A restriction code (tahdit kodu) is an internal migration record, such as Ç-114 for foreigners subject to judicial proceedings, G-87 for a general security assessment or V-69 for a cancelled residence permit, reflecting an entry ban, a deportation or a condition on entry. Entry bans rest on Article 9 of Law No. 6458 and last at most five years, extendable by up to ten more for a serious threat. A code is challenged by application to the Presidency of Migration Management and an annulment action within 60 days of notification, or seven days for a deportation decision.
A foreigner usually meets a restriction code as a few characters on a refusal form at an airport, in a visa refusal or in an administrative court file: Ç-114, G-87, V-69. The Presidency of Migration Management does not publish a complete official list of these codes, and the lists circulating online contradict each other on several of them, sometimes with meanings swapped. What the law does publish is the framework behind them: entry bans under Article 9 and deportation grounds under Article 54 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection, Law No. 6458, the deportation appeal procedure in Article 53, most recently amended by Law No. 7533 of 21 November 2024, and the general rules on administrative court actions in Law No. 2577. This guide explains the codes that appear most often, what can and cannot be said reliably about each one, how long the related bans last, and how to have a code removed or entry permitted despite it.
A restriction code, tahdit kodu, a short annotation in the migration and border database, is a label attached to a foreigner's record. It tells a border officer, a consulate or a migration office that a decision or condition exists: an entry ban, a requirement of prior permission for entry, a past deportation, or simply a status such as voluntary return. The code itself is not the legal act. What matters legally is the decision behind it, which may be an entry ban decision under Article 9 of Law No. 6458, a deportation decision under Article 53, or a decision making entry subject to prior permission under Article 9(7). That decision is what you apply against and what an administrative court reviews.
A code is not a criminal record. A security code does not mean that you were convicted of anything, and a code referring to judicial proceedings does not mean that a court found you guilty. Some codes block entry, some only require a check or permission, and some are purely informative. This guide deals with entry and residence restrictions; if your question is whether a court has barred you from leaving Türkiye, see our guide on how to check your travel ban status in Türkiye, and for the difference between the two restrictions, our comparison of entry bans and exit bans.
Article 9 is the core provision. Under paragraph 1, the Directorate General, now the Presidency of Migration Management, may ban the entry of foreigners whose entry is objectionable for reasons of public order, public security or public health, after obtaining the opinion of the relevant institutions where necessary. Under paragraph 2, the entry of foreigners deported from Türkiye is banned by the Presidency or the governorships. Paragraph 3 limits the duration of an entry ban to five years, but allows it to be extended by up to ten more years where there is a serious threat to public order or public security.
Paragraphs 4 and 5 describe when a ban may not be imposed: on foreigners whose visa or residence permit expired and who applied to the governorship to leave before the authorities detected it, provided they paid their fines and stayed within the violation periods set by the Ministry, and on foreigners who were invited to leave under Article 56 and left within the period given. Paragraph 6 gives the Presidency power to lift a ban, or to let the foreigner enter for a specified period while the ban remains in force. Paragraph 7 allows admission to be made subject to prior permission, by the Presidency for public order, security or health reasons, and by the governorships because of administrative fines and public receivables.
Because a deported foreigner receives an entry ban under Article 9(2), most codes trace back to one of the deportation grounds in Article 54(1). They include a court's deportation assessment under Article 59 of the Turkish Penal Code, Law No. 5237 (a), leadership, membership or support of a terrorist organisation or a criminal organisation formed for gain (b), false information or forged documents in entry, visa or residence procedures (c), earning a living by illegitimate means (ç), posing a threat to public order, security or health (d), overstaying a visa or visa exemption by more than ten days (e), cancellation of the residence permit (f), overstaying a residence permit by more than ten days without an acceptable reason (g), working without a work permit (ğ), breaching the rules on legal entry or exit (h), coming to Türkiye despite an entry ban (ı), and association with terrorist organisations as defined by international institutions (k).
Codes also operate through two other provisions. Under Article 7, a foreigner without valid documents, or falling within Article 15(1), is treated as an inadmissible passenger and turned back, and Article 7(2) requires the authorities to notify the foreigner, including how to challenge the decision. Under Article 15(1), visas are refused among others to foreigners banned from entry, those considered objectionable for public order or security, those carrying a disease treated as a threat to public health, and those who do not agree to pay receivables arising from a visa or residence violation. Article 15(2) allows a visa to be issued with the Minister's approval despite these grounds.
