G-87 Restriction Code Turkey: Meaning, Duration, Removal

The G-87 restriction code is an entry ban code imposed on the basis of an assessment that the foreigner poses a risk to general security. It is the most common of the G-group codes and in most cases rests on an information note from law enforcement or intelligence units. Foreigners often discover that the code exists at the border gate or in a residence application, without learning any concrete reason.

🔎 What Does the G-87 Restriction Code Mean?

Codes beginning with the letter "G" generally indicate security-based entry bans. Within this group, G-87 is used to mean "a person who poses a risk to general security". The notable feature of the code is that it does not require a criminal conviction or a finalised violation; the administration's risk assessment is considered sufficient. This leads both to the code being applied widely and to its being frequently disputed in judicial review.

📜 Legal Basis

• Article 9/1 of Law No. 6458: The Presidency of Migration Management may, where necessary after obtaining the opinion of the relevant institutions, ban the entry into the country of foreigners whose entry is considered undesirable in terms of public order or public security.
• Article 54/1-d of Law No. 6458: A deportation decision is taken against those who pose a threat in terms of public order, public security or public health.
• Article 15/1-c of Law No. 6458: Visas are not issued to those considered undesirable in terms of public order or public security; under Article 7/1-c these persons are treated as inadmissible passengers.

⏳ Duration

The duration of an entry ban is at most five years; where there is a serious threat in terms of public order or public security, the Presidency may extend it by up to ten more years (Article 9/3). Article 8/2-d of the Implementing Regulation provides that this extension may be made in one step or separately, but that a ban based on the same ground cannot exceed fifteen years. G-group codes are mostly applied for periods close to these upper limits; for this reason, once the code is learned, examining the lawfulness of the measure matters more than waiting for the period to run.

⚠️ Consequences

• For the duration of the ban no visa is issued and the person is turned back at the border gate.
• The residence permit of a foreigner in Türkiye may be cancelled because of a valid entry ban decision (Article 33/1-ç).
• A foreigner against whom a deportation decision has been taken may, under certain conditions, be placed in administrative detentionTR; an application against administrative detention may be made to the criminal judgeship of peace.
• In citizenship applications the public order and security assessment gives a negative result.

⚖️ Judicial Review and the Classified Document Rule

An annulment action against an entry ban decision may be brought before the administrative court within sixty days of notification (Article 7 of the İYUK). If the code was imposed together with a deportation decision while the person was in Türkiye, the time limit against the deportation decision is seven days, the court decides within fifteen days, and the foreigner is not deported against his or her will while the case is pending (Article 53/3 of Law No. 6458).

The decisive procedural rule for security codes is Article 20 of the İYUK. Under the first paragraph, the administrative court carries out every kind of examination of its own motion and requests from the administration the documents it considers necessary. The third paragraph accepts that documents concerning the security of the state may be withheld with a stated reason; but the last sentence of the same paragraph is clear: a decision cannot be made on the basis of a defence relying on information and documents that have not been provided.

In practice, the outcome of these cases is often determined by whether the administration can tie its "general security risk" assessment to a concrete fact. Factors such as the person's history of lawful stay in Türkiye, criminal record, and work and family ties are also assessed in the case file.

🧭 Administrative Application Route

Besides the court route, under Article 9/6 of Law No. 6458 the Presidency may lift the ban before it expires, or allow entry for a limited period while the ban remains in place. This route matters particularly in cases where the time limit for bringing an action has passed. For the general framework, see the articles on entry bans and restriction codesTR and re-entry after deportationTR.

Related codes: G-82 restriction code, G-26 restriction codeTR, Ç-152 (C-152) restriction code.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions