About us
Rafiq is a coordination service for foreigners in Istanbul. We are not a government authority, a bank, a law firm or a clinic. We are the party that understands your situation, explains what applies to you in your own language, coordinates the work with you or with a licensed partner, and follows it through to an outcome.
What we actually do
For a newcomer, the hard part of life in Istanbul is rarely the procedure itself — it is knowing which procedure applies to your situation, what documents it needs, where it is done and in what order, all in a language you do not speak. Rafiq closes that gap: we listen to your case, identify the right service, explain the conditions, the documents and the common pitfalls, then stay with you through the work. Our coverage spans residence permits and official procedures, banking and insurance, housing and property, health and medical travel, education, translation and notarisation, and everyday living services.
How the work is done: directly or through licensed partners
Some services are handled directly by Rafiq's own team; others are carried out by a partner licensed in their field — a lawyer, a real-estate office, a medical facility, a sworn translator. Every service page on this site states which of the two applies, before you contact us rather than after. When a partner does the work, Rafiq remains your point of contact: we are the ones who explain it, follow the file, and stay the person you come back to.
Who we work with
Students arriving to study, people who have just landed in Istanbul, long-term residents who need a renewal or a new procedure, visitors and tourists, people still planning the move who want to understand the picture before they commit, and people coming to Istanbul for treatment. These situations are genuinely different from one another, which is why we always start by asking about yours before suggesting a service.
Languages we work in
Arabic, English, Russian and Persian. The whole site is available in all four, and so is talking to us. At no point do we ask you to handle Turkish yourself — that is precisely what we cover for you, whether on a call, in reviewing a document, or accompanying you in person.
Where we operate
We work in Istanbul. The work is field-based by nature — accompanying you to a bank, to a hospital, to a property viewing, to an official appointment — and we do not receive walk-in visitors at a public office. Contact starts remotely over WhatsApp or email, and we arrange the in-person part from there if your case needs it.
What we do not promise
We do not guarantee the outcome of any application decided by an official body. Residence decisions are made by the migration authority, citizenship decisions by the competent authority, account approval by the bank, and medical decisions by the doctor. Our role is to prepare the file properly, make the risks clear before you pay or commit, and follow it through — not to promise a decision that is not ours to make. Anyone who guarantees you a government outcome in advance is showing you a warning sign worth paying attention to.
Cost
What a procedure costs depends on its type, your personal circumstances, and the official fees in force at the time, so we do not publish fixed figures on this site — a number that is accurate today can be misleading tomorrow. Once you contact us and we understand your case precisely, we give you a clear cost before anything starts, along with what it does and does not include.
Our legal status
Rafiq is currently in the process of being formally established as a company in Türkiye. We would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise, and we will publish the legal name and registration number on this page as soon as registration is complete. Services that require a licence — legal, real-estate, medical and sworn translation — are carried out through partners licensed in their fields, and each service page says so.
Have a situation you want to ask about?
Tell us briefly where you stand and we will tell you what applies to you and what the next step is — before any commitment.