If you die in Turkey
People do not need to be Muslims or have residence permits to be buried in Turkey.
In my previous article, I spoke about Mark J. O'Hara’s question. He said, in summary:
“Dear Sir,
My wife and I come to Adana every winter for exactly 90 days, she is a Turkish citizen and I am from the U.S. We have been married for nearly 43 years. My wife keeps asking me to obtain a residency permit so that we may stay beyond 90 days if we so desire.
Your article has been most helpful toward that goal and I appreciate your article very much. Just yesterday I told my wife that if I died in Turkey she should just bury me here rather than sending my body back to the U.S. for burial. Is it permissible for foreigners to be buried in Turkey, either with or without a residency permit?
Any assistance you may be able to provide on this subject will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely, Mark.”
After Mark’s question, many readers have asked the same question. For instance, Carl asks a similar question:
“Dear Orhan,
Are there any provisions for burial of non-Muslim, non-residents who die in Turkey and wish to have their remains buried here? I am a Christian; what provisions should I make to prepare for my demise and burial in Turkey? I am very much interested in your reply to Mr. Mark J. O'Hara's query. Can I be informed when you post this in your column? I look forward to reading all your comments and don't want to miss this one. Sincerely yours, Carl.”
Dear Mark and Carl: First, even if you are a foreigner, you can be buried in Turkey. However, a burial license, or defin ruhsatnamesi, is required for this procedure. The burial license is provided by official doctors, or hükümet tabibi. A residency permit is not required to be buried in Turkey. Additionally, you do not need to be a Muslim.
Residence permit termination
The second question is from Yvonne. She asks;
“Dear Orhan, I have been a resident with a long-term residence permit in Turkey [Istanbul] since May 2005, and have left the country on a sabbatical for one year in October 2010. As I will not return to Turkey after the sabbatical, I would prefer to voluntarily terminate my residence permit registration. The residence permit will expire in July 2011, but I no longer have a physical address in Istanbul, and hence it would be better to report this. Please note that I live in Greece this year and I will have to arrange for this from outside Turkey. Please advise. Best regards, Yvonne.”
Dear Yvonne, if the residence permit expiring in July 2011, you do not need any action. It will be canceled automatically at the end of the specified period.
Hurriyet Daily News/25.02.2011
In my previous article, I spoke about Mark J. O'Hara’s question. He said, in summary:
“Dear Sir,
My wife and I come to Adana every winter for exactly 90 days, she is a Turkish citizen and I am from the U.S. We have been married for nearly 43 years. My wife keeps asking me to obtain a residency permit so that we may stay beyond 90 days if we so desire.
Your article has been most helpful toward that goal and I appreciate your article very much. Just yesterday I told my wife that if I died in Turkey she should just bury me here rather than sending my body back to the U.S. for burial. Is it permissible for foreigners to be buried in Turkey, either with or without a residency permit?
Any assistance you may be able to provide on this subject will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely, Mark.”
After Mark’s question, many readers have asked the same question. For instance, Carl asks a similar question:
“Dear Orhan,
Are there any provisions for burial of non-Muslim, non-residents who die in Turkey and wish to have their remains buried here? I am a Christian; what provisions should I make to prepare for my demise and burial in Turkey? I am very much interested in your reply to Mr. Mark J. O'Hara's query. Can I be informed when you post this in your column? I look forward to reading all your comments and don't want to miss this one. Sincerely yours, Carl.”
Dear Mark and Carl: First, even if you are a foreigner, you can be buried in Turkey. However, a burial license, or defin ruhsatnamesi, is required for this procedure. The burial license is provided by official doctors, or hükümet tabibi. A residency permit is not required to be buried in Turkey. Additionally, you do not need to be a Muslim.
Residence permit termination
The second question is from Yvonne. She asks;
“Dear Orhan, I have been a resident with a long-term residence permit in Turkey [Istanbul] since May 2005, and have left the country on a sabbatical for one year in October 2010. As I will not return to Turkey after the sabbatical, I would prefer to voluntarily terminate my residence permit registration. The residence permit will expire in July 2011, but I no longer have a physical address in Istanbul, and hence it would be better to report this. Please note that I live in Greece this year and I will have to arrange for this from outside Turkey. Please advise. Best regards, Yvonne.”
Dear Yvonne, if the residence permit expiring in July 2011, you do not need any action. It will be canceled automatically at the end of the specified period.
Hurriyet Daily News/25.02.2011