The letter at the start of a code indicates its family. In practice, Ç codes are mostly linked to overstays, deportations, illegal entry or exit and judicial files; G codes to security and public health assessments, often based on information from security units; V codes to residence, status and migration procedures; and N codes to prior permission requirements and certain notices. K and O codes also exist but are rarer. Codes in the same family can have very different consequences, and the meanings below are those reported consistently by Turkish practitioners and seen in administrative court files, cross checked across several independent sources. Where sources disagree, we say so. The authoritative meaning in your case is always the decision behind the code.
| Code | Meaning as Consistently Reported in Practice |
|---|---|
| Ç-101 to Ç-105 | Visa, visa exemption, residence or work permit violation, with an entry ban of 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years or 5 years respectively |
| Ç-113 | Illegal entry into or exit from Türkiye |
| Ç-114 | Foreigner subject to judicial proceedings in Türkiye |
| Ç-115 | Foreigner released from a penal institution |
| Ç-117 | Working without a work permit |
| Ç-119 | Unpaid administrative fine for working without a permit |
| Ç-120 | Unpaid administrative fine for a visa or residence violation |
| Ç-135 | Conduct contrary to Law No. 6458 |
| Ç-136 | Unpaid travel costs of removal |
| Ç-137 | Foreigner invited to leave Türkiye |
| Ç-138 | Inadmissible passenger |
| G-78 | Carrier of a contagious disease |
| G-82 | Activities against national security |
| G-87 | Considered a danger to general security |
| G-89 | Assessed as a foreign terrorist fighter |
| V-69 | Residence permit cancelled |
| V-70 | Sham marriage |
| V-84 | Entry allowed on condition of applying for a residence permit within 10 days |
| V-87 | Voluntary return of a temporary protection holder |
| V-88 | Work permit invalidated |
| N-82 | Entry subject to prior permission |
| N-99 | Interpol related record |
These five codes are reported consistently as violations of a visa, visa exemption, residence permit or work permit, with the number reflecting the ban length: three months, six months, one year, two years and five years. The scale matches the one the Presidency publishes for foreigners who overstayed and were deported, invited to leave, or did not pay their fines (see section 7). If you have one of these codes, the first questions are whether the overstay was calculated correctly and whether the ban has already run out.
Ç-113 is reported as illegal entry into or exit from Türkiye, which corresponds to the deportation ground in Article 54(1)(h). Practitioners give different durations for it, from two to five years, so read the decision rather than relying on a general figure.
Ç-114 is reported as applying to foreigners who were subject to judicial proceedings in Türkiye. It does not require a conviction; an investigation or prosecution can be enough. Reported durations again vary between sources. For removal, the strongest evidence is the outcome of the criminal file: a decision of non-prosecution, an acquittal, or a judgment showing that the matter was minor and closed.
Ç-115 concerns foreigners released from prison. Ç-117 concerns working without a work permit, the ground in Article 54(1)(ğ). Ç-119 and Ç-120 concern unpaid administrative fines, for unauthorised work and for visa or residence violations respectively. For the fine based codes, payment is the starting point: the Presidency states that foreigners who have not paid fines and public receivables are not admitted while they remain unpaid, even after the entry ban itself has expired. Our visa violation penalty calculation guide explains how overstay fines are computed.
Ç-135 is reported as conduct contrary to Law No. 6458, Ç-136 as failure to pay the travel costs of removal, Ç-137 as an invitation to leave, and Ç-138 as an inadmissible passenger. The invitation to leave, terke davet, a period granted in the deportation decision to depart voluntarily, is regulated in Article 56: the period is not less than 15 and up to 30 days, and under Article 9(5) a foreigner who leaves within it may avoid an entry ban.
G-87 is the code most often litigated. It is reported as applying to foreigners considered a danger to general security, and an official decision of the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye of 7 November 2025 describes a G-87 code imposed on the ground that the applicant disturbed public security, which the applicant had challenged before the Ankara 1st Administrative Court. Its legal basis is usually Article 9(1) together with Article 54(1)(d). The code does not mean that you were convicted of an offence; it records an assessment, often based on information from security units, which the foreigner has usually not seen. In court, the outcome generally depends on whether the administration can show concrete information supporting the assessment, so the first step is to obtain the reasons.
