Before you start

A passport valid at least 60 days beyond the permit period you request
A residential address (lease) in a mahalle OPEN to foreigner registration — this is the binding constraint in Bursa
Valid health insurance covering the whole permit period (private foreigner policy, or SGK if employed)
Proof of sufficient funds and a credible non-tourism purpose of stay — here, usually employment or study

Step-by-step

1
Enter Türkiye visa-free or on an e-Visa
Citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most EU states enter visa-free for up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period; others apply online at evisa.gov.tr before flying, since airport visa counters are closed. Bursa's own Yenişehir airport (YEI) has limited service, so most arrivals come through Istanbul and continue by coach, by car over the Osmangazi Bridge, or on the BUDO fast ferry from Kabataş. The 90-day window is for tourism only.
OnlineWho: You, before and on arrivale-Visa issued in minutes; entry stamp on arrivalVisa-free for most Westerners; e-Visa about 50-60 USD where required
2
If an employer is sponsoring you, let the work permit lead
Most foreign professionals in Bursa are here on employer-sponsored work permits — the plants, their supplier belt and the university are the main sponsors. In that case your employer lodges the work-permit application with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and an approved work permit carries residence rights, so you do not file a separate short-term ikamet. Confirm with HR who is doing what before you start an e-İkamet application in parallel; duplicate applications create problems rather than speed.
Via employerWho: Your employer, with the Ministry of Labour and Social SecurityTypically several weeks from a complete employer fileWork-permit fees are normally borne by the employer
3
Secure an address in an OPEN mahalle
This is the step that fails in Bursa. Since 1 July 2022 any mahalle where foreigners exceed 20% of the population is closed to new foreigner residence registration, and Bursa has enough foreign residents that the closures are substantial — concentrated in the older inner districts rather than in the newer western ones. Verify the exact mahalle against the current Göç İdaresi announcement before signing anything, get a written and ideally notarised lease, and buy a compliant foreigner health-insurance policy spanning the whole permit term.
In personWho: You, with a landlord or emlakçı1-3 weeks to find a compliant homeInsurance roughly 100-250 USD/year; notarised lease about 50-100 USD
4
Apply on e-İkamet and attend the Bursa appointment
For a self-filed short-term permit, create an account at e-ikamet.goc.gov.tr, complete the form, upload documents and choose a purpose of stay that is not bare tourism. The system assigns an appointment at the Bursa Provincial Directorate of Migration Management. Attend with your passport and a copy, biometric photos, the printed form, insurance policy, lease, proof of funds and every fee receipt. Bring more photocopies than you think you need — 'evrak eksik', a missing document, is what sends people away for a second appointment.
OnlineWho: You (or a licensed immigration lawyer)Form about an hour; appointments often weeks out; decision days to weeks1-year permit fee about 630 USD, 2-year about 1,260 USD for listed countries; card fee about 21 USD
5
Receive the card and YKN, then unlock everything else
On approval the permit card is printed and posted by PTT to your registered address, carrying your Yabancı Kimlik Numarası (YKN) — 11 digits starting with 99. With the YKN you can open a bank account, get a tax number, register a SIM, use MHRS and e-Nabız, and create an e-Devlet account (verify the password in person at a PTT branch). Institutions ask for the number far more often than for the card.
In personWho: You; card delivered by PTT postCard typically arrives within 2-3 weeks of approval

Documents you’ll need

Passport (original plus a copy), valid well beyond the permit period
Biometric photographs to official specification (usually 4)
Valid health insurance covering the full permit term (private, or SGK if employed)
Proof of address — lease/rental contract, ideally notarised, in an OPEN mahalle
Employer's work-permit approval if you are sponsored, or proof of funds if you are not

Things most newcomers don’t know

Of Türkiye's biggest cities, Bursa is where the closed-mahalle rule is most likely to be your actual problem.

The 20% cap closes neighbourhoods where foreigners are concentrated, and Bursa carries one of the country's larger foreign-resident populations — so the closures here are extensive rather than incidental, and they sit in exactly the cheaper inner districts a newcomer would otherwise gravitate to. Verify the mahalle before you fall in love with a flat, not after.

Source: Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı closed-neighbourhood announcements

If a plant is hiring you, the work permit carries residence — do not file a separate ikamet in parallel.

An approved work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security confers the right to reside, so the employer-led route replaces the self-filed short-term permit rather than sitting alongside it. People who start an e-İkamet application 'to be safe' while HR files a work permit end up with two conflicting files and a slower outcome.

Source: T.C. Çalışma ve Sosyal Güvenlik Bakanlığı — work permits for foreigners

The YKN, not the plastic card, is what institutions actually key off.

Banks, the tax office, mobile operators, hospitals and e-Devlet all work from your 11-digit foreigner ID starting 99. Without a permit there is no YKN, and without a YKN almost nothing else can be set up — which is why the permit is genuinely the first domino, not one of several parallel errands.

Source: NVİ / Göç İdaresi; e-Devlet (turkiye.gov.tr)

Bursa has no embassies and only limited consular presence — plan any embassy-issued document around Istanbul or Ankara.

Every foreign mission accredited to Türkiye is in Ankara, with consulates concentrated in Istanbul. If your file needs a home-country police certificate, an apostille or a consular attestation, that is a trip — but Bursa is unusually well placed for it, at about two hours to Istanbul on the BUDO ferry.

Source: Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs — foreign missions in Türkiye

Common mistakes to avoid

Signing a lease in one of the inner districts without checking the mahalle — the most common way an ikamet application fails in Bursa.
Filing a self-service e-İkamet application while your employer is separately filing a work permit.
Letting the 90-day visa-free window lapse before lodging the application, or overstaying and triggering a fine and re-entry ban.
Buying health insurance that is too short or non-compliant — it must cover the entire permit period, or the file is rejected.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.