a digital age, so it’s great to be able to do some of the process online.
However, while I’m no IT expert I do consider myself to be computer savvy, but it took me several attempts to successfully complete and submit the online application form.
Hopefully the information below will be of use to other expats and take some of the stress out of this year’s system for renewing residency permits.
1. You will need the most up-to-date version of whichever internet browser you use. The version of Internet Explorer I have on my old machine would let me into the www.goc.gov.tr website but I couldn’t access the application form. Google Chrome wouldn’t let me into the website at all, so I ended up downloading and using Firefox.
2. The application form is in English, sort of. Date of validity apparently means expiry date. We think. If you do something wrong the error messages that come up are in Turkish. If you’re not au fait with the language it might be an idea to have an English-speaking Turkish friend on speed-dial. Or there’s always Google Translate.
3. Dates need to be put in in the American style, so month, day, year, for example 06/17/2015 for 17th June 2015.
4. You will need to upload a passport photo. If you don’t have a recent one – they specify one taken within the last 6 months – on your machine ask whoever takes your photos to email you a copy. The photo needs to be 500KB or less otherwise it won’t upload.
The good news is that the page doesn’t time out, so if you do need to go off to find something – I had to run back to Photo Naci to get them to email me a copy of my photo – it won’t boot you out. However, there doesn’t appear to be a save facility, so you can’t close it down and go back to it later.
4. Whichever machine you do this on needs to be connected to a working printer. Once you have successfully completed and sent the form another page appears which gives the list of supporting documents required, the address of the DGMM office, and two links to documents – basically the information you’ve just provided – which you need to download, print out and sign.
After about the fourth attempt I managed to get my application form sent this afternoon. I could certainly have done with this information before I made my first attempt at this, so it should definitely be useful for other expats.
As a postscript, I received my new card just over a week after I sent the documentation and it’s dated from the expiry date of my current card. I must say I am well impressed with this new system.
I also got two text messages in Turkish that look like they’re from the PTT but must be from the DGMM office in Aydin, one to say they’d received my application and were processing it and another one to say they’d sent the new card.