Work Permits and Foreign Employees

The foreign national’s passport, residence status in Türkiye, educational and professional background and the position offered are assessed together. Whether the profession is open to foreign nationals and how the duties will be written into the permit endorsement are determined.

Before the employment contract is signed or the start date is fixed, the application route, employer criteria, minimum pay, sector conditions and time risks are reviewed. The human resources plan is aligned with the legal calendar.

The number of Turkish citizen employees, paid-in capital, net sales, exports, workplace activity and the pay to be given to the foreign national are compared with the current criteria. The general rule is distinguished from sector, status and investment exceptions.

The job title and the actual work are checked against the Ministry’s current list of professions and the special laws on which it is based. In a profession that is prohibited, a route to a permit is not created merely by using a different title.

Law No. 2527, the Blue Card (Mavi Kart) and any applicable special provisions in professional laws are examined separately. A permit exemption or an exception to the criteria does not by itself remove the requirements for practicing the profession.

In health, education, engineering, architecture and other regulated professions, the requirement for a diploma, equivalence, authorization, temporary membership or prior authorization is determined. The application plan shows that a work permit and the authority to practice a profession are different legal acts.

The application to the Turkish diplomatic mission in the country of which the foreign national is a citizen or in which he or she is legally present and the employer’s application in Türkiye are carried out on a simultaneous calendar. The reference number, the validity of the passport, the employment contract, and the entry and start-of-work stages are monitored.

It is ensured that the sixteen-digit reference number given in the application from abroad is matched with the correct employer and foreign national. Completion of the electronic application within the time limit and the authorized account and e-signature procedures are coordinated.

The file for the first work permit is prepared for a specific employer, workplace, province and set of duties. The term of the contract, the validity of the passport and the Law’s limit of at most one year for the first permit are taken into account.

After the application from abroad is concluded favorably, the calendar for the fee, visa, entry into the country, address and start of work is coordinated. It is kept in mind that a foreign national’s failure to arrive in Türkiye within six months from the start of the permit may lead to cancellation of the permit.

Related detailed page: Entry Bans to Türkiye, Restriction Codes and Visa Disputes

It is determined whether the change requires a new permit, the procedure for an initial application, or a notification. A group company, a branch, a workplace in the same line of business and a remote work arrangement are reviewed together with the information on the permit document.

The condition of a long-term residence permit or at least eight years of lawful work permits is examined through interruptions, records and the calculation of the statutory period. It is explained that the application is subject to an assessment of suitability and that meeting the conditions does not create an absolute right.

An activity that the foreign national will carry out on his or her own behalf and account is reviewed in terms of education, professional experience, investment, technology, the economy and the effect on employment. It is kept in mind that company formation, license and tax procedures are different from the right to work.

It is determined under which of the categories of qualified labor force, investor, scientist, researcher, artist or athlete the foreign national may be assessed. The initial three-year transition period, the monitoring obligations and the process of removing the transition record are planned.

The exemption category is reviewed for scientific, cultural, artistic, sports, technical, educational, internship, management or cross-border service activities, or another temporary activity listed in the Regulation. If the duration of the activity exceeds the limit of the exemption, the work permit route is used instead.

The route for an exemption application in Türkiye or from abroad, the start of the activity, the validity of the passport and the documents specific to the category are checked. An applicable calendar is given to the employer and the foreign national so that the activity and term stated on the document are not exceeded.

From September 17, 2026, new applications are made through calismaizni.csgb.gov.tr. Applications made before that date may continue to be followed in the old e-Muafiyet system; the date of application is matched with the portal used.

Whether the type of permit takes the place of a residence permit, the end of the existing residence, address registration, family members and Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi) procedures are assessed together. The special distinction in permits issued to persons under protection statuses is taken into account.

The applicability of the provisions on foreign direct investment with special characteristics and on key personnel is researched. Investment thresholds, which may change every year, are verified from the official source; the company, the duties and the nature of the personnel are presented within the framework of the special regulation.

A transfer from a foreign group company to a company in Türkiye, a temporary project, a management assignment or a technical assignment is analyzed in terms of its work permit, exemption, tax, social security and contractual dimensions. The continuation of the relationship with the foreign employer does not, by itself, constitute an exemption.

The competent authority and the application route are determined on the basis of the free zone operating license, the zone directorate, the Ministry of Trade procedure and the duties of the personnel. The general e-İzin process and procedures specific to the free zone are not confused with each other.

The conditions for associate degree and undergraduate students to complete the first year and work part-time, the situation of graduate students, the province of study, scholarship and the nature of the job are reviewed. It is explained that a student residence permit does not by itself provide a right to work.

