UN Registration of Refugees in Turkey Suspended

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will end the registration process in Turkey on September 10, 2018.

Turkey’s General Directorate of Migration Management (DGMM), as a national body and under the Law on International Protection of Foreign Nationals, will assume responsibility for registering and reviewing international protection applications. During the formation of this process, UNHCR has been supporting Turkey’s General Directorate of Migration Management, including registering international protection applicants and their referral process. This means that UNHCR will stop registering foreign nationals who wish to apply for international protection in Turkey as of September 10, 2018.

Under the Law on Foreign Nationals and International Protection, foreign nationals wishing to apply for international protection in Turkey must, after entering the country, visit the Provincial Directorates of Migration Management (PDMM) in provinces and cities. Turkey’s General Directorate of Migration Management PDMM will register and review international protection applications submitted by individuals.

UNHCR will continue its support activities in Turkey, including providing advisory services to refugees and asylum seekers. If you need support services or advice regarding the asylum process, your rights and obligations in Turkey, you can contact UNHCR and its implementing partners. UNHCR will be in contact with applicants and, with their consent, will have access to information provided by them.

In this regard:

1) International protection applicants who were previously registered by UNHCR and referred to a satellite city:

• As stated in the referral letter issued by UNHCR, to apply for international protection you must contact Turkey’s General Directorate of Migration Management (DGMM).

• UNHCR and its partners will continue their support activities in Turkey, including providing advisory services to asylum seekers and refugees. If you need support services or advice regarding the asylum process, your rights and obligations in Turkey, you can contact UNHCR and its implementing partners.

• UNHCR will be in contact with applicants and, with their consent, will have access to information provided by them.

2) Applicants who have recently arrived in Turkey and have not yet registered with Turkey’s Migration Authority (PDMM):

• Please contact the Migration Authority immediately upon arrival in Turkey and complete your registration.

• To register with the Migration Authority and benefit from international protection from Turkey’s Migration Authority (PDMM), you do not need a referral letter from the UN (UNHCR) Ankara. You simply need to visit the nearest Migration Authority office (PDMM) for registration.

• After completing all registration procedures with Turkey’s Migration Authority (PDMM), your stay in Turkey will be considered legal and a residence card with a foreign national identification number will be issued to you, which will entitle you to enjoy the rights and services provided under Turkish law.

• You can submit your application for international protection at the relevant authorities in any of Turkey’s 81 provinces. However, it should be noted that permanent residence in some Turkish cities is not permitted. If you submit your application in one of the unauthorized provinces, your file will be referred to one of the provinces where long-term residence is possible. The authorized provinces are shown in green on the map below.

• All support offices of Turkey’s Migration Authority (PDMM) are responsible for support needs and potential vulnerabilities. Therefore, if you have special needs, please inform the interviewer at the Migration Authority (PDMM). During the assessments conducted by that office regarding your file, your application will be prioritized according to your needs.

• UNHCR and its implementing partners in Turkey will continue to provide support services, including advice to international protection applicants or refugees, as before. If you need support services or advice, you can contact UNHCR and its implementing organizations.

• UNHCR will be in contact with applicants and, with their consent, will have access to information provided by them.

Source: ManiMedia