Ç-120 Restriction Code Turkey: Unpaid Overstay Fees and Fines

The Ç-120 (C-120) restriction code is entered in the record of foreigners who leave the country without paying the fees and fines that have accrued because of a visa or residence violation. Although it is often mentioned in practice together with a five-year entry ban, the real function of the code is a debt record: once the debt is paid, the basis for the code largely falls away.

🔎 What Does the Ç-120 (C-120) Restriction Code Mean?

A foreigner who has overstayed a visa, a visa exemption or a residence permit is charged, on departure, a fee calculated according to the length of the violation, together with a related fine. If the foreigner leaves without paying this amount, for example because there was no means of paying or because no procedure was carried out at the border gate, the debt remains in the system and Ç-120 is entered. The code appears at the foreigner's next entry or visa application.

🔗 Relationship With Overstay Codes

Ç-120 is often seen not alone but together with a code showing the length of the violation. The length of the violation gives rise to one of the Ç-101 – Ç-105 codes, while the unpaid debt gives rise to Ç-120. These two records are tied to different legal consequences: even after the period of the overstay code has expired, the unpaid debt record may continue to prevent the foreigner's entry.

• Applying to the governorate after paying: The entry ban cannot exceed one year (Regulation Article 8/2-b).
• Coming to the border gate voluntarily after paying: An entry ban may not be imposed on the ground of the violation (Article 8/2-c).
• Leaving without paying: These advantages cannot be used; the debt record and the related restriction continue.

📜 Legal Basis

• Law No. 6458, Article 15/1-ğ: A visa is not issued to those who do not agree to pay receivables arising from a visa violation or a previous residence permit, or receivables that must be collected under Law No. 6183.
• Article 9/7: Governorates may make the admission of foreigners to the country subject to prior permission because of administrative fines and public receivables.
• Article 9/4: An entry ban may not be imposed on a foreigner who applies to the governorate to leave before the end of the visa or residence period is detected, provided that the fines have been paid and the set overstay limits have not been exceeded.

💳 Payment and Removal

For Ç-120, the most effective route is payment of the debt. Payment can be made inside the country through the tax office or the competent units, and from abroad through diplomatic missions and a representative. After payment, an application to the Presidency of Migration Management for the record to be updated, with the receipt added to the case, is recommended in practice. Payment does not by itself remove a separate entry ban arising from the length of the violation, if there is one; the routes described in the article on re-entry after deportationTR are assessed separately for that.

Where the charge was wrongly calculated, for example where the violation was calculated even though the residence permit application was made on time, an administrative application and a court action within the sixty-day period are open for the cancellation of the act (Administrative Procedure Law Articles 7 and 11).

Related codes and articles: Ç-135 (C-135) restriction code, Ç-167 (C-167) restriction code, Ç-136 (C-136) restriction code.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions