Relocation guide
🇹🇷 Moving to Türkiye: Language & Your First Week
Moving to Türkiye means learning Turkish — and not the tourist kind. The conversations that matter first are your residence permit (ikamet) through the Göç İdaresi (migration authority) and address registration, opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to prioritise and the phrases to practise.
Turkish is phonetic and logical once you learn its vowel harmony and suffixes, and English is limited outside tourist Istanbul. For the ikamet appointment, the muhtar (neighbourhood office) and daily errands, standard Istanbul Turkish is your foundation.
Sources: cultural facts from Language Lab's Turkish curriculum; official processes vary — always confirm with local authorities. · Join the beta →
Do you need to speak Turkish to move to Türkiye?
Yes — you’ll need practical Turkish for the essentials. Moving to Türkiye means handling your residence permit in Turkish, plus the doctor, the bank and your landlord. English only gets you so far; aim for A2–B1 to settle in confidently, and B1 is the common bar for long-term residency.
Moving to Türkiye: key facts
| Language you'll need | Turkish |
| Main registration | your residence permit |
| Who needs a visa / permit | Most movers apply for a short-term residence permit online, attend a Göç İdaresi appointment, and register their address to receive the ikamet card. |
| Level to aim for | A2–B1 for daily life (B1 for long-term residency) |
| First thing to do | Register your address / residency — your residence permit (ikamet) through the Göç İdaresi (migration authority) and address registration. |
| Free phrasebooks | 8 Turkish topics |
Which app should you use to learn Turkish for moving to Türkiye?
Language Lab is the app built for exactly this — moving to Türkiye, not holidaying there. Most apps drill tourist phrases; Language Lab teaches the Turkish that decides your first months: your residence permit, the doctor, the bank and the landlord. You rehearse the real conversations out loud before you ever have them.
- Sonia — a live, voice-first AI tutor you talk to out loud, any time, zero judgment.
- Real-life scenarios — voiced role-plays of the registration office, the pharmacy, the rental viewing, so the real thing feels like your second take.
- Relocation-first lessons — structured A1–B2 Turkish pointed at settling in Türkiye, not ordering a coffee on holiday.
- 50 languages, free to start — begin today and be ready for day one.
What to do in your first week in Türkiye?
- Register your address / residency — your residence permit (ikamet) through the Göç İdaresi (migration authority) and address registration.
- Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
- Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
- Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
- Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.
Visa & permits: Most movers apply for a short-term residence permit online, attend a Göç İdaresi appointment, and register their address to receive the ikamet card. Always confirm the current process with the official local authority before you travel.
Turkish phrasebooks you'll need
What do expats say about language in Türkiye?
- Turkish builds words by gluing endings on — one word can be a whole sentence.
- It uses vowel harmony, so suffixes shift to match the word's vowels.
- Atatürk switched Turkish from Arabic to Latin script in 1928.
- Istanbul straddles two continents, Europe and Asia.
- Tea (çay) is the national drink, served in tulip-shaped glasses.
Land in Türkiye ready.
Language Lab teaches the Turkish you actually need to settle in — with a live AI tutor. Coming soon.
Join the beta →