American Research Institute in Turkey

 Recommended procedures for requesting a permit to carry out research in Turkey:

Turkish law requires foreign scholars to obtain official permission to carry out research at institutions in Turkey.  Application procedures for research permissions and visas have changed. In general, researchers should seek permission to carry out research from the director(s) of the institution(s) where they intend to work; this includes researchers who wish to work in libraries housed in Turkish museums.  

LIBRARY and ARCHIVE PERMITS: For library or archive research with tenures of less than three months, most foreign scholars may enter Turkey on a tourist visa and apply for research permission from within Turkey.  They also may choose to obtain a research visa from the Turkish Embassy in advance of their arrival.  Scholars wishing to carry out research in Turkey for terms longer than three months should apply for the research permit and in addition secure a research visa prior to entering Turkey. Non-U.S. researchers should consult the Turkish Consulate for specific procedures.

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS PERMITS: Those who wish to work in any collections in museums other than library may also make use of a tourist or research visa. Researchers should submit their research permit applications, however, to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums (Kültür Varlıkları ve Müzeler Genel Müdürlüğü, or KVMGM). Applicants should send a copy of the application also to the directors of the relevant museums. To expedite the process the application should contain specific and complete information about the material for study. It also may help the process to request permission for access from the excavator or scholar who holds responsibility for the material. Names and addresses for the institutions or directorates will be provided by the Turkish Embassies and Consulates. A contact list for the regional museums is now accessible on the website of Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The application regulations and research permit application form (.pdf format or .doc format) for researchers are posted here.   Instructions for completing the form for the research visa are posted on the Turkish Consulate website.  On the page scroll to section C.  Entry visas with special annotations (Work, Education and Research Visas) and paragraph 4. Research Visas.

·   Applicants should fill out the new research permit application form legibly, preferably typed.  Include a photocopy of your passport identification page. 

 

·   Write a cover letter to the KVMGM explaining your project, what items you need to study (preferably with inventory numbers if possible) and where they are housed, sign and date it, and state that the applications forms are attached. You may write it in English, but a letter written in Turkish will expedite the process. 

 

·   Send the form and accompanying documents by mail (preferred) or fax to the KVMGM. If you wish to apply via e-mail the application forms should be sent as a document file (you may use the MSWord document attached here as a format). You should attach a scan of your signed cover letter and a scan of the photo identification page of your passport. (You do not need to sign the application form when sending it via e-mail.).  

 

·   You may apply from abroad or from within Turkey.  Please be advised that the application may take some time to process and it may be worth allowing several months to obtain the permit. Also please note that permissions can only be given for work in a single calendar year, so if you plan to do research that spans a calendar year, such as from November 2007 through March 2008, you would need to make a separate application for the period that belongs to 2008.

 

·  It is necessary to send a copy of the results/report of your research to the KVMGM to ensure that your file is complete, otherwise the ministry may deny your future requests for a research permit.

·  If you plan to use the library in a museum, you may apply directly to the museum director. 

T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı
Kültür Varlıkları ve Müzeler Genel Müdürlüğü
II.Meclis Binası Yanı
Ulus, Ankara 06543
Turkey

Tel:  (90 312) 310 4960 ext. 2059
Fax:  (90 312) 311 5085, attn: Ömer Ötgün
E-mail:  muzearastirmalari@kultur.gov.tr

   NOTE: For specific questions on obtaining research permits for museums and archives, please contact the ARIT directors in Ankara or Istanbul. 

Researchers who plan to carry out archaeological excavation and/or survey, underwater archaeology, and/or research on cadastral registers will continue to send their application forms to the Turkish Embassy in Washington D.C.  and submit information for the ARIT Review of applications (see archaeological permit procedures here).