Turkey still hosts more Syrian refugees than any other country. As of June 2026, 2,255,031 Syrians lived in Turkey under temporary protection, according to the Presidency of Migration Management (Göç Vakfı summary of official data).
That number is falling fast. It peaked at 3.74 million in 2021, and hundreds of thousands of people have gone back to Syria since the fall of the Assad government in December 2024. The rules that shape daily life for Syrian refugees in Turkey are changing too: healthcare, work and travel have all been reformed in 2026.
This guide explains what “temporary protection” means, where Syrians live, and what everyday life looks like. It also shares what our small team at Imece sees on the ground in İzmir, where we have worked with displaced families for over a decade.
Looking for the full set of numbers? See our guide to how many refugees are in Turkey.
What “Temporary Protection” Means for Syrians in Turkey
Temporary protection is the legal status Turkey gives to people who fled Syria from April 2011 onwards. It was set out in the Temporary Protection Regulation of 22 October 2014 (Mülteci Hakları Info). It is not the same as refugee status, but it gives legal stay and access to basic services.
Temporary Protection vs Refugee Status
Turkey signed the 1951 Refugee Convention with a geographical limitation, so it grants full refugee status only to people fleeing events in Europe. Syrians therefore receive temporary protection instead.
In practice, temporary protection does three things:
- It protects registered people from being returned to Syria against their will.
- It gives legal residence in Turkey.
- It opens access to services such as healthcare and education.
The status ends if a person voluntarily returns to Syria.
The KIMLIK and The Province Rule
After registering, a person receives a temporary protection ID card, usually called a kimlik. It is not a residence permit. Its foreigner ID number is the key to healthcare, school enrolment and other public services (w2eu.info).
The kimlik is tied to one province. To use services elsewhere, people have needed a valid travel permit (peer-reviewed study, 2026). Address records matter too. In late 2024, officials said 731,000 Syrians had no registered address. Without one, an ID can be deactivated, leaving only emergency healthcare (Diken, citing the Interior Minister).
This is the gap Imece was built to fill. We prioritise families other organisations often cannot serve, such as those registered in another province, who may not be able to use local public services in İzmir.
What Changed in 2025–2026
| Area | What changed |
| Healthcare | Comprehensive free healthcare ended on 1 January 2026; uninsured Syrians may now pay fees, while emergency care stays free (Syrian Observer) |
| Work | Employer-sponsored work permits replaced by an online work-permit exemption (Al-Monitor) |
| Travel | Intercity travel restrictions relaxed in 2026 (Al-Monitor) |
| The status itself | Officials have said temporary protection may move toward residence permits tied to housing, work, income and health insurance (Daily Sabah) |
We will cover each change in more depth in our upcoming guide to Temporary Protection in Turkey.
Where Syrian Refugees Live in Turkey
Most Syrians in Turkey live in cities, not camps. Istanbul hosts the largest community, with 405,016 people under temporary protection in April 2026 (Diken, citing official data).
After Istanbul, the largest populations are in Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, near the Syrian border (Göç Vakfı). Other major host provinces include Adana, Mersin, Hatay, Bursa, Konya, İzmir and Ankara. In the small border province of Kilis, Syrians make up 22.87% of the local population (Yeniçağ, citing the Migration Directorate).
Syrians in İzmir
İzmir hosted 110,461 Syrians under temporary protection in May 2025 (Mülteciler Derneği). The real number of displaced people in the city is higher, because official figures do not count people who are unregistered or registered in another province.
Many families live in central neighbourhoods such as Basmane, while others work and live in agricultural areas like Torbalı. For a province-by-province breakdown, see our upcoming guide to [ where refugees live in Turkey].
Daily Life for Syrians in Turkey: Work, Housing and School
For most families, daily life is a balance between low-paid work, rising rent and keeping children in school.
Work
Most Syrian workers in Turkey work informally. In 2024, Turkey issued more than 100,000 work permits to Syrians under temporary protection, while over 1 million were estimated to work without contracts or labour protection (Al-Monitor, citing AIDA).
The new online work-permit exemption is meant to make formal jobs easier to get. Informal work usually means long hours, no insurance and no protection if a job ends. Since 2026, being uninsured can also mean paying for non-emergency healthcare.
Housing
Outside the remaining camps, families rent privately and pay their own costs. Some seasonal farm-working families live in informal tent settlements on the edge of towns, like the ones we visit in Torbalı.
School
Syrian children have the right to attend Turkish public schools. In 2024, 819,265 of 1,071,604 school-age Syrian children were enrolled, a rate of 76.45% (AIDA). Even so, around 300,000 refugee children still lacked access to education.
UNICEF has identified the main barriers (summary via Syrian Observer):
- Language: many children start school without enough Turkish.
