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Turks in France: Where They Live and Their Consulates

Where Türkiye-born residents of France live, by département, with the six Turkish consulate districts, INSEE counts and the 1965 labour agreement.

ByHatice Kulali
17 min read Updated: October 21, 2026
Summarize with:
Illustration: a Paris pavement café table with a tulip-shaped Turkish tea glass and a sesame simit, in front of cream apartment buildings with iron balconies and grey roofs
Illustration: tea and a simit at a Paris café table.

Six Turkish consulates general serve France, and which one is yours depends only on your département: pick it on the map below. INSEE’s census counts 254,069 people living in France who were born in Türkiye; Turkish state bodies give larger numbers, and each count has its own definition.

Turks in France, in short

Six districts, one map.

  • Your consulate: six consulates general (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nantes) each serve a list of départements. Paris also serves the overseas départements and Marseille also Monaco. Appointments are booked at www.konsolosluk.gov.tr, as each consulate’s page says.
  • The count: INSEE’s census counts 254,069 people born in Türkiye and 212,367 people of Turkish nationality living in France. YTB, a Turkish state agency, puts the Turkish community at more than 800,000. They count different things.
  • Where: INSEE gives the number of Türkiye-born residents aged 15 and over for every département. The map shows each one, and each district’s sum.
  • 1965: the Türkiye–France labour agreement of 8 April 1965 has twelve articles. The Labour Ministry’s publication says no labour has been sent under it since 1973–1974.

Which Turkish consulate serves you? Pick your département

Each consulate general serves a fixed list of départements, and the lists in the tool are the ones on each consulate’s own page. Tap your département on the map, type its name or number, or pick a consulate. The card gives the address, phone numbers and e-mail as that consulate’s page gives them, and the bars show INSEE’s count of residents aged 15 and over who were born in Türkiye, département by département.

Turkish consulates general in France

Your consulate district, département by département

  • Paris
  • Lyon
  • Marseille
  • Strasbourg
  • Bordeaux
  • Nantes

Paris consulate general

Paris Başkonsolosluğu

Address
44 rue de Sèvres, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Call centre, 7 days a week, all day
+33 1 80 14 63 35
Appointments
Online at www.konsolosluk.gov.tr, appointment slots 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00
Emergency duty phone
+33 6 15 30 15 57, outside working hours

As on the consulate general’s own page, checked 20.10.2026. paris-bk.mfa.gov.tr

101,512 INSEE, people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, summed over the district’s départements by Turkpidya

  1. Seine-Saint-Denis 9317,530
  2. Val-d'Oise 9516,254
  3. Essonne 919,147
  4. Seine-et-Marne 778,387
  5. Val-de-Marne 946,325
  6. Paris 754,772
  7. Yvelines 784,622
  8. Loiret 454,451
  9. Oise 604,248
  10. Hauts-de-Seine 923,184
  11. Nord 593,134
  12. Loir-et-Cher 412,459
  13. Eure 272,453
  14. Seine-Maritime 762,302
  15. Eure-et-Loir 282,153
  16. Marne 512,022
  17. Aisne 021,475
  18. Yonne 891,467
  19. Pas-de-Calais 621,247
  20. Ardennes 08992
  21. Cher 18870
  22. Aube 10813
  23. Somme 80578
  24. Nièvre 58570
  25. La Réunion 97431
  26. Guadeloupe 97110
  27. Martinique 9729
  28. Guyane 9737

Also on its list: Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon ZS Mayotte ZM Nouvelle-Calédonie ZN Polynésie française ZP

Lyon consulate general

Liyon Başkonsolosluğu

Address
87, rue de Sèze, 69006 Lyon, France
Call centre, 7 days a week, all day
+33 1 80 14 63 35
Appointments
Online at www.konsolosluk.gov.tr, appointment slots 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00
Emergency duty phone
+33 6 80 93 84 58, outside working hours

As on the consulate general’s own page, checked 20.10.2026. lyon-bk.mfa.gov.tr

49,509 INSEE, people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, summed over the district’s départements by Turkpidya

  1. Rhône 698,881
  2. Isère 387,992
  3. Haute-Savoie 746,311
  4. Ain 015,794
  5. Loire 425,364
  6. Saône-et-Loire 712,546
  7. Puy-de-Dôme 632,463
  8. Drôme 262,403
  9. Savoie 732,258
  10. Jura 392,142
  11. Côte-d'Or 211,094
  12. Ardèche 07816
  13. Allier 03681
  14. Haute-Loire 43391
  15. Creuse 23335
  16. Cantal 1538

