Removal Centre (Geri Gönderme Merkezi) Detention in Türkiye

What is a removal centre (geri gönderme merkezi), and what does administrative detention mean?

A removal centre (geri gönderme merkezi, or GGM) is a closed administrative facility where a foreigner can be held pending removal from Türkiye. Being placed there is called administrative detention (idari gözetim) — an administrative measure to manage a person's departure, not a criminal sentence. It carries no finding of guilt and it is not a prison.

Removal centres are run by the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, or PMM), which sits under the Ministry of Interior. They are governed by Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection (the LFIP, in Turkish Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu / YUKK) — the single statute a lawyer works from in these cases. The older name for these facilities was Yabancılar Misafirhanesi ("foreigners' guesthouse"); today the term used is GGM.

Two separate things usually happen together here. There is a removal decision (sınır dışı etme kararı) — the order that you leave the country — and there is an administrative-detention order (idari gözetim kararı) — the order that you be held while removal is arranged. They are different acts, made under different parts of the law, and, crucially, they can be challenged separately. The removal decision itself is covered in more detail on our deportation and removal page.

Why has someone been taken to a removal centre?

A foreigner is taken to a removal centre when there is a removal decision against them and the authorities consider that detention is justified on one of the grounds set out in the law. Administrative detention is not automatic — not everyone with a removal decision is detained. Common triggers include:

• Denied entry at the border

  Being refused entry at passport control can lead to a removal decision and, if detention grounds apply, transfer to a centre. See our denied entry page for the first stage.

• Overstaying a visa or permit

  Staying beyond a visa, visa exemption, or residence permit is a frequent trigger. Our visa overstay page explains the consequences and how they can sometimes be reduced.

• An existing entry ban (tahdit)

  A prior entry ban or restriction code recorded against you can surface on arrival and lead to a removal decision.

• A risk of absconding, or a breach of entry-exit rules

  Under Law No. 6458, administrative detention can be ordered where there is a risk of flight, or where a person breached entry or exit rules or did not leave within a permitted period without an acceptable excuse.

• False documents, or public-order grounds

  Using false documents, or being assessed as a risk to public order, public security or public health, can also be a ground for detention pending removal.

What rights does a person have inside a removal centre?

A person in administrative detention keeps important rights, and a relative or lawyer can insist on them. In principle these include access to a lawyer and legal representative, an interpreter if you do not speak Turkish, and the right to be informed of the decision concerning you and of the remedies available.

They also include consular access — the right to contact your own country's embassy or consulate — together with contact with UNHCR, with relatives, and the right to receive visitors (lawyers, family, consular officials and NGOs), plus medical care. You can also apply for international protection (asylum) if you fear returning home.

In practice, communication is shaped by each centre's rules. Visiting is generally arranged on weekdays during working hours rather than at any time, and phone contact can be limited — which is part of why a family can struggle to reach a detained relative. A person who cannot afford a lawyer may seek state-funded legal aid (adli yardım) through the provincial bar association for a judicial appeal; because detainees often cannot start this themselves, UNHCR or NGOs sometimes alert the bar on their behalf.

Do and don't in the first days

What happens step by step, from the airport to release or removal

• The airport holdYou are first held at the airport — at passport control or an airside holding area. This first stage is covered on our airport detention page and is separate from the removal-centre phase.
• A removal decision is issuedA formal removal decision (sınır dışı etme kararı) is made by the administration. This is the order to leave the country — see the deportation page for the decision itself.
• An administrative-detention orderIf the grounds for detention under Law No. 6458 apply, an idari gözetim order is issued so the person can be held while removal is arranged.
• Transfer to a removal centreYou are physically moved to a removal centre, frequently one on the outskirts of the city rather than at the airport. Reported facilities in the Istanbul area include Silivri/Selimpaşa, Tuzla, Arnavutköy (Hadımköy), Çatalca and Binkılıç. This is why a person can become hard to locate.
• Periodic review while detainedDetention is reviewed periodically by the governorate and can be challenged before the magistrate judge; the removal decision runs on a separate track before the administrative court.
• Release or removalThe process ends either in release (including on non-custodial alternatives) or in removal from Türkiye — unless a remedy, an international-protection claim, or non-refoulement changes the outcome.

This sequence is typical, not a rule for every case; timing and steps vary from person to person.

Common situations

These are recurring patterns. They are illustrations, not predictions — your facts decide what is possible.

• A family can't find where the person was taken

  A relative stops answering after landing. Because people are moved to centres outside the city, and location is not always readily disclosed, a lawyer often has to confirm the facility, then work through consular and UNHCR channels to establish contact.

• An asylum-seeker is detained

  Someone who fears returning home is held pending removal. Lodging an international-protection application engages a separate procedure and the non-refoulement bar, which can affect whether and how removal proceeds.

• An overstay leads to detention

  A person who stayed too long is stopped on exit or a later trip. See visa overstay; the removal and any entry ban should be weighed with a lawyer before signing anything.

• A dual national is held

  Holding another nationality does not automatically prevent detention on a Turkish removal decision. The interplay of nationalities and any entry ban needs careful handling.

• A vulnerable person is detained

  A minor, a pregnant woman, someone seriously ill, or a torture survivor may qualify as a person with special needs, which brings heightened scrutiny of detention and a stronger case for alternatives to it.

Who this page is for

• A foreigner detained after being denied entry or stopped at IST or SAW
• A dual national held despite holding another nationality
• A relative or friend outside Türkiye trying to locate and reach a detained person
• An asylum-seeker or anyone who fears returning to their home country
• A vulnerable person — a minor, a pregnant woman, someone seriously ill, or a survivor of serious violence
• Anyone served with a removal decision who wants to understand the remedies available

How a lawyer can help once someone is inside

1. 1
   Assess and locateWe work to identify which removal centre holds the person, confirm whether a removal decision and a detention order have been issued, and read exactly what has been decided.
2. 2
   Establish contact and secure basic rightsWe seek access to the detained person and press for the entitlements the law provides — interpreter, consular contact, medical care, and information about the case.
3. 3
   Act on the detentionWhere there are grounds, we challenge the administrative-detention order before the magistrate judge, engage the periodic review, and argue for alternatives to detention.
4. 4
   Address the removal decisionOn the separate track, the removal decision is challenged before the administrative court within its strict time limit (see our deportation page), raising non-refoulement or international-protection points where they apply.
5. 5
   Pursue further remediesIf the first steps do not resolve matters, we advise on the further remedies that may be available and on the real trade-off between voluntary return and contesting removal.

We act to protect your rights and pursue release where the law allows. We do not — and cannot — promise a particular outcome; the result depends on the facts and the current law. To appoint a lawyer a notarised power of attorney (vekâletname) is normally needed, which can be hard to obtain from inside a centre, so a bar legal-aid appointment can sometimes substitute. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions