The notarised lease is requested for first tourist permit applications in Istanbul and can be requested at an address declaration — but it certifies only the signature, not the deal, and does not guarantee a residence permit.
A foreign tenant can leave the notary's office believing the lease is now beyond challenge and the residence permit will follow. Neither is true. Under Article 90 of the Notary Law, onaylama only certifies that the signature belongs to the person who signed it. A community-channel report from February 2023 describes a couple in Ankara whose tourist residence permit was refused under Article 32 despite their attaching a notarised one-year lease. The document does have a real role, though, in Istanbul first applications and in address declarations. As of 7 November 2026, the official pages of the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi), the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (NVI) and the official legislation database state the rules below.
What a notarised lease does and does not get you
The notary's stamp is often mistaken for something stronger. Under Article 90 of the Notary Law, onaylama certifies only that the signature belongs to the person who signed it. The notary is not confirming that the terms are fair, that the rent is paid, or that the flat actually exists. Article 89 of the same law lists the transactions that must be executed in the düzenleme form, and a residential lease is not on that list. So a notarised lease is evidence about who signed, not a guarantee about the contract itself.
The community-channel report from February 2023 is a reminder of the limits: the refusal cited Article 32, so the notarised lease did not secure the permit.
Where Istanbul demands a notarised lease for a first tourist permit
In Istanbul, a first application for a short-term tourist residence permit needs one of two documents: a notarised lease, or a notarised taahhütname from the person hosting you. The Istanbul provincial migration directorate lists these as alternatives. The taahhütname is an undertaking by the host, also notarised, that you are staying with them — so if you are staying with a friend or relative, that host's notarised undertaking replaces the notarised lease. This rule applies only to Istanbul; a tenant in another province should not assume the same document list.
The Istanbul list applies only to Istanbul. Applicants in other provinces should check their own provincial migration directorate's document list before the appointment.
What the address declaration office may ask for
When you make an address declaration at a nüfus müdürlüğü, the office may ask you for supporting documents to confirm that you live at the address. The General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs (NVI) names a subscription contract or a bill for electricity, water, gas or telephone as examples. The Istanbul and Kayseri provincial pages of the NVI also include the notarised lease among the documents that can be requested. The word 'may' matters: the general page gives utility contracts or bills as examples, and the provincial pages add the notarised lease. Before you go, ask the specific nüfus müdürlüğü handling your declaration which document it will want. If you have a utility bill in your name, that may be enough; if not, the notarised lease is one of the alternatives the office can accept.
Do not assume that the notarised lease you prepared for a residence permit application will automatically satisfy the address declaration. The two procedures are separate, and the official pages show the address office can ask for different supporting documents. Prepare the document your own office names, not the one a different province lists.
Budget for six months' rent upfront and a two-month deposit
According to a real-estate agency, as of May 2024, landlords renting to foreigners usually ask for six months' rent paid in advance and a deposit equal to two months' rent. This is market practice reported by the agency, not a legal requirement. If you are planning to rent, the practical starting budget is not the first month's rent but six months plus two months as a deposit. The agency's report gives the practice at that time, not a fixed rule for every city or every landlord.
Before signing, ask the landlord or the agency exactly how the six-month payment is structured: is it six months in advance at the start, and then another six months at the end of each period? By the same account, as of May 2024, the agency's report gives the usual practice but not the exact schedule. Get the deposit terms in writing too, because the report gives the usual deposit size, not the conditions for getting it back.
Report the new address within 20 working days — and the cost of missing it
According to the NVI's FAQ, a foreigner with a residence permit must report a change of address to the nüfus müdürlüğü or the il göç idaresi müdürlüğü within 20 working days. The two offices are alternatives for making the report.
Missing the window costs money. Under Article 68 of Law No. 5490, the administrative fine for a late address declaration in 2026 is 814 lira, as the NVI pages state.