Work permit in Turkey: requirements, criteria and application

What is a work permit in Turkey?

A work permit in Turkey is the permit a foreigner needs from the General Directorate of International Labour Force of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to work for an employer or on their own account. Unless a law or an international agreement provides otherwise, foreigners cannot work, and cannot be employed, in Türkiye without a work permit.

A work permit is not a document obtained in advance and used later. It is granted for a concrete employment relationship with a set workplace, position, salary and duration. That is why, as a rule, the employer applies; a foreigner cannot obtain a "general" work permit alone.

• Who needs one? Every foreigner who will work for a salary at a workplace in Türkiye, actively work as a company partner or manager, or carry out a professional activity on their own account.
• Who is exempt? Short-term activities listed in the legislation, such as scientific, sporting, installation or training work, require a work permit exemption instead.
• Who works with another document? Refugees and subsidiary protection holders can work with their status identity documents, and Turquoise Card holders do not need a separate work permit.

Types of work permit in Turkey

Law No. 6735 distinguishes the types of work permit in Turkey according to the foreigner's situation and history in Türkiye:

• Fixed-term work permitUp to 1 yearFor dependent work at a specific workplace. With the same employer, the first extension is up to 2 years and later extensions up to 3 years. Law No. 6735, Art. 10.
• Indefinite work permitIndefiniteFor long-term residence permit holders or foreigners with at least 8 years of legal work permits; the card is renewed every 5 years. Art. 10.
• Independent work permitAs regulatedFor foreigners carrying out a professional activity on their own account. Art. 10.
• Turquoise Card3 years, then indefiniteFor qualified workers, investors, scientists, artists and athletes. Art. 11.
• Work permit exemption1 month to contract termFor temporary activities listed in Art. 48 of the Implementing Regulation.

The indefinite permit gives the widest rights: apart from voting, standing for election, entering public service and military service, its holder benefits from most rights granted to Turkish citizens. Professions reserved for Turkish citizens remain closed even with an indefinite permit.

Ministry criteria for a work permit in Turkey

The Ministry assesses each application against its published evaluation criteria. Meeting the criteria does not mean a work permit in Turkey will be granted; the labour market, the employer's finances and a security review are also considered.

Employment criterion

At least five Turkish citizens must be employed at the workplace for each foreign employee. Workplaces with last-year net sales of TRY 50,000,000 or more are exempt from this criterion for up to five foreigners.

Financial criterion

• Workplaces founded this year: paid-in capital of at least TRY 500,000.
• Workplaces active for at least one year: paid-in capital of at least TRY 500,000, or net sales of at least TRY 8,000,000, or exports of at least USD 150,000. Meeting one is enough.
• Ordinary partnerships: at least one partner must meet one of these thresholds.

These thresholds have applied since 1 January 2025. For extension applications, the financial criterion in force on the date of the first application applies.

Salary criterion

The salary paid to the foreigner cannot be lower than the following multiples of the gross minimum wage on the application date, which is TRY 33,030 for 2026. When the minimum wage changes, the contract salary must be updated too.

• Senior executives and pilots5 × minimum wageTRY 165,150 gross per month in 2026
• Engineers and architects4 × minimum wageTRY 132,120 gross per month in 2026
• Other managers3 × minimum wageTRY 99,090 gross per month in 2026
• Jobs requiring expertise or mastery2 × minimum wageTRY 66,060 gross per month in 2026
• Domestic services and other jobs1 × minimum wageTRY 33,030 gross per month in 2026

Legal-stay exception (from 3 August 2026)

For foreigners who have stayed legally in Türkiye for at least one year in the last three years on a work permit, residence permit or international protection, the employment and financial criteria are not applied for up to three foreigners at one workplace. The number of foreigners with work permits at the workplace cannot exceed the number of Turkish employees. For the fourth and later foreigners, the five-to-one ratio and the financial criterion apply separately.

Check your figures with the criteria calculator at the top of this page.

Work permit in Turkey for foreign company partners

• The company's paid-in capital must be at least TRY 500,000, the foreigner's capital share at least TRY 500,000 and the shareholding at least 20%.
• At least five Turkish citizens must be employed. The first permit is issued with this condition noted; from the seventh month of the permit, at least five Turkish citizens must be employed every month.
• For a foreign partner whose capital share is USD 100,000 or more, these capital and employment conditions do not apply.

Being a shareholder does not in itself require a work permit; the permit is needed for a partner who actually works in the company. For setting up a company, see the company formation guide on this site.

Foreigners exempt from the criteria

The employment, financial and salary criteria do not apply to the following foreigners, provided the exemption is documented:

• parents or children of Turkish citizens;
• foreigners married to a Turkish citizen for at least three years;
• long-term residence permit holders;
• humanitarian residence permit holders and victims of human trafficking;
• holders of a stateless person identity document;
• foreigners of Turkish descent (except in professions reserved for Turkish citizens);
• citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus;
• from 3 August 2026, foreigners who have been in Türkiye for at least eight years on the permits listed in the legislation.