Marseille consulate general

Marsilya Başkonsolosluğu

Address
363, avenue du Prado, 13008 Marseille, France
Call centre, 7 days a week, all day
+90 312 292 29 29
Appointments
Online at www.konsolosluk.gov.tr, appointment slots 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00
Emergency duty phone
+33 6 30 11 34 17, outside working hours

As on the consulate general’s own page, checked 20.10.2026. marsilya-bk.mfa.gov.tr

18,521 INSEE, people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, summed over the district’s départements by Turkpidya

  1. Bouches-du-Rhône 137,850
  2. Hérault 342,702
  3. Var 831,993
  4. Alpes-Maritimes 061,622
  5. Vaucluse 841,457
  6. Gard 30841
  7. Pyrénées-Orientales 66626
  8. Aude 11569
  9. Aveyron 12308
  10. Hautes-Alpes 05240
  11. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 04214
  12. Lozère 4866
  13. Corse-du-Sud 2A21
  14. Haute-Corse 2B12

Also on its list: Monaco

Strasbourg consulate general

Strazburg Başkonsolosluğu

Address
3 rue Toreau, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Call centre, 7 days a week, all day
+90 312 292 29 29 · +33 1 80 14 63 35
Appointments
Online at www.konsolosluk.gov.tr, appointment slots 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00
Without an appointment
9:00–12:30 and 14:00–17:00 for passport and ID card collection and notifications
Emergency duty phone
+33 7 49 29 54 55, outside working hours

As on the consulate general’s own page, checked 20.10.2026. strazburg-bk.mfa.gov.tr

51,095 INSEE, people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, summed over the district’s départements by Turkpidya

  1. Bas-Rhin 6717,969
  2. Haut-Rhin 6810,801
  3. Moselle 579,133
  4. Doubs 254,128
  5. Meurthe-et-Moselle 543,752
  6. Vosges 881,833
  7. Territoire de Belfort 901,405
  8. Haute-Saône 701,036
  9. Meuse 55644
  10. Haute-Marne 52395

Bordeaux consulate general

Bordo Başkonsolosluğu

Address
29, allées de Chartres, 33000 Bordeaux, France
Call centre, 7 days a week, all day
+33 1 80 14 63 35 · +90 312 292 29 29
Appointments
Online at www.konsolosluk.gov.tr, appointment slots 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00
Emergency duty phone
+33 6 16 21 90 11, outside working hours

As on the consulate general’s own page, checked 20.10.2026. bordo-bk.mfa.gov.tr

11,168 INSEE, people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, summed over the district’s départements by Turkpidya

  1. Gironde 334,555
  2. Haute-Garonne 312,073
  3. Corrèze 191,018
  4. Haute-Vienne 87980
  5. Charente-Maritime 17670
  6. Tarn 81427
  7. Pyrénées-Atlantiques 64364
  8. Dordogne 24307
  9. Charente 16215
  10. Lot 46163
  11. Tarn-et-Garonne 82137
  12. Landes 40103
  13. Ariège 0947
  14. Lot-et-Garonne 4744
  15. Hautes-Pyrénées 6541
  16. Gers 3225

Nantes consulate general

Nant Başkonsolosluğu

Address
20 quai François Mitterrand, 44200 Nantes, France
Call centre, 7 days a week, all day
+90 312 292 29 29
Appointments
Online at www.konsolosluk.gov.tr or www.nant-bk.mfa.gov.tr; the page says appointments are no longer taken by phone or e-mail
Emergency duty phone
+33 7 66 31 07 90, outside working hours

As on the consulate general’s own page, checked 20.10.2026. nant-bk.mfa.gov.tr

15,938 INSEE, people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, summed over the district’s départements by Turkpidya

  1. Loire-Atlantique 442,895
  2. Ille-et-Vilaine 352,449
  3. Morbihan 562,136
  4. Orne 611,584
  5. Maine-et-Loire 491,436
  6. Calvados 141,285
  7. Finistère 29852
  8. Sarthe 72808
  9. Indre-et-Loire 37719
  10. Côtes-d'Armor 22569
  11. Vienne 86301
  12. Vendée 85243
  13. Indre 36203
  14. Mayenne 53168
  15. Manche 50157
  16. Deux-Sèvres 79132

Districts, addresses and phone numbers: each consulate general’s page on mfa.gov.tr, checked 20.10.2026. Counts: INSEE census 2023, people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, by département. Map: Natural Earth, public domain.

