What Is the Foreigner ID Number?
The foreigner ID number is an 11-digit identity number starting with 99 issued to every foreigner who is legally present in the Republic of Türkiye. This number looks the same in format as the T.C. identity number issued to Turkish citizens but follows a completely different registry system.
The institution that issues the number is the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs within the Ministry of the Interior. When a valid residence permit is created for you in Türkiye, the number is generated automatically within the Central Population Administration System (MERNİS) and appears on your residence permit document.
The foreigner ID number is a digital address that Türkiye gives to foreigners. Without this address, most doors of everyday life are closed.
Who Receives It?
The foreigner ID number is issued to all foreigners who are legally present in Türkiye. The definition of “legal presence” is broad:
- Residence permit holders — short-term, long-term, family residence, student residence, etc.
- Work permit holders — foreigners with any type of work permit present in Türkiye
- Turkish ancestry certificate holders
- International protection applicants and those holding protection status
- Temporary protection foreigners within the scope
- Foreign babies born in Türkiye and not yet acquired citizenship
For persons present in Türkiye only as tourists or who have arrived short-term with a visa exemption, no foreigner ID number is issued. The number is the documentation of having established legal residence in Türkiye.
How Is It Issued? — Automatic with the Process
To obtain a foreigner ID number, there is no separate application process. The number emerges as the result of a residence permit or a similar legal-stay status. The sequence is generally as follows:
- Entry into Türkiye or being present in the country on legal grounds
- Application for a residence permit (or similar status)
- Evaluation of the application and issuance of the permit
- Generation of the number in the MERNİS system
- Receipt of the residence permit document together with the number on it
That is, to obtain the number, one must file the correct permit application and have it approved. The number is not the beginning of the permit process but its result.
After the number is issued, it remains active throughout the residence permit period. Generally for the same person the number does not change; even if the same foreigner transitions to different permit types in subsequent years, the number is carried over.
What Is It For? — In Everyday Life
The foreigner ID number is a key that opens almost every door of everyday life in Türkiye. Among the most common transactions that cannot be done or are very difficult without the number:
- Opening a bank account — Turkish banks request the foreigner ID number
- Creating an e-Devlet account — required for access to Türkiye’s digital public service platform
- Access to health services — hospital appointments, MHRS, transactions within insurance coverage
- Education records — foreign student enrolment, examinations, equivalency applications
- Official contracts — rental contract, subscriptions (electricity, water, natural gas, internet), phone line
- Tax number linkage — setting up a company, acquiring real estate, income declaration
- Family-reunification processes — reference number in residence permit applications for spouse and children
This list shows how fundamental a tool the number is. For foreigners building legal life in Türkiye, this number is the heart of the identity card.
Differences from the T.C. Identity Number
Although they look similar at first glance, the foreigner ID number and the T.C. identity number are records belonging to entirely different statuses:
- Starting digit: The foreigner number starts with 99; the T.C. number starts with other digits
- Registry system: Both are within MERNİS, but they are kept in different tables
- Scope of rights: The T.C. number carries full citizenship rights; the foreigner number documents only the right of legal presence
- Validity condition: The foreigner number is tied to the person’s legal-stay status; if the status ends, the number is also deactivated
- Area of use: Some public services are oriented only to T.C. citizens; they cannot be accessed with the foreigner number
The most common scenario where the two numbers are confused: the case of a foreign-national person acquiring Turkish citizenship. When citizenship is obtained, the foreigner number is deactivated and the person is given a new T.C. identity number. The old foreigner number is not replaced with the new T.C. number; the two separate numbers remain, but from then on all transactions run with the T.C. number.
Frequently Confused Topics
1. “I will make a separate application for the number”
Not correct. The foreigner ID number does not have its own application process. When a residence permit application is filed and approved, the number is automatically generated. The correct application for the number is the residence permit application.
2. “Can the number change?”
As a general rule, the foreigner ID number is a permanent record specific to the individual and does not change. However, exceptional situations can occur — for example, the registry structure of a foreigner transitioning from international protection status to a residence permit can change. These exceptional situations require specialist assessment.
3. “I lost my number, what should I do?”
If the number is forgotten or the document is lost, it can be obtained again within the residence permit document renewal process. The number is specific to the individual and can always be verified as long as it is active in the system. It is important to be careful when sharing the number with third parties — the risk of identity theft also applies to foreigners.
4. “Once I have the number, I am a citizen”
No. The foreigner ID number is not a citizenship status; it is only a legal-stay record. For Turkish citizenship a separate process runs — different conditions and a different timetable.
Important The foreigner ID number is personal. Sharing its information creates the risk that others may carry out transactions in your name. When used together with date of birth and name, the number can open many digital doors.
Before You Start
The foreigner ID number is the foundation of a legal life in Türkiye. Without this number, accessing services such as banks, hospitals, e-Devlet and subscriptions is almost impossible. For this reason, the main goal is not obtaining the number but making the number permanent together with the right permit.
At JS Vural Danışmanlık, since 2003 we have been handling foreigner files in Türkiye. Our expertise on the foreigner ID number and all the residence procedures tied to it is concentrated on the following points:
- More than 6,500 completed immigration files in 22 years
- In residence permit processes, pre-checks for the number to be created correctly
- In status transitions, consistent carrying over of the number record
- Support in 4 languages — Turkish, Russian, English and German
The foreigner ID number is a by-product of the residence permit — but this so-called by-product is the main engine of everyday life in Türkiye.
To carry out your residence permit process and the registration of your foreigner ID number correctly, you can request a free initial consultation. In the meeting your status, your current document situation and the right permit type are evaluated together. Whether to proceed or not — that decision is yours.