Obtaining a work permit in Turkey: organizing and supporting the procedure. Service offer

If the application is made from outside the country, the procedure is as follows:

1. A foreign employee submits his/her application to the Turkish consulate in the country where he/she is a citizen or permanent resident. The application must be accompanied by a copy of the employment contract and a letter from the employer confirming the hiring of the employee for the job.
2. Within 10 days of the employee’s submission of the application, the employer submits his/her application to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services. The application is submitted electronically.
3. The Ministry contacts the relevant consulate and they jointly process the application through the government’s online system. The processing time is 30 days and the final decision is communicated by the consulate to the employee.
4. If the application is approved, the employee is required to enter Turkey within 180 days from the permit’s issue date.
5. The employer registers the employee with Social Security and pays the relevant fee within 30 days from the date the employee entered Turkey.

1. The employee must have a residence permit valid for at least another 6 months.
2. The employer submits an electronic application to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services.
3. The application form and accompanying documents are signed by the employee and the employer and submitted to the Ministry in paper form within 6 days of submitting the electronic application.
4. The Ministry reviews the application and makes a decision within 30 days. It is communicated to the employee or the employer.
5. If the decision is positive, the employer pays the fee and then the employee can officially start work.
6. The employer registers the employee with Social Security.

• Application form – scan and original;
• Completed and signed employee questionnaire – scan and original;
• Extract from The Trade Registry Gazette of Turkey showing the shareholders and capital structure of the employer company – scan and original;
• Balance sheet and profit and loss statement for the last year certified by the tax office or a Certified Public Accountant – scan only when applying online;
• Proof of employment of Turkish employees along with the foreign applicant – scan only when applying online;
• Certified power of attorney from the employer for the person submitting the application – scan only when applying online.

• Turkish residence permit (if the application is made from within the country);
• Copy of passport with translation (if the holder’s data is not in Latin characters);
• Notarized copy of the diploma of education with translation;
• For employees with higher education completed outside Turkey – a certificate of equivalence of their diploma to similar Turkish diplomas.

As of 1 October 2024, there has been a change in the requirements for employment of foreign nationals. Large companies with net sales of at least TRY 50 000 000 in the previous year can now hire up to five foreign employees without having to comply with this five-to-one ratio. However, such companies must maintain an employment ‘balance’: the number of foreign employees must not exceed the number of Turkish ones.

IT companies are also partly exempted from the five-local-employees-per-foreign-employee rule – it does not apply to the first two foreign staff members.

The authorities have not yet clarified how these amendments will be implemented in practice. We are following the developments and will provide updates once the Turkish authorities give more comments and clarifications.

[1] The fees are valid as of December 2024.