Automotive

3. Getting a Work Permit

Obtaining a Work Permit in Turkey

 

Applications for work permits can be made inside or outside Turkey:  

 

  • Foreigners residing outside Turkey shall apply to the relevant Turkish Consulate of either his/her country of residence or his/her country of citizenship.

  • Foreigners with a valid residence permit (valid for a minimum of 6 months, except for residence permits for educational purposes) can apply directly to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

 

Foreigners applying for a work permit from their country of residence

 

 
Applicant Individual
  • Passport

  • Work visa application

  • 1 photo

  • 1 copy of the work contract

 

Turkish Embassy / Consulate
 
Applicant Company

 

  • Online application should be filed in 6 days.
  • Direct application to the Ministry should be filed in 10 days.

 

 

Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security
  • If all documents submitted are accurate and complete, the issuing process will take around 30 days.

  • Once approved, the applicant is informed by phone or e-mail.

  • Foreign nationals need an authorized Turkish citizen with a power of attorney to handle their electronic application as the process requires a Turkish national identification number.

 

Once the work permit has been issued and the work visa application has been approved by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security:  

 

Applicant Individual

 

Turkish Embassy / Consulate
  • Non-refundable work visa processing fee

  • Non-refundable work permit processing fee

  • To obtain a residence permit, work visa and work permit holders must apply to the Alien’s Branch of the Local Police Department (Emniyet Mudurlugu Yabancilar Subesi) within 30 days following their arrival in Turkey.

 

Foreigners applying for a work permit in Turkey

 

Foreigners with a valid residence permit that is valid for a minimum of 6 months, except for residence permits for educational purposes, can apply directly to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

 

Applicant’s File

 

Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security

     

Documents to be submitted by the employer for the first application  

 

Other documents to be submitted for specific sectors  

 

Documents to be submitted by foreign individuals applying for the first time


In addition to the documents above, foreigners applying for a work permit as experts in specific fields have to present the following documents:


• Foreign Degree Equivalency for applicants that received their higher education outside Turkey, in accordance with the Regulations for Equivalency of Degrees Obtained Abroad, pursuant to the articles 3 and 7/p of the Law No. 2547 (scanned and sent online during electronic application)
• If deemed necessary for the Ministry, a translated and notarized copy of the degree or provisional certificate of graduation; for pilots, pilot’s license taken from their country of origin (scanned and sent online during electronic application; also printed for application file)
• For Certified Tourism Enterprises, copies of the work contract in Turkish and applicant’s native language along with the Letter of Recommendation translated into Turkish (scanned and sent online during electronic application; printed for direct application)
• For foreigners to be employed in educational services subject to the authority of the Ministry of National Education, the Certificate of Proficiency obtained from the same Ministry. (scanned and sent online during electronic application)

 

 

Documents to be submitted by the employer for extending a work permit  

 

Documents to be submitted by foreign individuals for extending a work permit  

 

Work permit criteria for foreigners

1) At the workplace for which work permit is requested, at least five persons who are citizens of the Republic of Turkey must be employed. In case the foreigner requesting work permit is a co-partner of the company, aforementioned condition related to the employment of five persons who are Turkish citizens will be required for the last six months of one-year work permit to be granted by the Ministry. In case of requesting work permit for more than one foreigner at the same workplace, for each foreigner following the first foreigner who is granted a work permit, the condition regarding the employment of five persons who are Turkish citizens will be required individually.
2) Paid-in capital of the workplace must be at least TRY 100,000 or the lowest figure for its gross sales amount must be equal to TRY 800,000 or its export amount in the last year must be at least USD 250,000.
3) For work permit requests concerning foreigners to be employed by associations and foundations, Article 2, and for evaluations regarding work permit applications related to foreigners to be employed in representative agencies of foreign countries’ airlines in Turkey as well as those to work in education sector and home services sector Articles 1 and 2 will not be applied.
4) Foreigner requesting work permit who is a co-partner of the company must own at least 20% shares in the company, and this percentage shall correspond to at least TRY 40,000, as an obligation. 
5) Salary amount which is declared by the employer to be paid to the foreigner must be at a level which complies with the position and competence of the foreigner. Accordingly, considering the minimum wage amount effective as of the application date, wage to be paid to a foreigner must be equal at least to the following:

• 6.5 times the minimum wage amount, for senior executives and pilots as well as engineers and architects requesting preliminary permit 
• 4 times the minimum wage amount, for unit or branch manager as well as engineers and architects
• 3 times the minimum wage amount, for persons to be employed for jobs requiring expertise and proficiency as well as teachers
• 1.5 times the minimum wage amount, for persons to be employed for home services and other occupations.

6) Requests for persons to be employed as masseurs, masseuses and SPA therapists, occupations requiring expertise and proficiency, by tourism establishments with at least four stars licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism proving that there is a licensed massage parlor within their facilities, as well as licensed holiday resorts will be evaluated, while requests by establishments and workplaces which are not meeting these criteria will not be considered appropriate.
7) For foreigners to be employed by firms operating in the entertainment sector as well as tourism-animation organization firms for occupations requiring expertise and proficiency there will not be a separate quota application provided that at least 10 persons who are citizens of the Republic of Turkey are employed in these firms.  

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