The temporary protection identity document, the province of registration, the period required after the date the identity document was issued, the employment quota, pay, workplace and sector conditions are assessed. It is kept in mind that a work permit does not take the place of a residence permit under this status.

The right to work under the statuses of refugee, conditional refugee, subsidiary protection and applicant is distinguished. Cases in which the identity document takes the place of a work permit and cases in which a permit can be requested six months after the application are filed separately.

The effect on the criteria of special situations such as Law No. 2527, TRNC citizenship, humanitarian residence, statelessness, family ties to a Turkish citizen and long-term lawful residence is reviewed. Those entitled to receive a Blue Card under Article 28 of Law No. 5901 do not need to obtain a work permit from the Ministry, without prejudice to obligations concerning the practice of a profession and special laws.

The contract, duration, consideration, organizer and public authority connection of the activity are reviewed, and the work permit, exemption or Turquoise Card routes are separated. A short-term event or a visit visa is not automatically regarded as a right to work.

Duties specially regulated by the Ministry, such as software development, databases, mobile software, system and network security and enterprise architecture, are assessed. The employer’s sector code, the job description and the limit on the number of persons under the criteria exception are verified.

The prior authorization of the Ministry of Health, the diploma and professional qualification, the registration of the private health institution and the sequence of the work permit are planned. Health professions reserved for Turkish citizens and the responsibilities of the institution are also checked separately.

For private educational institutions, international schools, higher education institutions and academic positions, the prior authorization of the Ministry of National Education (MEB) or the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) is reviewed. It is ensured that the course, duties, institution and contract information are consistent with one another.

The tourism operation certificate, travel agency, health tourism authorization, type of workplace, employment of Turkish citizens, physical capacity and the duties of the foreign national are assessed together. For duties subject to strict conditions, such as massage and spa services, the workplace document and scope are checked.

The conditional employment exception added on March 11, 2026 and other provisions that depend on the operation certificate, the profession and capacity are reviewed separately. It is not assumed that all tourism workplaces are completely exempt from the five Turkish citizens criterion.

On the basis of child, elderly or disabled care and patient attendance, the conditions of the applicant and of the need for the service are reviewed. The employer’s registration as an individual, pay, home address and SGK obligations are planned before the application.

The animal inventory, the registration of the holding, the duties, the number of foreign nationals and the requirement for the opinion of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are reviewed. Seasonal agriculture and livestock exemptions for persons under temporary or international protection are handled under separate systems and provincial rules.

The criteria added on August 3, 2026 for poultry farming are distinguished from the provisions on livestock in general and seasonal work. The limit on the number of employees for the exception for applications in Türkiye at small workplaces is checked separately.

Entry into employment, earnings subject to premiums, the start of the permit and the employer’s records are handled consistently with one another. The effect of a social security agreement to which Türkiye is a party on temporary assignment or insured status is researched by country and document.

A fifteen-day calendar for notifications to the Ministry is prepared for the start or end of work or for circumstances that require cancellation of the permit. The holder of an indefinite or independent permit also has a notification obligation of his or her own, which is shown separately.

In labor inspector and social security inspections, the consistency of the employment contract, permit card, duties, workplace, pay and SGK records is reviewed. An internal urgent notification flow is set up for the record of findings (tespit tutanağı) and the time to submit a defense.

The sanctions, which change with the annual revaluation, are reviewed for an employer who employs a foreign national without a permit, a foreign national who works without a permit in a dependent or independent capacity, and persons who fail to notify within the time limit. Special rules on recovering from the employer the accommodation, return and health expenses incurred in the deportation process are assessed separately.

The Regulation on the recovery of costs, published on July 23, 2025, entered into force on January 23, 2026. Written service of the expenses covered, the one-month period for payment and their pursuit as a public receivable are assessed separately from the fine.

The basis of the refusal or cancellation decision is reviewed in terms of missing records, criteria, profession, status, public order, allegations of forged or misleading documents, and permit endorsements. The thirty-day objection to the Ministry from service of the decision, the route to the administrative courts and the time limits are planned according to the chronology of the file.

During a company merger, an investment, a procurement of services or an internal audit, the permit, contract, SGK, pay and notification records of foreign personnel are reviewed. For employers with many foreign employees, a matrix of duties and terms is prepared from hiring to departure.

The employment provisions added on August 3, 2026 for the manufacturing and recycling sectors apply to workplace and branch records. The additional foreign employment exception provided for until December 31, 2027 is entered into the time calendar.