Karabük Neighborhoods Closed to Foreigners: Quota Lifted in June 2026 (2026 Guide)

Why Karabük Neighborhoods Were Closed to Foreigners (2022–2025)

Between 2022 and 2025, Turkey ran a national system that controlled where foreign nationals could register an address and apply for a residence permit. The Ministry of Interior and the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi) monitored the foreign population of every neighborhood. When the share of foreign residents passed the legal threshold, the area was added to a closed list, and new residence permit applications submitted for an address inside a closed neighborhood were refused, no matter how strong the rest of the file was. Karabük was one of the provinces that applied the mechanism locally: in a decision announced by the Karabük Governor's Office, a set of neighborhoods and villages in the province were closed to new foreign address registration, affecting both standard residence permit applications and temporary protection registrations.

On 10 June 2026, the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı) lifted the closed-neighborhood and quota application: e-ikamet now accepts applications from every address in Turkey, including Istanbul and Karabük. The figures below belong to the history of the system, but they show its scale: more than 1,169 neighborhoods across Turkey were closed at the peak, and Karabük was among the mid-sized provinces that published their own restricted-area decisions. Because the measure is administrative, closures can return if foreign density rises again — so checking your address before you commit to a lease or a title deed is still the safest step in the whole process.

How the National Closed-Neighborhood Mechanism Worked

The 20% density rule

The trigger was a simple density rule: when the foreign population of a neighborhood reached 20% of its residents, the neighborhood could be closed to new registrations. The threshold used to be 25% in earlier years, but it was lowered to 20% in 2022 to slow the concentration of foreign residents in specific areas. Once a neighborhood was closed, the migration authorities refused new address registrations there, which in turn blocked new residence permit applications tied to that address.

Who decided and who enforced

The Ministry of Interior and the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi) set the policy and maintained the national list. Provincial governors' offices — such as the Karabük Governor's Office — applied it locally by designating which specific neighborhoods and villages within their province were closed. This is why the same mechanism was announced city by city: Ankara, Istanbul, Karabük, and others all published their own restricted-area decisions under the same national rules.

The list peaked at 1,169 neighborhoods

At its peak, more than 1,169 neighborhoods across Turkey were closed to new foreign address registration. Istanbul and Izmir accounted for a large share, but the list included mid-sized provinces too — which is exactly what happened in Karabük. The lists were updated regularly, and areas could be added or reopened, so the status of any address always had to be verified. Since 10 June 2026 the whole mechanism has been lifted, and e-ikamet accepts applications at any address.

Areas Named in the Karabük Decision

The Karabük decision, as published before the June 2026 lift, named the following locations as closed to new foreign address registrations and protection-status registrations:

This list reflects the published decision as it applied until the restriction was lifted on 10 June 2026. If closures are ever reintroduced, provincial restriction lists can change again, so confirm the current status with the Karabük migration office or the e-ikamet portal before you rely on it for a lease or an application.

What the Restriction Meant for You

New residence permit applications

If you were a foreign national planning to apply for a standard short-term or other residence permit, an address in one of the named areas would cause the application to be refused. You needed an address in an open neighborhood of the province instead. Since 10 June 2026 this no longer applies — e-ikamet accepts residence applications at any address.

Temporary protection registrations

The Karabük decision also covered registration under temporary protection. People seeking protection status could not register in the named areas; the provincial migration office directed registrations to the areas that remained open. That routing stopped with the June 2026 lift, and protection-status registrations are now accepted at any address as well.

Renewals and transfers

If you already held a permit with an address in a restricted area, your situation was reviewed individually. Transfers of your address into a restricted area were not possible. Renewals for existing addresses were not automatically cancelled, but you were expected to plan a move to an open area and be ready to document your new address. In practice, the migration office expected you to update your registration as soon as you moved, and a permit renewal tied to a restricted address could be shortened or refused even when the first approval was granted years ago.

How to Check the Status of an Address Today

The quota was lifted on 10 June 2026, but the status can change again if density rises. Checking the status of a specific address takes a few minutes if you know where to look. The reliable steps are:

1. Identify the exact neighborhood or village (mahalle/köy) of the address — not just the district.
2. Test your application on the official e-ikamet portal — it now accepts every address, and this is the fastest way to see whether a closure has been reintroduced for your neighborhood.
3. Ask your lawyer or licensed advisor to verify the address in the migration system before you sign a lease or a purchase contract.
4. Re-check shortly before you apply — if closures return, lists can change, and an address that was open last month may be closed today.

Your Options in Karabük and Beyond

Today no Karabük neighborhood is closed: the quota was lifted on 10 June 2026, and e-ikamet accepts applications at any address. If the administration reintroduces closures, the practical alternatives would be:

• Choose an open neighborhood nearby: most provinces, including Karabük, closed only the areas where density was highest; the rest remained open. Adjust your search area rather than your whole plan.
• Base your residence on property: the ownership route — a residential purchase of at least $200,000 confirmed by the official valuation process — remains available. The valuation is handled through the state-backed TTB system operated with GEDAŞ, the appraisal company of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and TOKİ, since December 2024.
• Consider a different permit type: work-based residence and certain student permits follow different rules and are less exposed to the neighborhood quota.
• Get professional verification: a specialist can check the address in the migration system before you commit — the cheapest insurance against a refused application.

For the broader picture of the quota system as it applied until the lift, see our guide to foreign settlement restrictions in Turkey, and for the investor route read how to get a Turkish residence permit through property investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the Karabük restriction apply to everyone?

Yes, while it was in force. The restriction applied to foreign nationals regardless of nationality or the purpose of the stay. Whether you applied for a standard residence permit or registered under temporary protection, an address in one of the named areas was refused. Since 10 June 2026 this no longer applies anywhere in Turkey.

Can I move to another neighborhood in Karabük instead?

Yes — and since the lift you can register in any neighborhood. While the restriction was in force, the decision closed specific areas, not the whole province. If closures return, confirming that your chosen neighborhood is open — in writing, from the migration office — is the safe way to proceed.

Did buying a property in a restricted area help?

Under the system that ran until June 2026, no — ownership did not override the restriction, and the address alone decided. The official valuation confirming the $200,000 value only proved the investment, not your eligibility to register at that address. Today the quota is lifted, so the address is no longer the first filter. If closures return, ownership will not help again.

Can the restriction be reinstated?

Yes. The system was dynamic and remains so: the quota was lifted on 10 June 2026, but areas can be re-closed if the foreign population density rises again. This is another reason to check the e-ikamet portal shortly before you apply, rather than relying on older announcements.

Conclusion: A Local Decision, a National Rule — Lifted in June 2026

The Karabük Governor's Office decision was a local expression of the national closed-neighborhood system that ran from 2022 to 2025. Behind the announcement sat the 20% density quota, a nationwide list of more than 1,169 closed areas, and a registration process that refused addresses on the list regardless of your nationality or the strength of your file.

On 10 June 2026, the Presidency of Migration Management lifted the quota across Turkey, including Istanbul — e-ikamet now accepts residence applications at any address. The measure can return if density rises again, so the discipline is still simple: verify the address before you commit. If you are looking at Karabük or anywhere else in Turkey and want your address and application checked professionally, contact SimplyTR — we verify restricted areas when restrictions apply, prepare residence applications and manage the process from start to finish.