Turkey

Turkey > Contacts

Useful contacts in Turkey (for legal advice, humanitarian aid, of solidarity organisations and of UNHCR).

Turkey > Overview

For many refugees and migrants Turkey is a transit country. Many refugees are pushed back illegally across the borders to Iran, Irak and Syria or imprisoned and deported if they are caught without papers by the police. The – land and sea - borders into the European Union, to Bulgaria and Greece, are being controlled more and more. So that the European border police again push people back to Turkey illegally. Ill-treatment in prisons and indefinite time of imprisonment is very common.

Turkey > Asylum

If you are not from Europe and you want to apply for asylum in Turkey, you can only apply with the UNHCR, but you also have to register with the turkish police.

Turkey > Detention

If you are travelling through Turkey and do not apply for asylum, your application has been rejected, you don’t have a current “living permit”, or you have left the city that you have been assigned to without permission the police can imprison you, if they catch you. The police also detain people for “illegal entry” and exit.

Turkey > Deportation

If you have not applied for asylum (yet) or your application has been rejected and you don’t have a current “living permit” the police will probably try to deport you. This can be to your country or if you are at the border, to the country you have just come from (e.g. Iran, Iraq). It is known that the police denied entrance not only at the land border, but also at the airports. That means that the police regularly try to push people back into the country you have just come from without giving them the chance to seek for asylum. This is illegal, but they do it.

Turkey > Living

The police send you to a certain, so called “satellite” city (e.g. Van, Kayseri, Konya, Eskisehir) where you are forced to live. (There is theoretically a possibility to be transferred to a different city, but only in severe reasons e.g. medical reasons or to move to live with close relatives).

Turkey > Medical Assistance

Generally, there is no financial help for health care and you are only allowed to seek treatment in the city you were assigned to. You can try to apply to the “Valilik” (regional governor), but it depends on where you are, and they don’t provide help to everyone. Some cities like Agri are known to be better than other cities e.g. Van. If you have no papers, it is also difficult to get treatment.

Turkey > Work

Generally, refugees do not get a work permit. You need a job offer to apply and the employer has to prove that it is impossible to find a turkish citizen for the job.

Travelling from Turkey to Greece

From people who have been caught by the police in Greece, we know that the Greek Border Police can be very dangerous. If they find you they will take your money. If you have come by boat from Turkey, they might try to push you back to Turkey. It is known that they take away the oars of the boats, or make a hole in the boat.

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