Turkey has started opening some districts that were previously closed for foreigners applying for residence permits, which may support demand for real estate in popular resort locations, primarily in Alanya and other areas of Antalya province, local media report.
This concerns a review of restrictions that in recent years applied to districts with a high concentration of foreign residents. Such zones were closed for first-time residence permit applications, including through the purchase or rental of housing. It was possible to buy real estate there, but it was impossible to obtain a residence permit at an address in a closed district.
After long appeals from businesses, migration authorities lifted some of the strict restrictions in sought-after areas of Alanya. Among the locations that are again being discussed as available for full legalization of foreigners are Mahmutlar, Avsallar and other popular areas of the resort market.
The industry publication Türkiye Today also writes that in June 2026 Turkey effectively returned to broader availability of districts for residence permit applications, with the exception of certain restrictions, particularly in two districts of Istanbul – Fatih and Esenyurt. At the same time, the market is still waiting for additional official clarifications on legal details, including the link between property purchases, address registration and the right to resident status.
Previously, Turkey had a system of closed districts if the share of foreigners in the local population exceeded a set threshold. In 2022-2025, this became one of the factors cooling foreign demand for housing in resort cities, especially in Antalya, Alanya, Mersin and Istanbul.
For the real estate market, the opening of previously closed districts may become an important signal. Foreign buyers often view the purchase of housing in Turkey not only as an investment or resort asset, but also as a basis for long-term residence. Therefore, the ability to register an address and submit documents for a residence permit directly affects the liquidity of such properties.
This change may be especially sensitive for Alanya. In recent years, Mahmutlar, Kestel, Avsallar, Kargicak and other districts actively attracted buyers from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Iran, Germany and Middle Eastern countries. After the introduction of restrictions, part of demand shifted to other locations or was postponed.
Restored access to residence permits may support both the primary new-build market and the secondary market, where many apartments were purchased by foreigners in 2020-2023. However, experts expect demand to be more cautious than during the peak relocation period after 2022: buyers have become more attentive to legal risks, housing maintenance costs, the lira exchange rate and the prospects for obtaining documents.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, in April 2026 foreigners purchased 1,516 residential properties in Turkey, 1.1% less than a year earlier. The share of foreigners in total sales was 1.2%. In January-April 2026, foreign buyers purchased 5,681 properties, 11.6% less than in the same period of 2025.
The main centers of sales to foreigners in April 2026 remained Antalya and Istanbul. According to specialized Turkish platforms based on TURKSTAT statistics, foreigners bought 453 properties in Antalya, 412 in Istanbul and 120 in Mersin. They were followed by Yalova – 68, Ankara – 53, Bursa – 49, Izmir – 41, Mugla – 27, Kocaeli – 24 and Sakarya – 21.
Among foreign buyers in April 2026, Russian citizens were the leaders, purchasing 263 real estate properties. Chinese citizens ranked second with 110 properties, followed by Iranians with 100. Ukrainians ranked fourth with 78 purchases. They were followed by citizens of Iraq – 65, Germany – 61, Kazakhstan – 54, Azerbaijan – 48, Saudi Arabia – 39 and the United Kingdom – 35.
Thus, Ukrainians remain one of the notable groups of foreign buyers of Turkish real estate, although in April 2026 they were no longer in the top three. For comparison, in January 2026 Ukrainians ranked third among foreigners, purchasing 77 properties and trailing only Russians and Iranians.
Portugal has dramatically accelerated the processing of backlogged immigration cases following several years of delays in the system for issuing and renewing residence permits. According to government data, the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) and a special unit tasked with clearing backlogged cases have conducted 763,000 interviews and issued decisions on more than 525,000 cases, of which approximately 473,000 were approved.
This represents a massive clearance of the backlog that formed following the dissolution of the former Service for Foreigners and Borders (SEF), the creation of AIMA, and the abolition of the former “expression of interest” mechanism. This mechanism allowed foreigners already in Portugal to regularize their status if they had a work and tax history.
According to government data, AIMA notified 445,000 people under the now-abolished “expression of interest” scheme alone. A total of 246,000 decisions were made in this category, of which 229,000 were positive and 26,000 were negative, and 225,000 residence cards have already been issued.
Cases involving citizens of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) were considered separately. Under this scheme, 215,000 people were notified, 207,000 interviews were conducted involving 161,000 migrants, and AIMA issued 153,000 decisions, of which 140,000 were positive. 136,000 residence cards have already been issued.
Another major category involves the renewal of expired residence permits. According to Minister for the Presidency António Leiteu Amaro, there were approximately 360,000 such cases; 193,000 people were notified of the need to regularize their status, 104,000 attended appointments, and 82,000 have already received new permits.
Immigration reform has become one of the most sensitive issues for Portugal. The authorities are attempting to simultaneously reduce the administrative backlog, strengthen controls, transition to a more digital system, and abandon the practice whereby the country effectively legalized a large number of people after their entry.
According to AIMA data, as of the end of 2024, there were 1.543 million foreign nationals in Portugal with valid documents or ongoing regularization procedures. This is nearly four times more than in 2017, when 421,800 foreigners were registered in the country.
Brazilian citizens remain the largest foreign community in Portugal, numbering 484,600 people, or 31.4% of all foreigners. The Indian community is the second largest, with 98,600 people. They are followed by citizens of Angola—92,300, Ukraine—79,200, Cape Verde—65,500, Nepal—58,100, Bangladesh—55,200, the United Kingdom—48,200, Guinea-Bissau—47,300, Pakistan—41,500, São Tomé and Príncipe—40,100, and Italy—40,000.
