Work Permits for Foreign Employees

As a rule, foreign nationals may not be employed in Turkey without a valid work permit. Foreigners covered by a work permit exemption, on the other hand, may work with an exemption certificate and only within the scope and for the duration of the exemption. The granting, extension and conditions of work permits, as well as the Turquoise Card (Turkuaz Kart) for highly qualified foreigners, are governed by International Labour Force Law No. 6735. For employers posting staff from abroad to a company in Turkey or wishing to employ foreign specialists, knowledge of the work permit procedure and of the assessment criteria is important. Employing a foreigner without a work permit may lead to administrative fines and other sanctions.

Contents

• Who needs a work permit and which authority is competent?
• What types of work permit are there?
• What is the Turquoise Card?
• How does the work permit application procedure work?
• According to which criteria is the application assessed?
• Which special rules apply to shareholders and company managers?
• What work permit exemptions exist?
• What applies in the case of rejection, cancellation, objection and termination of the permit?
• What are the consequences of employment without a work permit?
• Conclusion

Who needs a work permit and which authority is competent?

Subject to exceptions arising from special laws or international agreements to which Turkey is a party, and to work permit exemptions, every foreign national must obtain a work permit or a work permit exemption before taking up dependent or independent work in Turkey. A work permit does not confer the right to work in professions and occupations reserved by law to Turkish citizens. The authority competent to grant work permits is the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which carries out the assessment through the Directorate General of International Labour Force and obtains the opinion of other institutions where necessary. As a rule, a work permit replaces a residence permit for its period of validity; however, there are certain exceptions provided for in the law. Work permits issued to applicants for international protection, conditional refugees and foreigners under temporary protection do not replace a residence permit. Visa and entry formalities for Turkey are separate from this.

A fixed-term work permit tied to an employer is granted in connection with the employer, the workplace and the work performed. A change of employer therefore requires a new work permit; it is not possible to continue working for a different employer on the basis of the existing work permit.

What types of work permit are there?

• Fixed-term work permit: On the first application, it is granted for a maximum of one year, not exceeding the term of the employment or service contract; it is tied to a specific employer, workplace or workplaces in the same line of business and to the work. If the employment relationship continues, it may be extended for a maximum of two years on the first extension and for a maximum of three years each on subsequent extensions. The extension application is made within the last 60 days of the permit's validity and in any event before it expires. While a timely extension application is being assessed, the foreigner may continue working for a maximum of 90 days from the expiry of the permit, provided that the job and workplace remain unchanged.
• Indefinite work permit: It may be granted to foreigners who hold a long-term residence permit or have held a legal work permit for at least eight years. The holder of an indefinite work permit enjoys the rights granted to Turkish citizens, subject to the provisions of special laws and the rules on social security; however, the holder has no right to vote, to stand for election or to enter public service, and no obligation to perform military service. Fulfilment of the application conditions does not create an absolute right to the granting of an indefinite work permit. The indefinite work permit document must be renewed at the end of every five years; the renewal application is made within the six months preceding the expiry of the five-year period and in any event before it expires.
• Independent work permit: It enables foreigners to work in their own name and for their own account without being tied to an employer. The decision takes into account factors such as education, professional experience, contribution to science and technology and the expected effect of the activity on investment and employment. It is granted for a fixed term.

What is the Turquoise Card?

The Turquoise Card is aimed at highly qualified foreigners and investors who are of strategic value to Turkey in terms of their education and professional experience, their scientific or technological contribution, their investment volume or their effect on employment. It is first granted with a three-year transition period during which the activity is monitored; upon successful completion of the transition period, it may be converted into an indefinite card. To have the transition period annotation removed, an application must be made from 180 days before the end of the transition period and in any event before it expires; if no timely application is made, the Turquoise Card becomes invalid. The cardholder enjoys the rights attached to an indefinite work permit; in addition, the spouse and dependent children are issued a document granting a right of residence. For internationally recognised senior professionals, the Turquoise Card is the most attractive route into the Turkish labour market. The Turquoise Card is not granted to foreigners under temporary protection.

How does the work permit application procedure work?