How many Turks live in France? Three rulers

The answer depends on who is counting. In its 2023 census, INSEE counted 212,367 people of Turkish nationality and 254,069 people born in Türkiye living in France. YTB, a Turkish state agency, puts the Turkish community at more than 800,000. Each ruler below carries its own definition.

Who counts, and what

Three rulers, one scale

  1. INSEE · census 2023 · Turkish nationality

    212,367

    INSEE’s census table of foreigners (étrangers) by nationality counts this many residents of France with Turkish nationality. 35,631 of them are under 15.

  2. INSEE · census 2023 · born in Türkiye

    254,069

    INSEE counts immigrants born in Türkiye: people born foreign abroad and living in France. People born French abroad and children born in France are not counted, and a person stays an immigrant after becoming French. 6,685 of them are under 15.

  3. YTB · news item of 13 October 2025 · the Turkish community

    800,000+

    The Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), in its news item on the 60th anniversary of the 1965 agreement, puts the Turkish community in France at more than 800,000 (“sayıları 800 bini aşan”, its words for the community: Türk toplumu).

Each ruler is drawn on the same scale; one tick is 100,000 people. The rulers count different things and none corrects another.

Statements about one area

  • The YTB president, speaking at an event in the Paris region (YTB news item of 24 November 2025), says that about 260,000 Turkish citizens live in Paris and its surroundings (“yaklaşık 260 bin Türk vatandaşı”).

  • The Lyon consulate general’s page says it serves about 200,000 citizens in its district of 16 départements (“yaklaşık 200 bin vatandaşımıza”). INSEE, same départements: 49,509 people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, summed by Turkpidya.

  • The Strasbourg consulate general’s page says about 170,000 of its citizens live in its district of 10 départements (“170.000 civarında vatandaşımız”). INSEE, same départements: 51,095 people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, summed by Turkpidya.

Age, work and place INSEE’s census

INSEE’s census tables break the Türkiye-born population down by age and sex, by occupational group and by commune. Switch between the three panels below; the tick in the work panel marks the same group’s share among all immigrants in France.

INSEE census

The Türkiye-born in France, in tally marks

People born in Türkiye living in France, by age and sex (census 2023)

  1. 3,450Under 153,235
  2. 6,73215 to 246,583
  3. 87,53325 to 5476,372
  4. 37,43955 and over32,724

All ages: 135,155 men and 118,915 women, 254,069 in all.

People aged 15+ born in Türkiye, by INSEE occupational group (census 2023); the tick marks the same group’s share among all immigrants in France

  1. Farmers384
  2. Craftspeople, shopkeepers and company heads23,990
  3. Managers and higher intellectual professions9,616
  4. Intermediate professions15,221
  5. Employees25,801
  6. Manual workers63,730
  7. Retired people34,153
  8. Other inactive people74,848

Total aged 15+: 247,743 people

The ten communes with the most people aged 15+ born in Türkiye, among the communes INSEE’s table covers (census 2023)

  1. Strasbourg6,199
  2. Marseille5,257
  3. Paris4,772
  4. Mulhouse3,712
  5. Sarcelles2,033
  6. Metz1,679
  7. Rennes1,552
  8. Drancy1,487
  9. Colmar1,486
  10. Annecy1,377

INSEE’s census tables are rounded estimates from a survey, and each table is estimated on its own, so totals can differ slightly from one table to another. “Born in Türkiye” follows INSEE’s definition of an immigrant (see the rulers above).

Turkish groceries in France what crosses the border, what the pack says

France’s food imports from Türkiye include nuts, dried and fresh fruit, preserves and sweets. These are national trade figures, not a count of what any shop stocks. The shelf shows the twelve food headings with the highest value in 2025, and the pack beside it shows what French food labelling puts on a pre-packaged product.

