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From a 35-year Istanbul native · For foreigners in Türkiye

Settle in Türkiye like you know someone here.

Free tools + a hand-picked guide to 118 Istanbul places, plus 5 cost calculators and 20 neighborhood guides — anonymous, no signup to start.

For everyone building a life in Türkiye — workers, students, families, retirees, remote workers. New arrival or ten years in.

Instant answers from SettleIn's AI — 3 a day free, no signup (5 with a free account).

ISTANBUL · RIGHT NOW

What's happening in the city

Live concerts, theatre, exhibitions & nightlife — pulled from Biletix, tiyatrolar & bugece. Not just paperwork.

See all events
What's actually inside — every number links to the page it counts
The Full Shelf— 21

Built around what you actually need.

Grouped by stage. The tools you need on day one, week one, and every week after — everything in one place.

The first 5 things every expat needs.
SettleIn Pro · $4.99/mo

When free isn't enough.

Same product, no limits. One price for the entire toolkit.

Monthly
$4.99/mo
Cancel anytime.
Yearly
$39.99/yr
One bill. 33% less than monthly.
Unlimited AI chat
Ask anything, any time. No daily limits.
Unlimited scans
Every Turkish contract, bill, and form — translated and explained.
Document vault + alerts
Every expiry, before it expires. Email + push.
Full Istanbul guide
118 hand-picked restaurants, bars, and breakfast spots — locals-only, no sponsored picks.
Smart dashboard
Personalized alerts on permits, rent, currency.
PDF exports
Download checklists and calculations for your files.
See full Pro plan →

Cancel anytime · no commitment · subscribe on the web or in the iOS app.

From the founder
Arek Yasulkal, founder
“
I built SettleIn because my friends kept asking me the same questions I solved years ago.
Arek Yasulkal
Founder · Istanbul native
Why I built this

I watched friends get lost in paperwork that took me ten minutes.

SettleIn is what I wish had existed when my friends arrived. Answers from someone who's stood in those lines, bargained with that landlord, knows which notary takes walk-ins, and which neighborhood is quiet in November.

Not a relocation agency. Not a guidebook. The thing I would have built myself if I had moved here last year.

35
years in Istanbul
5
languages
0₺
to start
COMMUNITY · FOUNDING ERA

You didn’t move countries to scroll Facebook groups.

A social home built only for foreigners in Türkiye — searchable answers that stay answered, neighborhood rooms, scam policing, and every SettleIn tool one tap away. Small on purpose. Honest by rule. Founding members wanted.

KadıköyModaCihangirBeşiktaşÜsküdarAntalyaBodrumPermitsHousingNew here
Common questions

Honest answers, not marketing.

The six most-asked. Still unsure? Ask the chat — it has context.

There is one government document fee — the ikamet izni belge bedeli, 964 TL in 2026 — plus the residence fee (harç), which for most nationalities (US, UK, most of Europe) works out to about $80 for a 12-month permit. Citizens of ten countries including Ireland, Denmark and Czechia pay no harç at all. US, UK and EU citizens enter visa-free, so no entry-visa fee applies on arrival. The bigger cost is usually mandatory health insurance. The cheapest policy that satisfies the permit — sold as yabancı sağlık sigortası, written to the official minimum cover rather than to protect you — runs roughly 4,000–8,000 TL/year for younger adults, more with age.
Ziraat and Garanti BBVA typically open accounts same-day in Beyoğlu/Kadıköy with passport + tax number. İş Bankası and Yapı Kredi sometimes require a residence permit first.
For residence permit applications, yes — private Turkish insurance is mandatory. Foreign travel insurance is not accepted by Göç İdaresi. Buy from Allianz, AXA, Mapfre, or Anadolu Sigorta.
Between 2022 and 2025, 1,169 neighborhoods across 63 provinces (in districts like Fatih, Esenyurt, Başakşehir and Avcılar) were closed once foreigners passed ~20% of residents. Those closures were reportedly lifted in June 2026, though there is no official Göç İdaresi confirmation and reports conflict on Fatih and Esenyurt. Don't rely on a list — verify your exact address when you apply (call 157 or check e-ikamet) before signing a lease.
The chat, SOS, phrases, every calculator, the neighborhood map and 27 of the 118 guide places are free forever, no signup — and so are email and calendar reminders for your vault dates. Pro ($4.99/mo or $39.99/yr) adds unlimited AI questions and scans, every insider tip in the guide, neighborhood picks ranked for your household, and push reminders in the iOS app.
The iOS app caches phrases, emergency numbers, and saved documents for offline use. The AI chat needs a connection. On the web, only cached FAQ pages work offline.