• Application from abroad: The foreigner personally applies for a work visa at the Turkish diplomatic mission in the country of which he or she is a national or in which he or she is legally resident, and receives a 16-digit reference number. Using this reference number, the employer in Turkey must complete the electronic application by approving it via the Ministry's e-İzin system within 30 days of the work visa application.
• Application from within Turkey: For foreigners who have been issued a residence permit valid for at least six months and whose permit is still valid on the date of application, the employer may apply from within Turkey; in this case, no consular procedure is required. In addition, an application from within Turkey may be permitted without a valid residence permit for certain foreigners legally present in Turkey as determined by the Directorate General.

The application must be accompanied in particular by the employment or service contract, documents relating to the employer (trade registry, financial documents and employee data) and the foreigner's qualification documents; for professions subject to preliminary permission, such as health and education, preliminary permission must be obtained from the relevant institution. Duly filed applications with complete information and documents are, as a rule, assessed within 30 days. Missing information and documents must be supplied within 30 days of the authority's request, except where force majeure is documented by an official authority; otherwise, the application is rejected. The fee and the charge for the security-printed document notified after the application has been approved must also be paid within 30 days of the notification; failure to pay in time results in the rejection of the application.

According to which criteria is the application assessed?

The Ministry examines applications in accordance with the assessment criteria determined, and subject to updating, under the Implementing Regulation of the International Labour Force Law, and in line with international labour force policy. As of 3 August 2026, the general criteria can be summarised as follows:

• Employment criterion: At workplaces subject to balance-sheet accounting, the employment of at least five Turkish citizens for each foreigner is the general rule. However, at workplaces with net sales of at least TL 50,000,000 in the last year, this criterion does not apply to the first five foreigners.
• Financial adequacy criterion: At newly established workplaces that do not yet have a year-end balance sheet and annual income statement, the paid-in capital must be at least TL 500,000. At operating workplaces, it is sufficient to meet one of the following criteria: paid-in capital of at least TL 500,000, net sales of at least TL 8,000,000 or exports in the last year of at least USD 150,000.
• Wage criterion: The gross monthly wage may not be less than 5 times the gross minimum wage for senior executives and pilots, 4 times for engineers and architects, 3 times for other managers, 2 times for work requiring specialist knowledge or mastery, and not less than the gross minimum wage for domestic services and other professions or occupations.

From 3 August 2026, in applications from within Turkey for foreigners who have been legally present in Turkey for at least one year within the last three years preceding the date of application on the basis of a work permit, a residence permit or international protection, the employment and financial adequacy criteria do not apply for up to a maximum of three foreigners at the same workplace; however, the number of foreigners in this category may not exceed the number of Turkish citizens employed at the same workplace. The general criteria apply to the fourth and subsequent foreigners. In addition, in the manufacturing sector, until 31 December 2027, where a need for additional foreigners arises over and above meeting the general ratio on the basis of employment across Turkey, an application for one foreigner for every five Turkish citizens employed on a branch basis at the manufacturing workplace is assessed as exempt from the general employment criterion. Since special rules also exist for IT, education, health, tourism and certain other sectors, the Ministry's current criteria must additionally be checked as at the date of application.

Which special rules apply to shareholders and company managers?

Certain company bodies are subject to specific rules: foreigners who are shareholder-managing directors of a limited liability company or shareholder-members of the board of directors of a joint stock company must obtain a work permit. Managing general partners of partnerships limited by shares and foreigners who are shareholders and managers of other companies are also covered by the work permit requirement. Members of the board of directors of a joint stock company who are not resident in Turkey and shareholders of other companies who do not hold a managerial position, on the other hand, are treated as falling under the work permit exemption. For foreign shareholders who also work as managing directors, administrative practice provides for a certain minimum shareholding and minimum capital requirements for the company. Under the current criteria, the paid-in capital of the workplace must be at least TL 500,000, the foreign shareholder's capital contribution must be at least TL 500,000 and the shareholding must be at least 20%; the employment of five Turkish citizens at the workplace is required each month from the seventh month of the first permit. If the foreign shareholder's capital share is at least USD 100,000, these capital, shareholding and five-Turkish-citizen criteria do not apply. In companies or branches qualifying as qualified foreign direct investments, special rules apply to the work permit assessment, in particular for key personnel. This special regime does not apply automatically to every company with foreign capital, but only to investments and persons meeting the conditions of ‘qualified foreign direct investment’ and ‘key personnel’ under the relevant Regulation.

