School Registration of Foreign Children in Turkey

Education is an indispensable asset for a person’s life. The Republic of Turkey has also given an assurance with its constitution that it will provide education opportunities to children in Turkey. According to Article 28 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child: 

“Each child is supported and protected to fully learn . Primary education is free and compulsory for all children without any discrimination.”

In line with this information, it is a matter of curiosity how the education of children of foreign nationals living in Turkey will progress. 
Registration of foreign students is clearly explained in Article 29 of the Regulation on Secondary Education Institutions of the Ministry of National Education. According to this article:
1) In the registration of foreign students:
a) It is required that they have a valid passport and education visa.
b) Children of foreigners whose country of origin is unknown or who are asylum seekers/refugees are not required to obtain a student visa. In this case, the residence permits issued by the security authorities with a duration of at least six months are deemed sufficient and their registration is made according to the registration principles.
c) Student visa is not required from children of foreigners who are allowed to work and reside in Turkey.

However, they must certify that their mother, father or guardian has obtained a work permit or has had a residence permit for at least six months.
ç) For the registration of children of personnel working in foreign mission chiefdoms or international organization representations in Turkey, it is required that they have a valid passport.
d) Persons and their children who acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Turkey and subsequently acquired the citizenship of a foreign state by obtaining permission from the Council of Ministers to renounce Turkish citizenship, are registered.

(2) Schools’ registration and admission requirements are also sought in registrations.

(3) The provisions of the Regulation on the Education of Children of Migrant Workers and the Equivalence Regulation of the Ministry of National Education, published in the Official Gazette dated 14/11/2002 and numbered 24936, are applicable for matters not covered by this Regulation.

(4) Foreign students coming from abroad, taking into account the registration-admission requirements of the schools; Depending on the equivalence documents and program compatibility, they are placed in schools or vocational education centers that accept students optionally within the secondary education registration area, in a balanced way, by the student placement and transfer commission. The provisions of this paragraph are also applied in the transfer of these students from the transferred school to another school.