France’s food imports from Türkiye

On the shelf: twelve customs headings

  1. Nuts (other than coconuts, Brazil nuts and cashews)
  2. Dates, figs, avocados, mangoes and similar fruit
  3. Dried apricots, prunes and other dried fruit
  4. Grapes, fresh or dried
  5. Fruit and nuts, prepared or preserved
  6. Other food preparations
  7. Chocolate and other cocoa foods
  8. Tomatoes, prepared or preserved
  9. Sugar confectionery without cocoa
  10. Jams, fruit jellies and fruit pastes
  11. Bread, pastry, cakes and biscuits
  12. Frozen fish

value in 2025 dashed outline: 2022

Customs value of food imports from Türkiye, Eurostat: France’s imports, the twelve food headings with the highest value in 2025
Customs heading20222025
Nuts (other than coconuts, Brazil nuts and cashews) HS 0802€76.8 million€99.7 million
Dates, figs, avocados, mangoes and similar fruit HS 0804€34.9 million€39.8 million
Dried apricots, prunes and other dried fruit HS 0813€37.5 million€31.4 million
Grapes, fresh or dried HS 0806€28.4 million€29.8 million
Fruit and nuts, prepared or preserved HS 2008€25.4 million€28.8 million
Other food preparations HS 2106€5.7 million€22.6 million
Chocolate and other cocoa foods HS 1806€1.0 million€11.7 million
Tomatoes, prepared or preserved HS 2002€6.3 million€10.9 million
Sugar confectionery without cocoa HS 1704€8.4 million€10.6 million
Jams, fruit jellies and fruit pastes HS 2007€8.8 million€10.6 million
Bread, pastry, cakes and biscuits HS 1905€3.5 million€10.0 million
Frozen fish HS 0303€1.8 million€9.5 million

Source: Eurostat (Comext), France’s imports from Türkiye in euros, by product group; data updated 16.10.2026, checked 20.10.2026. The values describe trade across the border for France as a whole, not what a shop stocks.

Reading the pack

Four things to find on a food pack, as French rules set them out

1234
A drawn sample, not a real pack: it has no lettering.
  1. 1Ingredients The list runs in descending order of the amount in the food. Substances that cause allergies or intolerances must be highlighted in the list, for example in a different print colour.
  2. 2Dates Two kinds of date can appear. “Best before”: after it, taste, smell and nutritional quality may change without harming health. “Use by”: after it, eating the food may be a health risk.
  3. 3Batch and operator A pre-packaged food may not be sold without a statement of the batch it came from. With the name and address of the operator responsible for the food, it lets the product be traced after a fault, a claim or a health warning. A date that gives day and month can serve as the batch number.
  4. 4Veterinary mark The oval veterinary stamp, or health mark, shows control by the French Ministry of Agriculture’s veterinary services. It is mandatory only on products of animal origin: meat, delicatessen meats, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish and similar.

Source: ANSES, the French food safety agency, “Labelling: information that protects the consumer”, article of 15 February 2013, checked 20.10.2026.

The 1965 labour agreement article by article

Türkiye and France signed a labour agreement on 8 April 1965, and it came into force the same day. The Labour Ministry’s publication of the text says that no labour has been sent to France under it since 1973–1974, when the countries of Western Europe stopped mass recruitment. The twelve cards paraphrase what each article says.

Illustration: a worn 1960s suitcase with leather corners and a blank rail ticket on a railway platform at dusk, a train with lit windows behind
Illustration: one suitcase and a ticket on a platform.