Sector-specific rules

• IT: specialist positions such as software, database, network and cyber security in IT companies are exempt from the employment and financial criteria.
• Education and health: prior approval from the Ministry of National Education, the Council of Higher Education or the Ministry of Health is required.
• Tourism: more flexible ratios apply to licensed tourism businesses and health tourism intermediaries.
• R&D and technology: staff in R&D and design centres and technology development zones are exempt from the employment and financial criteria with the opinion of the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
• Manufacturing, poultry and recycling: a ratio of one foreigner per five Turkish citizens applies until 31 December 2027.
• Domestic services: permits can be granted for child, elderly or disabled care and patient companionship, subject to family and income conditions.

Work permit in Turkey fees for 2026

Work permit fees are updated every year by the General Communiqué on the Law on Fees. The state fees applied from 1 January 2026 are:

• Fixed-term, up to 1 yearTRY 12,574.90State fee
• Fixed-term, 1–2 yearsTRY 25,149.80State fee
• Fixed-term, 2–3 yearsTRY 37,724.70State fee
• Fixed-term, 3–4 yearsTRY 50,299.60State fee
• Fixed-term, 4–5 yearsTRY 62,874.50State fee
• IndefiniteTRY 125,802.20State fee
• IndependentTRY 125,802.20State fee

A card fee of TRY 964.00 is paid separately for 2026. If a card is lost, half of the fee and the card fee are charged again. These are official state fees. Source: General Communiqué on the Law on Fees (Serial No. 98) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

What to do after the permit is approved

• Applications from Türkiye: the SGK employment notification must be filed within 30 days of approval.
• Applications from abroad: the foreigner enters Türkiye with the work visa and must arrive and start work within six months of the permit start date. Address registration must be completed within 20 working days of entry.
• Workplace and position: a fixed-term permit is valid only for the workplace and position it was issued for. Working for another employer requires a new permit.
• Salary: the contract salary must follow minimum wage increases according to the multiple, and social security premiums must be paid regularly. This is also checked in extension applications.

Extending a work permit in Turkey and changing employer

The extension application for a work permit in Turkey is filed through e-Devlet within the 60 days before the permit expires and in any case before expiry. Applications made after expiry are assessed under the rules for first applications.

• With the same employer, the first extension can be granted for up to two years and later extensions for up to three years.
• In education, health and higher education, prior approval of the relevant authority is also required for extensions.
• Changing employer is not an extension; the new employer must file a new work permit application.
• A foreigner who completes eight years of legal work can apply for an indefinite work permit.

Work permit and residence permit

• A work permit counts as a residence permit: a valid work permit or exemption replaces a residence permit for its duration, so no separate residence permit is needed (Law No. 6458, Art. 27).
• A residence permit does not give the right to work: no type of residence permit replaces a work permit.
• If the permit ends: when the work permit is cancelled or expires, the right of residence based on it also ends. A foreigner who wants to stay must apply for a suitable residence permit within 10 days at the latest; applying within the 60 days before expiry is safer.
• A separate residence permit stays valid: a residence permit independent of the work permit remains valid even if the work permit ends.

See the residence permit in Turkey guide for the residence permit types.

Work permit exemption and Turquoise Card

In some cases, an exemption certificate is issued instead of a work permit in Turkey. It gives the right to work and reside for the exemption period to foreigners coming for specific activities. The main cases listed in Art. 48 of the Implementing Regulation are:

• scientific, cultural and artistic activities: up to 1 month;
• installation, maintenance, repair and training for imported or exported machinery, and cross-border services: up to 3 months;
• non-resident board members and top representatives of joint stock companies: up to 3 months;
• sporting activities and approved student exchange internships: up to 4 months;
• seasonal agriculture and livestock work, fairs and circuses: up to 6 months;
• tour operator representatives: up to 8 months;
• professional athletes and coaches with the approval of the Ministry of Youth and Sports or the Turkish Football Federation: for the contract term;
• students on compulsory internships, EU financial cooperation projects and staff of schools linked to diplomatic missions: for the duty or internship period.

The Turquoise Card is granted to foreigners considered qualified because of their education, professional experience, contribution to science and technology or the size of their investment. The first three years are a transition period, after which the card can become indefinite. The holder's spouse and children receive a document showing their relationship, and the Turquoise Card also counts as a residence permit.

Professions closed to foreigners

Applications for professions reserved for Turkish citizens by special laws are refused, and these professions cannot be practised even with an indefinite permit. The main ones are:

• lawyer, notary, judge and prosecutor, mediator, concordat commissioner;
• pharmacist, dentist, veterinarian, nurse, responsible manager of a private hospital;
• financial adviser, assistant customs broker, cooperative board member;
• tourist guide, travel agency manager, ship agent and staff;
• private security guard, market and neighbourhood watchman;
• captain, pilot, diver, fisherman and similar maritime work in territorial waters.

Refusal, appeal and penalties for unauthorised work

An application can be refused if the criteria are not met, documents are missing or misleading, or because of the labour market, public order or security. An objection can be filed with the Ministry within 30 days of notification of the refusal; if the objection is also rejected, an annulment action can be filed at the administrative court.

Working or employing someone without a work permit in Turkey leads to separate administrative fines for the employer, for each foreigner, and for the foreigner under Art. 23 of Law No. 6735. The amounts are increased every year by the revaluation rate. A foreigner found working without a permit may face a deportation decision and an entry ban, in which case removal of the restriction code may become necessary.