A work permit is compulsory for every foreign national who will work in Turkey, and the permit itself takes the place of a residence permit. The employer makes the application, it is concluded within thirty days, and most refusals come from the financial capacity and employment criteria. Because both depend on the company’s own position, the answer is usually available before the application is made.
This page covers the permit types, the domestic and overseas application routes, the 2026 assessment criteria and their amounts, extensions and the ninety-day continuation right, and what follows from employing someone without a permit.
Under the International Labour Law a valid work permit takes the place of a residence permit. An employee holding one does not apply separately for residence, and companies that arrange both pay for a process their employee does not need.
The exemption covers the employee alone. A spouse and children apply for a family residence permit in their own right, and that application cannot be made before the sponsor holds a permit. Because the two run in sequence, the family’s documents should be assembled when the work permit is applied for rather than when it is granted.
Permit Types
| Type | Who it is for | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-term work permit | Tied to a specified employer, workplace and occupation; may not exceed the term of the employment contract | Up to 1 year initially |
| Indefinite work permit | Available to those holding a long-term residence permit or at least eight years of lawful work permits | Indefinite |
| Independent work permit | Granted to foreign nationals meeting the conditions in the legislation, to work on their own account | Fixed term |
| Turquoise Card | Granted taking into account education, professional experience and contribution through investment or employment; the first three years are a transition period | Indefinite |
Neither the indefinite permit nor the Turquoise Card creates an absolute right; meeting the conditions does not guarantee that the application will be accepted. A dependant of a Turquoise Card holder is issued their own document as a relative of the card holder.
Domestic or Overseas Application
Domestic application
- Who applies
- The employer, through the electronic system
- Condition
- A valid residence permit of at least six months
- Passport
- No permit is issued where fewer than 60 days remain
- Documents
- Employment contract, passport copy, diploma, registry gazette, balance sheet and income statement
Overseas application
- Who applies
- The foreign national, at the consulate; the employer then completes it in the system
- Reference
- A 16-digit number is issued
- Entry period
- Entry to Turkey within six months of the permit taking effect
- Starting work
- Within one month of entry, failing which the permit is cancelled
2026 Assessment Criteria
| Criterion | Content |
|---|---|
| Employment | At least five Turkish citizens employed at the workplace for each foreign national for whom a permit is sought. At workplaces with net sales of TRY 50 million or more in the last year, the criterion is disapplied for up to five foreign nationals |
| Financial capacity | For workplaces established in the current year, paid-in capital of at least TRY 500,000. For operating workplaces, one of three measures: TRY 500,000 paid-in capital, TRY 8 million net sales, or USD 150,000 of exports |
| Salary | A declaration of no less than the multiple of the gross minimum wage set for the position, applicable at the date of application |
| Foreign shareholders | Governed by a separate section; where the capital holding is USD 100,000 or more, the employment and financial capacity criteria do not apply |
The salary criterion and its 2026 amounts
| Position | Multiple | Minimum gross salary, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Senior manager, pilot | 5x | TRY 165,150 |
| Engineer, architect | 4x | TRY 132,120 |
| Other managers | 3x | TRY 99,090 |
| Work requiring expertise or craft skills | 2x | TRY 66,060 |
| Domestic services and other occupations | 1x | TRY 33,030 |
The salary criterion is not only an application condition but a commitment that determines the annual labour cost. Where the declared amount is shown on payroll but not actually paid, past payroll and bank records are examined on the extension application.
For a senior manager the burden calculated on five times the minimum wage, together with social security premiums and tax withholding, is on its own a decisive item in the company’s annual cost. That figure belongs in the model before the application rather than at the offer stage.
Special Cases
Companies within the scope of foreign direct investment may employ foreign nationals meeting the conditions in the legislation as key personnel. The assessment considers the company’s paid-in capital, net sales or exports together with the person’s position in the company. The signature circular, the board resolution and the parent’s assignment letter are required in the file.
A liaison office may employ a foreign representative authorised by the parent company. Applications in this category require evidence that at least USD 200,000 was transferred from abroad in the last year.
Health and education require prior approval from the relevant ministry, aviation requires approval from the civil aviation authority, tourism requires an operating certificate, and engineering and architecture require a diploma equivalence certificate. These approvals run on their own timetables and lengthen the overall schedule.
