Neighborhoods Closed to Foreigners in Turkey: The 20% Quota Rule Was Lifted (June 2026)

Update: The Closed-Neighborhood Quota Was Lifted (10 June 2026)

Big news for anyone planning to rent, buy or apply for a residence permit in Turkey: the closed-neighborhood quota is over. Between 2022 and 2025, the authorities restricted new address registrations and residence permits in neighborhoods where foreigners exceeded 20% of residents — at its peak the list covered 1,169+ neighborhoods across 62 provinces.

On 10 June 2026, the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi) lifted the practice across Turkey, including Istanbul. E-residence (e-İkamet) now accepts residence applications at every address. The restriction can be reinstated if foreign density rises again, so check the e-İkamet portal before committing to an address.

Figures you may still see online — "1,169 closed neighborhoods", a "20% foreigner quota", "Fatih and Esenyurt are closed" — describe the 2022–2025 practice and are no longer valid. This guide explains how the quota worked, what changed on 10 June 2026, and what to check before you apply today.

Correction: The Foreigner Quota Was 20%, Not 25%

Many articles — including the original version of this one — described Turkey's neighborhood quota as a 25% foreigner limit. That figure was accurate for a period before 2022. In 2022, the authorities lowered the threshold from 25% to 20%, and 20% was the operative rule until the practice was lifted on 10 June 2026. This guide uses the corrected figure throughout: when a neighborhood's foreign population reached 20% of its residents, the area could be closed to new address registrations, and new residence permit applications for that address were refused.

How the 20% Quota Worked (2022–2025)

The density rule

The quota was a density trigger, not a national cap. It applied neighborhood by neighborhood (mahalle). When the foreign population of a specific area passed 20% of total residents, the Ministry of Interior could place that area on the closed list. The goal was to keep neighborhoods mixed and to prevent the concentration of foreign residents from straining housing, schools and public services.

What happened when a neighborhood hit the threshold

Once a neighborhood was on the closed list:

• New address registrations for foreigners were refused.
• New residence permit applications tied to that address were refused.
• Address transfers into the neighborhood were not possible.

Existing permits were not automatically cancelled, but renewals were reviewed individually. Ownership of a property in a closed neighborhood did not change the outcome — the address alone decided.

Who ran the system

The Ministry of Interior and the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi) maintained the national closed-neighborhood list. Provincial governors' offices applied the rules locally by designating which areas within their province were closed. The list was updated without a fixed schedule, so it grew and occasionally shrank over time.

Closed Neighborhoods Across Turkey: 1,169+ at the Peak (2022–2025)

Between 2022 and 2025, more than 1,169 neighborhoods across Turkey were closed to new foreign address registration at the peak of the practice. The concentration was highest in the provinces with the largest foreign populations: Istanbul led, followed by provinces such as Izmir (27 or more restricted neighborhoods), Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and others in the Aegean and Marmara regions. These figures are historical — the practice ended on 10 June 2026.

Istanbul: the largest number of closed areas

Istanbul accounted for a substantial share of the national list. The districts below had closed neighborhoods in the last published update before the lift — treat the examples as a snapshot of how the practice looked at its peak, not as a current list:

The complete list of closed mahalles was longer and changed over time. It applied until 10 June 2026; since then, e-İkamet has accepted applications everywhere, including Istanbul.

The Aegean region

Outside Istanbul, the Aegean provinces carried many of the same restrictions. Izmir had 27 or more closed neighborhoods concentrated in central districts such as Konak and Bornova — covered in detail in our guide to Izmir neighborhoods closed to foreigners. Muğla and Afyonkarahisar also had closed areas in published updates, including tourist hubs such as Fethiye Ölüdeniz in earlier lists.

How the Quota Affected Your Residence Permit Application

The quota was the first filter your application met. The practical consequences were:

• Address decided first: a complete file with a closed address was refused; an open address got your application examined on its merits.
• Renting did not help: since July 2022, a rental contract alone is not a valid basis for a short-term residence permit anyway — see what replaced the rental-based residence permit.
• Renewals could be affected: if your neighborhood closed after you obtained your permit, renewal was not automatic and could require a change of address.

Buying a Property Did Not Bypass the Quota

A common misunderstanding was that a purchase made the quota irrelevant. It did not. You could buy a $200,000 residential property, obtain the official valuation certificate confirming the value, and still have the application refused because the neighborhood was closed. The official valuation for property-based permits and citizenship applications is now processed through the state-backed TTB system operated with GEDAŞ, the appraisal company of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and TOKİ, via TADEBİS (in force since December 2024) — but the certificate confirms value, not eligibility. Back then, eligibility still required an open neighborhood. The ownership route is explained fully in our guide to the Turkish residence permit through property investment.

How to Check Before You Apply Today

The closed-list check is gone. Since 10 June 2026 there are no closed neighborhoods, but the authorities still monitor foreign density and the restriction can be reinstated if numbers rise sharply. A quick check still protects your application:

1. Get the exact neighborhood name (mahalle) of the address.
2. Open the e-İkamet portal and confirm that residence applications are accepted at that address — it takes minutes.
3. Contact the provincial migration office (Göç İdaresi İl Müdürlüğü) if you want written confirmation.
4. Have your lawyer or licensed advisor verify the address in the migration system before signing anything.

Re-check shortly before you apply — the situation can change between your research and your application date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the quota 25% or 20%?

20%. The threshold was lowered from 25% to 20% in 2022, and 20% was the operative rule from 2022 until the practice was lifted on 10 June 2026.

Which neighborhoods are closed right now?

None. The closed-neighborhood practice was lifted on 10 June 2026, and e-İkamet now accepts residence applications everywhere in Turkey, including Istanbul. Any online list still describing closed neighborhoods is outdated — it reflects the 2022–2025 practice.

Can I get a residence permit if my neighborhood hits 20% after I move?

The quota no longer applies: since 10 June 2026, new applications, renewals and address changes are accepted everywhere. If the practice is ever reinstated because density rises again, renewals would be reviewed individually again and you might need to change your registered address — check the e-İkamet portal before the next renewal.

Are closed neighborhoods ever reopened?

Yes — and on 10 June 2026 the authorities went further and lifted the practice altogether across Turkey. While it was in force (2022–2025), a neighborhood could be reopened when its foreign population dropped back below the threshold; today no neighborhood is closed at all, and the system stays suspended unless density figures rise again.

Does the quota apply to all foreign nationals equally?

It did. The 20% density rule applied to foreign nationals regardless of nationality, and the address was the first filter of every residence permit application. That filter has been gone since 10 June 2026, but it could return — check before you apply.

Conclusion: The Quota Was Lifted — What to Plan Around Now

The 25% figure belongs to the pre-2022 era, and the 20% quota itself is now history: it was applied between 2022 and 2025 and lifted on 10 June 2026. The 1,169+ neighborhood list, the Fatih and Esenyurt restrictions and the closed-address refusals are all part of that history — not the current rules.

Today, e-İkamet accepts residence applications at every address in Turkey, including Istanbul. Because the restriction can be reinstated if density rises, check the e-İkamet portal before you choose an address or apply. If you want the check done properly, contact SimplyTR. We verify addresses against the official system, prepare your residence permit or property application, and keep you compliant through every renewal.