The price of a Turkish residence permit for British Citizens wishing to live in Turkey has rocketed according to the new set of fees that came into effect from 1 January 2010.

The price of a 1 year permit has increased by a massive 56 percent taking the cost of the permit to 918 TL (588 TL in 2009).

The fee for the 5 year permit has increased by 58% to 4,488 TL (2,849 TL in 2009).

The authorities normally justify any increases because they say the UK charges Turkish nationals similar fees for visas to stay in the UK.

However, with the UK charging just 1,000 TL for a 5 year multiple entry visa or 1,695 TL for a settlement visa that doesn’t seem to stack up.

The recent increase brings the cost of a 1 year visa for a British couple living in Turkey to around £740 per year.

However, despite the increases Fethiye Times cost of living calculator still shows that, compared to the average UK cost of living of Council Tax, Utilities and TV licence charges, Turkey is still some 57 percent cheaper than the UK – around 1,500 GBP per year.

The new residence permit fees are listed below: