If you have just been refused entry at a Turkish airport, had a visa application rejected for no clear reason, or learned that you face deportation on “general security” grounds, you may be dealing with a G-87 restriction code (tahdit kodu). It is one of the most serious codes the Turkish migration authorities can place on a foreign national — but it is an administrative act, and administrative acts can be challenged in court. The two things that decide your case are which deadline applies to your situation and how quickly you act. This page explains both.

This guide focuses on the G-87 code in detail. For an overview of the whole system — the Ç, V, G, N and O code families and how each is challenged — see our complete guide to Turkey’s entry-ban restriction codes.

What is the G-87 code?

G-87 is a restriction code recorded against a foreigner who is assessed as posing a threat to general security. In practice it is one of the heaviest codes in the system: it is frequently entered on the basis of intelligence or police records rather than a criminal conviction, and it can lead either to a refusal of entry or, if you are inside Turkey, to a deportation (sınır dışı) decision.

Unlike visa-overstay codes that expire after a fixed period, a G-87 code is generally recorded without an end date. It remains on your record until the administration lifts it or a court annuls it. That is precisely why a passive “wait and see” approach does not work for G-87 — nothing expires on its own.

How do people find out they have a G-87 code?

Most foreigners discover the code by surprise, usually in one of these moments:

• At passport control, when entry is refused and a “passenger not accepted” (INAD) form is issued. The form should state the code or at least the reason.
• When a visa application is refused by a Turkish consulate, sometimes with the code referenced in the rejection.
• Through e-Devlet or a query to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management, where the record can be checked.
• Inside Turkey, when a deportation decision is served and the person is placed in a Removal Centre (Geri Gönderme Merkezi, GGM).

Knowing only the code tells you the general reason for the ban. The specific grounds and the documents the administration relied on usually cannot be obtained without taking formal legal steps — which is the first reason early legal involvement matters.

The legal nature of a G-87 code — and why it can be challenged

A restriction code is not a mere internal “note.” Placing the code is a unilateral, enforceable administrative act that changes your legal position by barring your entry to Turkey. Like every administrative act, it is subject to judicial review. The administration cannot simply say “we entered the code, we owe no explanation.” Every code must rest on a concrete, lawful and reviewable reason.

This is the structural weakness of many G-87 codes. In practice, the intelligence assessments behind them are often based on suspicion rather than concrete, verifiable evidence. Where there is no real factual basis, the act is defective in its cause element (sebep unsuru) and can be annulled by the administrative court. Courts have repeatedly set aside G-87 codes where the administration could produce no concrete proof, and where deportation would have exposed the person to a real risk in their home country.

The most important distinction: are you abroad, or inside Turkey?

The single most common mistake is treating “removing a G-87 code” as one procedure. It is two, with very different deadlines. Apply the wrong one and you can lose the case on time limits before the merits are ever heard.

1. You are outside Turkey (entry ban)

If the code is preventing you from entering Turkey, the target is the entry ban itself. The route is an action for annulment (iptal davası) before the administrative court, subject to the general 60-day time limit. In parallel, in limited cases an annotated (“meşruhatlı”) visa can allow entry while the matter is resolved, but this is granted only in exceptional situations, so the annulment action is usually the safer primary route.

2. You are inside Turkey and a deportation decision has been issued

This is the urgent scenario. When a deportation decision accompanies a security code, a special, much shorter rule applies: under Article 53/3 of Law No. 6458 (YUKK), you, your legal representative, or your lawyer must apply to the administrative court within 7 days of notification. This is a strict, preclusive deadline — if it is missed, the decision becomes final.

The critical advantage: filing this application within the 7 days automatically suspends the deportation. (The former carve-out that denied automatic suspension for certain security grounds was removed from Article 53/3 by Law No. 7196 in 2019, following a Constitutional Court pilot judgment on the right to an effective remedy.) The court must decide within 15 days, and its decision is final. In practice, immediate written notice to the Directorate of Migration Management and a stay request remain prudent, because enforcement errors do occur.

If you have been placed in a Removal Centre, the administrative-detention decision is a separate matter: it is challenged before the magistrate judge (sulh ceza hâkimliği), which reviews it on an expedited basis. Detention may not exceed six months, extendable by up to a further six months in limited circumstances.

The human-rights dimension: non-refoulement, family life, and interim measures

A G-87 case is rarely only a domestic administrative dispute. Where removal would expose you to a real risk to life or of ill-treatment, or would sever established family ties in Turkey, international and constitutional protections come into play and can be decisive:

• Non-refoulement — Article 4 of Law No. 6458 and Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights prohibit removal to a country where you would face a real risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.
• Family and private life — Article 8 ECHR can render a removal disproportionate where you have a spouse, children, or a settled life in Turkey.
• Constitutional individual application — a bireysel başvuru to the Constitutional Court, which can order that you not be removed pending review.
• European Court of Human Rights — an application to the ECtHR, including a Rule 39 interim measure to halt an imminent removal while the case is examined.

These remedies are technical and time-sensitive, and they are an area of particular focus in our practice. Used correctly, and in the right sequence, they can stop a removal that the domestic file alone would not.

Why many G-87 codes are defeated

Strong challenges typically turn on one or more of the following: the absence of concrete evidence behind the intelligence assessment; a defect in the cause element of the act; disproportionality relative to the actual facts; procedural and notification failures (including service in a language the person does not understand); and a real non-refoulement or family-life risk that the administration failed to weigh. None of these is visible from the code alone — they emerge once the file is obtained and examined.

What to do now

• Identify your exact situation — entry ban abroad, or a deportation decision inside Turkey. The deadline depends entirely on this.
• Act on the shortest applicable deadline immediately — 7 days for a deportation decision under Article 53/3; 60 days for an entry-ban annulment.
• Preserve every document — the INAD form, the visa refusal, the deportation/detention notice, and the envelope showing the service date.
• Get the file — the real grounds and the underlying documents are obtained through the legal process, not from the code itself.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a G-87 code last?

A G-87 code is generally recorded without a fixed end date. It stays on your record indefinitely until the administration removes it or a court annuls it.

Can a G-87 code be removed?

Yes. It can be challenged by an administrative application to the Directorate of Migration Management and, more reliably, by an action for annulment before the administrative court. Where the code rests on unsubstantiated intelligence, the prospects of annulment are often strong.

Can I enter Turkey on a visa while I have a G-87 code?

Usually not through an ordinary visa, because the system tends to refuse applications automatically. An annotated (“meşruhatlı”) visa is possible only in exceptional cases, so the annulment action is normally the primary route.

Does filing a court case stop my deportation?

If a deportation decision has been issued and you file the application within the 7-day period under Article 53/3 of Law No. 6458, the deportation is suspended automatically pending the court’s decision.

Do I need a lawyer?

It is not legally mandatory, but the 7-day deadline, the technical defences, the need to obtain the file, and the international-law dimension make experienced representation important. A missed deadline or a misdirected application can be irreversible.

Facing a G-87 code, an entry ban, or deportation from Turkey? Our practice represents foreign nationals in entry-ban annulment actions, deportation appeals, administrative-detention challenges, Constitutional Court individual applications, and ECtHR proceedings, with assistance available in several languages. Contact us for a confidential assessment, or read more about our deportation and expulsion services.

This page is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Time limits in these matters are short and preclusive; seek advice on your specific situation without delay.