Action line #80601 - Residency permit Published June 24, 2008 By Anonymous 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Complaint: I am one of the mothers that gave birth in Ankara this year. We returned from Ankara to Incirlik March 1st and started our Tri-Care/DEERS enrollment and no fee passport paperwork within 5 days of returning as instructed. We were told it would take 6-8 weeks for the no-fee passport to be issued and sent back to us. In the meantime, we were told that residency permit paperwork is supposed to be started within 15 days of returning. However, residency permits cannot be processed without no-fee passports. We were notified on May 29 that the passport had finally arrived by an MPF representative. We have incurred late fees because this process has taken so long and was beyond our control. My concern is that all four of us that were in Ankara together were given different information by the residency permit representative. He quoted all four of us different prices for our residency permits and the late fees. When I personally tried to talk to him about it, he sat there eating and was very rude and uncooperative. What I have been told is that we have no control over the Turkish nationals and they can pretty much do what they want without consequence. It is hard for me to believe we allow Turkish nationals to treat customers disrespectfully just because they live in this country. If this situation didn't have a monetary impact on my family and on the government since Finance reimburses military members for the permits most of the time, then I would just overlook it as I have with countless other incidents here. I have been here for almost 5 years and this isn't the first time I have heard of people complaining about this situation. How is it possible that this type of business has gone on as long as it has and no one has said anything? Pretty much all dependents that come through this base have to acquire residency permits. Why is everyone being given different prices and where is the extra money going? Thank you in advance for your handling of this matter. Response: Congratulations on your new family member and thank you for the opportunity to clarify the newborn residency permit host nation procedures. Passports are not required to start the process of obtaining a newborn residency permit; however, they are required to finish it. And, you must begin the residency permit process within 15 days of birth if the child is born in Turkey. Our Pass & Registration liaison will hold your residency permit paperwork and coordinate with the Adana Residency Office until your child's passport arrives. As long as the Adana Residency Office is aware you have a newborn child in country, final processing can wait until the passport arrives, and no late fees will be assessed. Please realize if you're late in starting the residency paperwork (more than 15 days), late fees will be assessed, which vary based on a progressive daily/monthly chart. Information on residency permits is posted on the Air Force Portal along with hand-outs in the Pass and ID office. The residency permit currently costs 81.00 YTL which is fully reimbursable. Late fees are assessed at a rate depending on the number of days delinquent, which will vary on a case-by-case basis depending on the individual timelines for customers. Late fees are not reimbursable I apologize that your experience with Pass & Registration was frustrating. We train all our personnel, American and Turkish, in good customer service practices. In addition, whoever told you that local nationals can 'do pretty much what they want without consequence,' was wrong. I and my commanders take allegations of poor customer service very seriously. We haven't perfected it yet, and appreciate your feedback to help us focus our efforts. Our goal is to provide top-notch service.