Work Permits
in Turkey

01 / Legal framework

Working in Turkey as a Foreign National

Foreign nationals generally need a work permit or a recognised exemption before starting work in Turkey. For an ordinary employee, the application concerns a particular employer, workplace and role. A job offer, residence card or company registration does not, by itself, provide permission to work.

Main legal framework

International Labour Force Law No. 6735

Responsible authority

Ministry of Labour and Social Security

The Ministry's Directorate General of International Labour Force assesses applications. The law, implementing regulation and current assessment criteria must be read together. The applicant's qualifications matter, but the employer's financial position, staff numbers and proposed salary can be equally important.

A valid ordinary work permit also provides residence permission during its validity. This principle has exceptions for certain protection-related statuses. Work permission, lawful residence and social security registration should therefore be checked separately. Our residence permit service addresses permission to stay where employment is not the basis.

Legal Istanbul advises employers, employees and company owners before filing, during the application and after a decision. The review starts with the actual work and immigration history, rather than an assumption that the same procedure applies to every foreign national.

02 / Legal services

Legal Advice for Employers and Employees

A work permit file brings together employment, immigration and company records. We review whether these records support the proposed job and identify issues that need attention before work begins.

The engagement identifies who the client is and which tasks are included. An employer and employee may have different interests, particularly if employment ends. Advice on a permit does not automatically include a wage claim, dismissal dispute, tax return or court case.

Employer records must be accurate and supported by current evidence. Legal representation cannot replace a missing qualification, create an exception that does not apply or guarantee the Ministry's decision.

03 / Permit categories

Main Work Permit Types

The permit type determines the work allowed and the conditions that continue after approval. The following categories should not be treated as different names for the same permission.

Source: the Ministry's work permit categories.

Permanent work permission is not Turkish citizenship. It does not provide a Turkish passport or political rights. The eight-year work-permit condition must not be confused with eight years under any form of residence permission.

For an ordinary fixed-term permit, the expiry date is only one limit. The employer, occupation and workplace details also matter. A card that has not expired does not necessarily authorise a new job.

04 / Where to apply

Applications from Turkey and Abroad

The correct route depends on the applicant's current legal status. Review the passport, residence document and entry history before arranging a start date or consular appointment.

Application from Turkey

The ordinary route requires a residence permit issued for at least six months that is still valid when the application is made. This does not mean that six months must remain on the card.

Application from abroad

The applicant applies personally at the Turkish embassy or consulate in their country of citizenship or legal residence. The employer uses the resulting sixteen-digit reference number for the online application.

Some statuses have different domestic application rules. A visitor should not assume that entering Turkey without a visa provides access to the ordinary domestic route. Equally, an exception must be supported by the relevant status documents, not simply selected on an online form.

The employer's filing and the consular stage need to be coordinated. Confirm the applicable submission period and required documents when the reference is issued. A consular appointment, online reference or pending application is not permission to start work.

Sources: application routes and official application questions.

05 / Employer assessment

Staff Numbers and Financial Requirements

The Ministry assesses both the foreign employee and the workplace. For businesses using balance-sheet accounting, the general criteria below provide the starting point. Sector rules, company-owner applications and personal-status exceptions may change that assessment.

An Exception Based on Previous Lawful Stay

Under criteria effective from 3 August 2026, certain domestic applications can be assessed without the general staffing and financial tests. The applicant must have spent at least one of the previous three years lawfully in Turkey under a work permit, residence permit or international protection status.

This arrangement is limited to three qualifying foreign workers at the workplace. The number of foreign workers must not exceed Turkish employees there. The fourth and later qualifying foreign workers are subject to the usual staffing and financial tests. Protection-related legislation also continues to apply.

Source: current Ministry assessment criteria, checked on 19 October 2026. An exception from a criterion is not an exemption from obtaining a work permit.

06 / Employment terms

Salary Requirements and the Proposed Job

The general salary test uses the gross minimum wage in force on the application date. The correct category depends on the actual duties. A job title chosen only to obtain a lower threshold can conflict with the contract, qualifications and business records.