What work permit exemptions exist?

The law and the relevant regulations provide for work permit exemptions for certain groups of persons; the exemption, too, is as a rule subject to an application and to certain time limits. In practice, the following are particularly important:

• Assignments such as training in the use of goods and services exported from or imported into Turkey, training in the installation, maintenance and repair or use of machinery and equipment imported into Turkey, or acceptance of equipment (up to three months in total)
• Foreigners working in the context of scientific, cultural and artistic activities (up to one month) and foreigners working in the context of sporting activities (up to four months)
• Persons working in projects and programmes for which a work permit exemption is expressly granted in bilateral or multilateral agreements to which Turkey is a party or in the relevant legislation
• Cross-border service providers whose temporary activities in Turkey do not exceed three months in total

Falling within the scope of an exemption does not mean that work may begin without an application. Applications are, as a rule, made online by the foreigner; an application from within Turkey must be completed within 30 days of entry into Turkey at the latest, without exceeding the period of the visa or visa exemption, and before work begins. The exemption is valid only within its scope and duration; no extension application can be made, and if the activity is to exceed the envisaged period, a work permit must be obtained.

What applies in the case of rejection, cancellation, objection and termination of the permit?

An objection may be filed with the Ministry through the system within 30 days of notification against Ministry decisions rejecting an application for the granting or extension of a work permit, or cancelling or terminating a permit; if the objection is rejected, recourse to the administrative courts is available. A work permit ends upon expiry of its term or upon its termination or cancellation by the Ministry; the cessation of the conditions for granting it, use of the permit contrary to its purpose or the end of the employment for any reason may constitute grounds for cancellation or termination. The employer and a foreigner holding an independent or indefinite work permit are obliged to notify the Ministry within 15 days of the start and end of work and of circumstances requiring the cancellation of the permit. A work permit tied to an employer does not confer the right to work for another employer after the employment relationship has ended.

What are the consequences of employment without a work permit?

Employing a foreigner without a valid work permit is subject to severe sanctions. The employer is subject to administrative fines for each foreigner employed without a permit, which are redetermined every year and increased in the event of repetition; a foreigner working independently without a permit and a foreigner working as an employee without a permit are also fined. In 2026, an administrative fine of TL 102,503 per foreigner applies to the employer, TL 40,977 to a foreigner working as an employee without a permit and TL 82,010 to a foreigner working independently without a permit; in the event of repetition, the fines are doubled. In addition, in the cases provided for in the law, the employer is obliged to bear the accommodation, travel and return costs of the foreigner and, where applicable, of his or her spouse and children. Obligations arising from social security legislation must also be fulfilled separately, subject to the social security agreements to which Turkey is a party. For the foreigner, administrative measures up to deportation and a re-entry ban may come into consideration. Unauthorised work does not automatically extinguish other rights and obligations in the areas of employment and social security law; the consequences must be assessed separately according to the circumstances of the specific case.

Conclusion

The lawful employment of foreign employees requires forward planning – from the choice of the correct type of permit to meeting the employment, capital and wage criteria and extending permits without missing deadlines. Since the assessment criteria are updated regularly and the permit is tied to the employer, companies should integrate their planning for foreign personnel with the application timetable at an early stage.

For highly qualified professionals and investors, the Turquoise Card and the facilitations granted to key personnel offer attractive opportunities. In view of the severe sanctions for unauthorised employment – fines, premium debts, repatriation costs and administrative consequences – careful examination of each specific case is indispensable.

GEMS Schindhelm advises foreign investors and companies on obtaining and extending work and residence permits, on the Turquoise Card, on the review of the assessment criteria and on establishing lawful employment structures for foreign personnel. This article is intended for general information purposes only and does not constitute a legal opinion or legal advice; each dispute must be assessed separately in light of the specific circumstances of the case and the legislation in force.