- Paperwork: missing or inactive IDs, or registration in another province.
- Poverty: older children, especially boys, may work to support their families.
- Distance: settlements can be far from the nearest school.
Nearly half of registered Syrians are children: 1,076,067 were under 18 in May 2026 (Yeniçağ, citing the Migration Directorate). How they are educated now will shape their future, wherever they live.
What We See in Torbalı and Basmane
National statistics show the scale. Our work in İzmir shows what it means for one family at a time.
Torbalı: School Starts In a Tent
In the informal settlements around Torbalı, many children are not enrolled in school. Our Back to School Programme brings classes to them in mobile and tent classrooms. Children learn hygiene, Turkish, the Latin alphabet and maths, alongside play that supports their wellbeing.
When a child is ready, we help the family through school enrollment. So far, 400 children have been enrolled through Back to School.
Basmane: A Weekly Place To Learn
Basmane, in central İzmir, has long been home to newly arrived families. At our activity centre, we run a weekly programme for children aged 6 to 13, plus activities for children under six. The families we work with there come from many countries, not only Syria.
We also help parents with practical steps, such as reaching medical care and understanding residence paperwork. See our Educational Activities in Basmane page.
What Our Team Sees On The Ground
Our field work shows the same pressures the national figures point to. Each observation below comes from Imece’s own programme pages or published interviews.
| What we see | Where |
| Tents stand on dirt floors with no clean running water, waste management or electricity. In winter, temperatures drop below zero and rain turns the sites to mud. | Informal settlements, İzmir area |
| Many children in the camps have never been in a classroom. Their parents often lack the time, resources or schooling to help them catch up. | Torbalı |
| Families living on day labour and seasonal farm work can cover food, but not soap or other hygiene items, so we shifted our distributions toward hygiene supplies. | Torbalı, 2020 |
| Migrant families from the African continent are often the most isolated and rarely receive support from other organisations. | Basmane |
“Our food distributions in Torbalı continue because, in the words of founder Ali Güray Yalvaçlı, “there are families who would truly be left without food” if they stopped.
— Ali Güray Yalvaçlı, founder of Imece İnisiyatifi Derneği (Sivil Sayfalar interview, July 2020, translated from Turkish)”
We never share identifying details of the families we work with. Any story here is shared with consent, and names are changed.
The Path Forward: Integration or Return?
Since December 2024, Syrian refugees in Turkey have faced a new question: stay or go home. Turkey’s Interior Ministry reported 667,565 voluntary returns after 8 December 2024, and 1,407,568 since 2016 (NTV, May 2026). Turkey is also working with IOM on a programme to support people before they leave and after they arrive in Syria (Enab Baladi).
Others are building lives in Turkey. Some 238,768 Syrians have become Turkish citizens while under temporary protection (Daily Sabah, citing the Interior Ministry). Many children have grown up speaking Turkish and know no other home.
UNHCR stresses that any return must be voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable. Returnees go back to a country with severe shortages of housing, services and work (Turkish Minute, citing UNHCR).
Whatever a family decides, skills travel with them. That is the idea behind our newest programme, Back to Home. It offers Syrian women vocational training in home electricity, solar installation, carpentry and sustainable agriculture, so they can help rebuild their communities. Their children join language, psychosocial and art workshops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Syrians in Turkey Officially Refugees?
Not in legal terms. Turkey gives Syrians temporary protection rather than full refugee status. It allows legal stay, protects against forced return and gives access to basic services.
How Many Syrian Refugees are in Turkey?
As of June 2026, 2,255,031 Syrians lived in Turkey under temporary protection. The number has fallen from a peak of 3.74 million in 2021.
What Is a KIMLIK?
A kimlik is the temporary protection ID card. It is linked to one province, and its foreigner ID number is needed for healthcare, school and other public services.
Can Syrians in Turkey Work Legally?
Yes. Syrians under temporary protection can work formally using an online work-permit exemption. Even so, more than a million are estimated to work informally.
How Many Syrians Have Returned Since 2024?
Turkey’s Interior Ministry reported 667,565 voluntary returns between 8 December 2024 and early May 2026.
Get Involved
The rules for Syrian refugees in Turkey will keep changing. What families need from us stays the same: a teacher who turns up, a safe place for children to learn, and skills that last, whether they stay or go home.
Imece is a small, grassroots organisation. Here is how you can help:
- Give monthly — reliable support keeps teachers, classes and training running all year.
- Volunteer in İzmir — bring your skills to our children’s activities in Basmane and Torbalı.
- Help from home — knit for children in the camps or join Imece Germany and Imece France.
Together, we can do what no one could do alone. That is what imece means.
