Antalya police investigate fake expat marriages

ANTALYA - Doğan News Agency

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Police in the southern Turkish province of Antalya have formed four investigative teams to find foreigners illegitimately married to Turkish citizens to obtain work and residence permits.

The Antalya Foreigners’ Police Department visits the houses of foreigners married to Turkish citizens and makes detailed reports about their conjugal relationships to uncover illegitimate marriages.

Four teams of eight police officers led by a chief officer and a police commissioner have begun home visits to inform foreigners about Turkey’s laws and regulations regarding the status of foreigners. The teams also plan to hear the problems of foreigners, an official statement said. The teams also report on “the couples’ behavior toward each other.”

The officers investigate whether the couples are truly married, whether they have children and who resides with them.

In the last three months, 20 fake marriages have been discovered, said Antalya Foreigners’ Police Department chief Ozan Akkuş.

Akkuş also said legal action had been taken against the 20 couples. The foreigners’ residence permits were canceled and they were given 15 days to leave Turkey.

Visa applications from deported foreigners who have been caught in fake marriages with Turkish citizens will be reviewed by the Police Department and official approval by the police will be needed, said Akkuş.

Turkish embassies abroad do not accept visa applications from foreigners who have had fake marriages, Akkuş added.