Türkiye–France labour agreement, signed 8 April 1965

Twelve articles, in plain words

  1. Art. 1What France needs, what Türkiye sends France tells the Turkish government from time to time what labour it needs, with general pay and working conditions and the age, skill, occupational and health requirements. Türkiye gives France figures as accurate as it can on how many workers want to go, and their ages and skills. Türkiye considers only work contracts of one year. “bir yıl olan iş sözleşmelerini”
  2. Art. 2Who runs it The bodies in charge are the Turkish Employment Agency (Türkiye İş Kurumu) in Türkiye and the French national immigration office (Ulusal Göç Ofisi) in France. Workers may be asked for by name or without a name. The French office may set up a mission in Türkiye; without one, workers can be taken on through the usual consular channels.
  3. Art. 3Selection, contract and visa The Turkish agency makes the first occupational and medical selection; the French mission makes the final one, and a candidate’s stay at the selection place may not pass five days. A worker found suitable gets a contract signed by the employer and approved by the French Labour Ministry, in French with a Turkish translation. The worker, and family travelling with or coming later, enter France on a national passport with a French visa, and the visa costs nothing: “Vize parasızdır”
  4. Art. 4Formalities and costs Both governments promise to speed up and simplify the formalities for leaving Türkiye, travelling, entering and settling in France, and to cut as far as possible the costs of the workers’ documents and the customs duties on their personal belongings and professional tools.
  5. Art. 5Information Both governments promise to take the steps needed for workers to learn about working and living conditions in France. A note in two languages goes to each worker together with the contract.
  6. Art. 6Equal treatment France takes the steps needed for Turkish workers to be treated as well as possible, in particular on transport, canteens and health aid. On working conditions, health protection, safety, pay, paid leave and unemployment benefits they are treated like French workers. They share in the social security scheme, family and child allowances included, on the conditions set by French law: “Fransız işçileri ile eşit işlem görürler”
  7. Art. 7If the employer fails If a French employer does not apply the contract, or ends it early, and a court finds the employer at fault, the French employment services take the steps needed to place the workers again on terms close to their first contract, especially on pay and the job. After staff cuts or a factory closing, they try to find other work for the workers concerned.
  8. Art. 8Withdrawal of permits France may withdraw a worker’s residence and work cards in three cases: the worker was found unsatisfactory in a new job found for them and has found no third job within a month; the worker refuses to work or cannot adapt to life in France; or the worker commits an offence harmful to public order or security. If the workers cannot pay, the Turkish government undertakes to cover the return journey of the workers and their families.
  9. Art. 9Savings Workers may transfer their savings to Türkiye within the laws and regulations in force: “Türkiye’ye transfer edebilirler”
  10. Art. 10Families Workers’ families may join them within the laws and regulations in force in France. Their travel costs on French territory are for the French authorities. “işçilere katılabilirler”
  11. Art. 11A joint commission A joint commission is set up to follow how the agreement is carried out, to study the difficulties and to propose solutions. Its members are appointed by their governments, and it meets in France and in Türkiye in turn when one of the parties asks.
  12. Art. 12Term The agreement came into force on signature. It lasts one year, and is renewed each year unless one party gives notice three months before the term ends. The text is in Turkish and in French, equally valid: “kendiliğinden her yıl uzatılmış sayılır”

Plain paraphrase of the France section of the Labour Ministry’s publication of the text; the phrases in quotation marks are the text’s own words, in Turkish.

The embassy in Paris and its consulates general

The Turkish embassy in Paris is accredited to France and Monaco, and its page lists six consulates general under it. The six are in the tool above with their districts; the embassy’s own details are below.

Address
16, avenue de Lamballe, 75016 Paris, France
Accredited to
France, Monaco

As on the embassy’s own page, checked 20.10.2026. The page also lists an honorary consulate in Monaco.

Sources

Open the source list
  1. Census: immigrants by sex, age and country of birth (DS_RP_TD_IMMI_AGESEX_PAYSNAISS_D_PRINC) — INSEE, checked 20.10.2026
  2. Census: population by sex, age and nationality (DS_RP_TD_NAT_AGESEX_NATIONALITY_D_PRINC) — INSEE, checked 20.10.2026
  3. Census: people aged 15+ by occupational group and country of birth (DS_RP_TD_IMMI_PCSSEX_PAYSNAISS_R_COMP) — INSEE, checked 20.10.2026
  4. Definition of “immigré” (immigrant) — INSEE, checked 20.10.2026
  5. EU trade since 1988 by HS2-4-6 and CN8 (Comext, DS-045409) — Eurostat, checked 20.10.2026
  6. Embassy in Paris: contact and the six consulates general under it — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, checked 20.10.2026
  7. Consulate general in Paris: contact and district — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, checked 20.10.2026
  8. Consulate general in Lyon: contact and district (its About page gives the citizens figure) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, checked 20.10.2026
  9. Consulate general in Marseille: contact and district — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, checked 20.10.2026
  10. Consulate general in Strasbourg: contact and district (its About page gives the citizens figure) — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, checked 20.10.2026
  11. Consulate general in Bordeaux: contact and district — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, checked 20.10.2026
  12. Consulate general in Nantes: contact and district — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, checked 20.10.2026
  13. Türkiye–France labour agreement: 60th anniversary celebrated (news item of 13 October 2025) — YTB, checked 20.10.2026
  14. YTB President Turus: Paris event on 60 years of the Turkish community in France (news item of 24 November 2025) — YTB, checked 20.10.2026
  15. Uluslararası İşgücü Anlaşmaları (International Labour Agreements), France section; it gives the date and number of the Turkish gazette that published the agreement: 2 October 1965, no. 12116 — Ministry of Labour and Social Security of Türkiye, checked 20.10.2026
  16. Labelling: information that protects the consumer (15 February 2013) — ANSES, checked 20.10.2026

The cover and the platform picture were drawn for this article. The district map is drawn from Natural Earth data (public domain).

Article Information

Written by: Hatice Kulali
Published: February 23, 2023
Category: Culture

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