G-82 is reported as activities against national security and G-89 as an assessment that the person is a foreign terrorist fighter. They relate to the grounds in Article 54(1)(b) and (k), and they are the codes for which the extension of up to ten further years in Article 9(3) is most likely to be used. Removing them requires a detailed, evidence based response to the specific allegation and, almost always, litigation.
G-78 is reported as applying to carriers of a contagious disease, reflecting the public health grounds in Article 9(1) and Article 15(1)(ç). Current medical reports from a recognised institution are the central evidence for removal.
V-69 is reported as a cancelled residence permit, the ground in Article 54(1)(f), and V-70 as a sham marriage. V-71 is reported as address related, but descriptions differ: failing to notify an address change, declaring a false address, or not being found at the declared address. Our page on returning to Türkiye after deportation covers the situation where such a code was followed by removal.
V-84 is reported as entry allowed on condition of applying for a residence permit within ten days. The Presidency's published rules confirm the underlying situation: a foreigner who used the full 90 days in 180 under a visa or visa exemption, was let in on condition of applying for a residence permit within ten days and did not apply, falls into the group receiving an entry ban of three months to five years. V-87 is reported as the voluntary return of a temporary protection holder and V-88 as an invalidated work permit.
N-82 is reported as istihzan, prior permission, meaning that entry requires approval in advance, which matches Article 9(7). It is not automatically a ban, but in practice permission can be hard to obtain. N-99 is reported as an Interpol related record.
For some codes the published descriptions do not agree. Ç-116 is described by some practitioners as conduct against general morality or public health and by others as earning a living by illegitimate means. Ç-118 appears both as a public health threat and as misuse of a residence permit. Ç-141 is described both as an international security concern and as entry subject to ministerial permission. We could not confirm the meanings sometimes given online for codes such as G-91 or G-102 in any reliable source. For any of these, rely only on the decision served on you or on the administration's own explanation.
The statutory ceiling is five years under Article 9(3), extendable by up to ten more years for a serious threat to public order or security. For overstays, the Presidency of Migration Management publishes the scale it applies. Foreigners who overstayed by less than three months, came to the border on their own before being detected and paid their fines, receive no ban. For longer overstays the ban depends on how the person left:
| Length of Overstay | Entry Ban: Voluntary Exit With Fine Paid / Other Cases |
|---|---|
| Less than 3 months | No ban / 3 months |
| 3 to 6 months | 1 month / 6 months |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 months / 1 year |
| 1 to 2 years | 1 year / 2 years |
| 2 to 3 years | 2 years / 5 years |
| More than 3 years | 5 years / 5 years |
"Other cases" include foreigners who did not pay the fine, those who overstayed by three months or more and received a deportation decision with an invitation to leave, those with shorter overstays who did not leave within the period given, those whose residence or work permit was refused or cancelled and who did not leave within the period given, those who did not apply for a residence permit after a conditional entry, those released from administrative detention onto alternative obligations, and those removed under escort. Unpaid fines and public receivables continue to block entry after the ban expires. Security codes are often recorded without a visible end date; whether that is compatible with the ceiling in Article 9(3) can be raised in court.
There is no standard e-Devlet screen that shows a foreigner's restriction codes and their basis. The code usually surfaces in one of the following ways, and each gives you a document to work from:
The Presidency has the power under Article 9(6) to lift an entry ban. An application asking it to do so can be made before going to court. Where a decision was notified to you, Article 11 of Law No. 2577 allows you to ask the authority to withdraw or amend it within the period for filing an action; the application suspends that period, a request not answered within 30 days is deemed rejected, and the time already elapsed is counted when the period resumes. Where no decision was ever served, Article 10 allows a request for action, again with deemed rejection after 30 days, followed by the period for an action.
The evidence should answer the specific ground. For fine based codes, payment receipts. For Ç-114 and Ç-115, the final decisions in the criminal file. For overstay codes, exit records and documents explaining the delay, such as hospital records or proof that an application was pending. For V-70, evidence of a genuine marriage. For G-78, current medical reports. For security codes, a detailed account of your activities and ties, with documents. In every case, your family life, residence history, employment and property in Türkiye are relevant to proportionality.