Ukrainians remain one of the largest European migrant groups in Portugal. According to AIMA data for 2024, 79,232 Ukrainian citizens resided in the country, including 31,271 men and 47,961 women. Some Ukrainians are in Portugal under temporary protection, introduced in the EU after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
AIMA specifically noted that as of the end of 2024, there were 61,242 recipients of temporary protection in Portugal who are not considered holders of a standard residence permit but are included in the statistics on foreign residents.
Geographically, Portugal’s foreign population is concentrated primarily along the coast. The districts of Lisbon, Faro, Setúbal, and Porto account for 1.101 million foreign citizens, or 71.3% of the total. The Lisbon metropolitan area itself is home to many municipalities with the largest foreign communities: Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Amadora, Lores, Odivelas, Almada, and Seixal.
The growth in the number of foreigners reflects several processes at once: labor demand, the influx of migrants from CPLP countries, the increase in the number of people from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, as well as the presence of Ukrainians who received protection after 2022. Authorities emphasize that more than 1.03 million foreign nationals pay contributions to Portugal’s social security system.
The UK intends to tighten the rules for obtaining permanent residency for most migrants by extending the standard waiting period from five to ten years. The primary source of this initiative is the UK government’s immigration White Paper, “Restoring control over the immigration system.” These documents explicitly mention a transition from the current five-year baseline to a new standard threshold of ten years.
The new model implies that the right to permanent residence will no longer be granted automatically after a fixed period of stay. The authorities want to link it to criteria regarding behavior, integration, and contribution to British society and the economy. The official consultation states that when reviewing applications, the following will be taken into account: the legality and continuity of residence, knowledge of the English language, passing the Life in the UK test, no criminal offenses, and, likely, verified employment and tax contributions.
The consultation on the earned settlement reform ran from November 20, 2025, to February 12, 2026, and the government says it is currently analyzing the feedback received. At the same time, London has already begun to implement related changes: on March 5, 2026, the Home Office announced stricter English language requirements for obtaining settlement, with these changes set to take effect in March 2027.
As of the end of 2025, there were 7,500,944 foreigners in Spain with valid residence permits, which is 4.5% more than a year earlier. These figures were published by the Permanent Immigration Observatory (OPI) under Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration.
Of this number, 3,804,191 individuals held an EU or EFTA citizen registration certificate, 3,497,284 resided in the country with a residence permit under the general migration regime, and another 199,469 people were in Spain on a TIE card under the Brexit agreement for British nationals and their family members.
Among holders of EU registration certificates and related documents, the largest groups were citizens of Romania—1,136,518 people, Italy—514,054, and the United Kingdom—382,474. Together, these three nationalities accounted for 51% of this category of foreigners with residence permits.
In the segment of foreigners with residence permits outside the EU regime, the largest national groups, according to OPI, were citizens of Morocco, Colombia, and Argentina. At the same time, the total number of foreigners in this segment increased by 9% over the year, or by 288,253 people.
Separately, Spain updated its statistics on Ukrainians. According to OPI data, as of December 31, 2025, 338,576 Ukrainian citizens with valid residence permits were living in the country. The figure was published in January 2026 in a special report on Ukrainian citizens.
Thus, Spain continues to host one of the largest populations of foreign nationals with legal residency status in the EU, and Ukrainians remain one of the most prominent national groups within this demographic.
From May 1, 2026, France will increase a number of immigration fees and introduce new payments for foreigners, which will increase the cost of moving and legalizing in the country. The changes are provided for in the French budget law for 2026, and the increase in stamp duty on citizenship applications is already reflected on the official Service-Public portal.
According to the updated rules, the cost of the first residence permit will increase from €200 to €300, the preferential rate for certain categories will increase from €50 to €100, and the cost of obtaining a duplicate or making changes to a residence permit card will increase from €25 to €50. At the same time, the renewal of most residence permits will remain at €200, and €50 for preferential categories.
One of the most notable changes will be the increase in the stamp duty for applying for French citizenship to €255 from €55. In addition, a new fee of €100 will be introduced for an autorisation provisoire de séjour (temporary residence permit), as well as a €40 fee for exchanging a foreign driver’s license for a French one.
The increase in fees comes against the backdrop of broader budget consolidation in France. The country’s budget for 2026 is designed to reduce the deficit to 5% of GDP from an estimated 5.4% a year earlier. Against this backdrop, part of the administrative costs are being passed on to applicants.
The Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced its readiness to review and, if necessary, tighten procedures for issuing temporary residence permits to citizens of Russia and Belarus. This was announced by Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro in response to a parliamentary question about how individuals with an “unclear past” could obtain temporary residence in the country.
According to the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs, as of January 9, 2026, there were 7,797 Russian citizens and 1,476 Belarusian citizens with temporary residence permits living in the country (a total of 9,273 people).
Taro stressed that temporary residence permits are issued “in strict accordance with the law” and include verification of compliance with the conditions and the absence of grounds for refusal, but the process remains subject to assessment “in each specific case.” The minister added that the ministry will conduct an additional assessment of the criteria and practice of issuing temporary residence permits to citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus and, if necessary, will tighten them.
At the same time, at the end of January, the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that it was preparing a bill that would prohibit Russian and Belarusian citizens without permanent/long-term resident status from purchasing real estate in Estonia, as well as restrict transactions through companies acting on their behalf, citing security concerns. The minister said he expects the law to be passed by the summer.
