Most instructions about losing lawful status in Türkiye begin not with a refusal by an authority but with a simple arithmetical error. The rules on stay differ by nationality far more than people assume.

Limits differ by nationality

• Russian citizens — up to 60 days per stay, capped at 90 days in total within any 180-day period.
• Belarusian citizens — up to 30 days per stay and no more than 90 days within one year. The cap runs annually rather than over 180 days, and this is the most underestimated feature.
• Ukrainian and Kazakh citizens — up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

The passport must remain valid for at least 60 days beyond the intended stay. Visa-free entry confers no right to work.

Leaving does not reset the counter

The calculation works like this: take any date, count back 180 days, and add up every day actually spent in the country. The day of entry and the day of exit each count as a full day. Leaving for a day does not restore the allowance — the most persistent misconception among those relying on a "visa run".

Overstay and its consequences

Exceeding the period triggers a fine and an entry ban. How the person left matters decisively: voluntary departure with the fine paid and enforced removal carry entirely different consequences for future residence applications.

If a removal decision has been issued

This is where the shortest deadline in Turkish immigration law begins: seven days from service of the decision to apply to the administrative court. While that period runs, and while an application made within it is pending, removal is as a rule not carried out.

Administrative detention in a removal centre may be ordered at the same time — for up to six months, with the possibility of extension. That is a separate decision, challenged separately and before a different forum, so both tracks must run in parallel.

If you have received a document and are unsure which deadline is already running, seek an assessment before the week is out, not after.