In certain cases listed in the legislation, foreign nationals are assessed within the work permit exemption and an exemption document is issued to them. Exemption does not mean no document is needed; it means a different document applies.
Process and Timing
- Test the criteria before applyingThe employment and financial capacity measures depend on the company’s current position and the answer is knowable in advance. Where they are not met, applying costs time and fees for nothing.
- Determine the application routeWhere the foreign national is lawfully in Turkey with a residence permit of at least six months, the application is domestic; otherwise it is made through the consulate.
- Prepare on the company sideRegistration in the electronic system, an electronic signature and a registered electronic mail address. The passport must remain valid for at least sixty days beyond the permit period requested.
- Assemble the fileEmployment contract, passport copy, diploma and where required an equivalence certificate, current trade registry gazette, last year’s balance sheet and income statement, and any sectoral prior approvals.
- AssessmentWhere the information and documents are complete, the application is concluded within thirty days. Where documents are missing the assessment is postponed; the postponement may not exceed thirty days other than in cases of force majeure.
- Fees and entryThe fee and the valuable paper charge are paid within thirty days of notification. On overseas applications the foreign national must enter Turkey within six months of the permit taking effect and start work within one month of entry.
- Social security entry and notificationsThe entry notification is made before work begins. Failure to start work, and termination of the employment relationship, are notified to the ministry.
Extensions and the Ninety-Day Continuation Right
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| Extension application | Made from sixty days before the permit expires and in any event before it expires |
| First extension | Up to two years, with the same employer |
| Later extensions | Up to three years, with the same employer |
| A different employer | Counts as a first application; the extension provisions do not apply |
| While the extension is pending | Where the application was made in time, work may continue at the same workplace and in the same occupation for up to ninety days from expiry, provided the nature of the work is unchanged |
| Applying after expiry | Treated as a new application rather than an extension, and the ninety-day right does not arise |
Where the extension application was made within the period, the foreign national may continue working at the same workplace and in the same occupation for up to ninety days even after the permit has expired. This keeps operations running where the assessment outlasts the permit.
An application made after expiry is a new application, not an extension: the right does not arise and the intervening period counts as working without a permit. Putting the renewal date in the company’s own HR calendar, rather than leaving it to the employee to track, is the only reliable protection against that difference.
Employing Someone Without a Permit
- An administrative fine is imposed on the employer for each foreign national
- A separate administrative fine is imposed on the foreign national
- Fines are increased where the conduct is repeated
- Deportation proceedings may be brought against the foreign national
- The employer may be held liable for the return travel costs of the person and any dependants
- Retrospective social security premiums and late payment charges arise
- The record is taken into account in the company’s later work permit applications
- The employer’s liability is heightened in the event of a workplace accident
Common Mistakes
- Applying without testing the criteria. Employment and financial capacity depend on the company’s current position and can be checked in advance.
- Treating the TRY 50 million exemption as unlimited. At that level the employment criterion is disapplied for up to five foreign nationals only.
- Committing to a start date before applying. The assessment takes thirty days, a postponement is added where documents are missing, and sectoral approvals run on their own timetables.
- Not checking the passport validity. It must run at least sixty days beyond the permit period requested.
- Declaring a salary only for the application. The declared amount must actually be applied through payroll and past records are examined on extension.
- Applying for the extension after expiry. It becomes a new application and the ninety-day continuation right does not arise.
- Applying for a residence permit for the employee as well. The work permit takes its place; what is needed is the family’s permit.
- Not notifying that work never began. Failure to start work and termination of the relationship must both be notified to the ministry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a foreign national with a work permit also need a residence permit?
Is the application made from inside Turkey or from abroad?
How long does a work permit application take?
What are the 2026 employment and financial capacity criteria?
What is the salary criterion in 2026?
When must an extension be applied for?
For how long is a permit extended?
What follows from employing someone without a permit?
As the Ozbek CPA team, we handle work permit processes in Turkey — testing the employment and financial capacity criteria before the application is made, reflecting the salary criterion in payroll and in the annual labour cost, determining the domestic or overseas route, preparing and following the file, and tracking extension and notification obligations. The criteria work differently for foreign shareholders, which we cover separately on our page on work permits for foreign shareholders. See also residence permits, employer of record and payroll services. Contact us.