A meşruhatlı vize, a visa with annotation, allows a foreigner with an entry ban to enter for a stated purpose, such as attending a hearing, visiting a close family member, medical treatment or an investment. The application is made at a Turkish consulate with documents proving the purpose and is decided by the authorities in Türkiye. Its legal basis is the Presidency's power under Article 9(6) to permit entry for a specified period while the ban remains, and the Minister's power under Article 15(2) to approve a visa despite a refusal ground. It does not remove the code, it is discretionary, and it is generally harder to obtain with security codes. Our guide to annotated visas for Türkiye explains the application in detail.
Under Article 7 of Law No. 2577, an annulment action against an entry ban or similar decision must be filed within 60 days of written notification. Deportation decisions follow a much faster route: under Article 53(3) of Law No. 6458, the action is filed within seven days of service, the court decides within fifteen days of the file being complete, its decision is final, and the foreigner is not removed during the filing period or while the case is pending, unless they consent. If your code follows a deportation decision, challenging that decision in time is the most important step; our deportation lawyers and our article on deportation orders in Türkiye explain the process. If you were never served, the 60 day period has not started under Article 7, but courts examine closely when you actually learned of the act, so do not wait.
Under Article 32 of Law No. 2577, the competent administrative court is the one where the authority that made the act is located. Decisions of the Presidency of Migration Management are therefore heard in Ankara, as the G-87 case before the Ankara 1st Administrative Court mentioned in section 5.1 shows, while deportation decisions taken by a governorship are heard in that province.
Filing an action does not suspend the decision. Under Article 27, the court may order a stay of execution if the act is manifestly unlawful and its implementation would cause damage that is difficult or impossible to remedy; an objection against the stay decision can be made once, within seven days. The first instance judgment can be appealed to the regional administrative court within 30 days of service under Article 45, except where a special rule such as Article 53(3) makes the decision final.
Courts look at whether the decision states its legal and factual basis, whether that basis is supported by the file, and whether the measure is proportionate to the foreigner's situation, including family life in Türkiye. Results differ between courts and depend heavily on the code and the evidence, so no outcome can be promised, but a well documented case has a real prospect where the administration's file is thin.
It is a restriction code in the migration and border database that records an entry ban, a deportation, a prior permission requirement or a status attached to a foreigner.
No complete official list is published; the meanings used in practice come from decisions, court files and practitioners, and some codes are described inconsistently.
It is reported as applying to foreigners subject to judicial proceedings in Türkiye, and it does not require a conviction.
It records an assessment that the foreigner is a danger to general security, usually under Article 9(1) and Article 54(1)(d) of Law No. 6458; it is not a criminal conviction.
It is reported as a cancelled residence permit, which is a deportation ground under Article 54(1)(f) of Law No. 6458.
They are reported as legal stay violations with entry bans of three months, six months, one year, two years and five years respectively.
It is reported as a prior permission requirement, so entry needs approval in advance under Article 9(7) of Law No. 6458.
At most five years under Article 9(3), extendable by up to ten more years where there is a serious threat to public order or public security.
Not by itself, but unpaid fines and public receivables block entry even after a ban expires, so payment is usually a precondition for any further step.
No, there is no standard screen for this; the code is usually found in the refusal or deportation decision, through a written request or in the court file.
Sixty days from written notification under Article 7 of Law No. 2577, but only seven days from service for a deportation decision under Article 53(3) of Law No. 6458.
The administrative court where the deciding authority is located, which means Ankara for decisions of the Presidency of Migration Management and the province concerned for a governorship's deportation decision.
Only if entry is permitted, for example through a visa with annotation under Article 9(6) or Article 15(2); filing a case does not itself lift the ban.
The ban ends on its date, but entry can still be refused for unpaid fines or another code, so confirm your status before you travel.
A restriction code is a label, not a judgment. Behind every Ç, G, V or N code there is a decision under Law No. 6458, usually an entry ban under Article 9 linked to a deportation ground in Article 54, and that decision is what you apply against. Entry bans are capped at five years unless extended for a serious threat, overstay bans follow a published scale, and unpaid fines block entry even after a ban ends. Removal is sought by application to the Presidency of Migration Management, by an annulment action within 60 days of notification, or within seven days where a deportation decision is involved, and entry can sometimes be allowed through a visa with annotation while the ban stands.
If you have been refused entry, received a visa refusal, or found a code in your file whose meaning nobody has explained, start by obtaining the decision behind it and check the deadline that applies. To review your code and prepare an application or court action, contact our legal team.
