Türkiye issues last call for 200K Syrian refugees to update addresses by Nov. 1

The Turkish Interior Ministry has issued a final call to Syrian refugees in Türkiye, as more than 200,000 individuals have not updated their addresses. Registrations for those who fail to update their information will be canceled starting Nov. 1.

For the past seven to eight months, the Interior Ministry has been working to update data related to Syrian refugees in Türkiye. This initiative included an address verification process to ensure accurate records of Syrian individuals residing in the country.

Initially, 90 days were provided for updating addresses, followed by an additional 60 days, which will expire at the end of October.

Consequences of non-compliance

Despite these efforts, over 200,000 Syrians have not completed the address update process. Authorities have visited the previously registered addresses of these individuals and found them unoccupied.

Syrians who do not update their addresses by the end of the month will have their registrations deleted and will be unable to access any government services, effectively placing them on an ‘illegal’ status.

Possible illegal departures

Security sources indicate that over 200,000 Syrians who failed to update their addresses may have exited the country through illegal means. Correspondence has been sent to the Ministries of National Education, Health, Labor and Social Security and Family and Social Policies to verify any records related to these individuals.

“If they accessed any services, there should be records in these ministries. For example, if they visited a hospital, enrolled a child in school, or received social assistance, corresponding records would exist.”

“However, it appears there are no such records. This leads us to conclude that if these individuals had returned to their home country, they would have been registered upon departure. The lack of such registrations suggests they may have left the country illegally for Europe,” one of the sources said.

Increased returns to Syria

As the deadline for updating the address approaches in early November, the exact number of Syrians remaining in Türkiye is expected to become clearer, with estimates suggesting the count may fall below 2.9 million.

Previous records indicated that approximately 3.1 million Syrians were still residing in Türkiye. Additionally, security sources have noted an increase in the return of Syrians to their home country in 2024 compared to previous years, with an average of 11,000 Syrians relocating each month to the four secure zones established by Türkiye in Syria. Since 2016, around 720,000 Syrians have returned to their homeland.