Source: Ministry salary criteria. Specific exceptions must be checked separately.

The net amount received by the employee is different from gross salary and the employer's total cost. The contract, application and payroll should describe the same employment arrangement. An allowance or informal payment should not be assumed to replace the required salary.

07 / Business owners

Work Permits for Company Owners and Partners

Registering a company does not automatically give a foreign owner permission to manage or work in it. Review the company type, shareholding and actual duties. A passive investment and daily management raise different questions.

Under the general company-partner criteria, the company's paid-in capital must be at least TRY 500,000. The foreign partner's capital amount must also reach TRY 500,000, and their share must be at least twenty per cent. Increasing the company's stated capital without documenting the required payment does not answer the paid-in capital test.

The general rule requires five Turkish employees. For the first permit of a qualifying foreign owner or partner, this staffing condition applies from the beginning of the seventh month and must then be met each month. A separate exception applies to qualifying foreign partners whose capital share is at least USD 100,000.

These figures do not replace the remaining application requirements. Company records, ownership changes and the proposed role still need review. Non-managing partners and certain non-resident board members have separate rules; these should not be extended to every owner.

Our company formation service covers business registration. The official company-partner criteria should be checked before relying on a capital increase or staffing plan.

08 / Special requirements

Sector Rules and Work Permit Exemptions

The general business criteria do not answer every case. Certain education and health roles require prior permission from the relevant authority. Professional recognition and restrictions on occupations reserved for Turkish citizens also need checking before an employment offer is finalised.

Specified technology roles may benefit from exceptions to the staffing and financial tests. Outside the information technology sector, the relevant exception is limited to two foreign specialists. The business activity and actual duties must support the category claimed.

Domestic care, tourism, manufacturing and other sectors have their own conditions. A household employer should not use a company checklist. For care work, the person needing care, the proposed worker and the household's financial support are relevant to the assessment.

The Difference Between Two Types of Exception

A criteria exception removes or changes a particular assessment test. The applicant still needs a work permit. A work permit exemption is a separate legal category for qualifying activities and periods, with its own application and evidence requirements.

Short visits, unpaid work or payment from an overseas company do not, by themselves, establish an exemption. Review where the work takes place, its duration and the actual activity against the official exemption categories.

09 / Personal circumstances

Students, Spouses and Family Members

A student residence permit is not permission to work. Foreign students in formal associate-degree or undergraduate programmes may work part-time after completing their first year, subject to a work permit. The same first-year and part-time restrictions do not apply to formal postgraduate students' work permit applications.

Marriage to a Turkish citizen does not automatically remove the work permit requirement. Under the assessment criteria, a person who has lived in marital unity with a Turkish citizen for at least three years may qualify for exceptions to specified employment, financial and salary tests. The relationship and required period must be documented.

A foreign employee's permit does not extend work permission to their spouse. Family residence is a separate application, and a spouse who plans to work needs their own legal basis. Children's residence and education documents also require separate attention. See our family residence article.

International and temporary protection statuses involve separate procedures and limits. Their work permits should not be treated as ordinary residence permits. The status document must be reviewed before selecting an application route.

10 / Supporting evidence

Preparing the Application Documents

The exact list depends on the employer, occupation, immigration status and application route. Prepare records from both sides of the employment relationship rather than treating the employee's passport as the whole file.

Passport validity can limit the permit period. The Ministry's guidance requires the permit to end at least sixty days before passport expiry; applications with less than sixty days of passport validity are not processed. Consider renewal of the passport before requesting a longer employment period.

Translation and certification depend on the document and role. A diploma is not a universal requirement for every occupation, while regulated work may need more than a translated qualification. Names, dates and job details should remain consistent across the file.

Source: official supporting-document guidance. Follow the current application checklist and any additional request.

11 / Application stages

The Work Permit Application Process

The employer normally submits the employment application through the Ministry's e-İzin system. Representation and account access must follow the authorised procedure. Keep submission records and monitor the official contact details throughout the case.

1. Review the Position

   Check the proposed work, employer, residence status and relevant application route.

2. Prepare the Evidence

   Complete the contract, employer records and any professional or exception documents.

