Iranians in Türkiye: a history

Türkiye has been a transit country since 1979, and a place of waiting for refugees in cities such as Denizli, Kayseri and Eskişehir. Asylum seekers include LGBTQ+ people and Christian converts. Iranian residents and investors live in Istanbul and Ankara, and about 30,000 Iranian students were reported in 2024 (to verify). Hundreds of thousands of crossings were reported during the 2026 war (to verify). Refusals of residence renewals were reported to rise in 2026 (to verify).