3. Submit the Application

   Coordinate the online filing and, where required, the consular reference and documents.

4. Answer Official Requests

   Review additional questions, provide evidence on time and retain proof of submission.

5. Complete Approval Steps

   Pay notified charges, check permit details and arrange lawful entry and employment registration.

The Ministry states that properly completed applications are assessed within thirty days. Where further documents are requested, the assessment period runs from completion of that evidence. This is not a promise that the visa, card delivery and employment start will all be completed within thirty days of first contact.

Source: official processing and application guidance. Our employer application article explains common preparation issues.

12 / Continuing duties

Starting Work and Meeting Employer Duties

Check the approved employer, job, workplace, dates and any conditions before work starts. Approval does not replace social security registration or the employer's ordinary employment duties.

For a domestic approval, the Ministry's guidance requires work to start and the relevant obligations to be met within one month of the permit's starting date. For an overseas approval, work must begin within one month of entry and, in any event, within six months of the permit's starting date.

Employers must notify the Ministry of employment starting, ending and events requiring cancellation within fifteen days. Social Security Institution (SGK) filings have their own deadlines. Do not use the Ministry's fifteen-day period as a general deadline for every payroll or insurance filing.

A worker posted from another country may have specific social security arrangements under an international agreement. Foreign insurance alone does not establish an exception. The agreement, posting period and accepted evidence need checking.

Keep the contract, salary payments, registration records and official notices together. These help establish whether the approved employment continued and may be important for renewal.

Source: official social security and notification guidance.

13 / Continuing employment

Renewals, Employer Changes and Employment Ending

A renewal application can be made from sixty days before the existing permit expires and must be submitted before expiry. Preparing documents early leaves time to resolve missing employer records or changes in the role. A late filing is assessed under first-application rules.

For continued employment with the same employer, the first extension may be granted for up to two years and later extensions for up to three years. The requested period must still fit the contract and other legal conditions.

Working While a Renewal Is Pending

A person who applies for an extension on time may continue in the same work and workplace for up to ninety days after the existing permit expires while the application is assessed. This is not an open-ended permission and does not cover starting with a new employer or a first application.

Changing employers normally requires a new application assessed under initial application rules. Certain sector-based exceptions also carry restrictions affecting an early move to another employer or sector. Check the new position before ending the current arrangement.

If employment ends, review cancellation, required notifications and the employee's lawful-stay position together. The remaining date on the card should not be treated as permission to work elsewhere. Residence alternatives require a separate assessment.

Sources: extension applications and pending renewals and employer changes.

14 / Application costs

Work Permit Fees and Other Costs

Official permit charges, the card charge and professional costs are separate. The amount depends on the permit type and duration. The figures below are from the published 2026 schedule, checked on 19 October 2026.

Longer permits, independent permits and permanent permits have different charges. Certain statuses have separate tariffs or exemptions. Use the official notification for the actual payment and retain the receipt.

The Ministry requires notified permit and card charges to be paid within thirty days. Failure to pay within that period leads to refusal. A legal fee should not be assumed to include government charges, payroll work or a later court case.

Source: official 2026 fees and payment instructions.

15 / Application issues

Responding to Delays and Refused Applications

A request for further documents is not the same as a refusal. Read the exact request, its deadline and the required format before responding. Uploading unrelated documents can leave the original issue unanswered.

For a delayed file, first establish whether it is complete, whether another authority's permission is pending and whether any message has gone unanswered. The submission date alone does not explain the legal position.

Official guidance provides thirty days from notification to object to a refusal through the online system, with a reasoned submission and supporting documents. A rejected objection can be challenged before the administrative courts. Court options and deadlines need separate review; do not assume that informal contact or a fresh application protects them.

The response should address the recorded reasons: for example, an incorrect occupational category, unsupported exception or missing employer evidence. Repeating the same application without addressing the problem may not help. Our work permit refusal article covers the review of decisions.

An objection is not permission to begin or continue unauthorised work. Keep the full decision, notification record, application documents and current immigration records for an individual assessment.

16 / Questions

Common Questions About Work Permits