Foreign Workers in Turkey: Employer Work Permit Guide
"What should an employer check before hiring a foreign employee in Türkiye?"
Quick Answer
Before a foreign national starts work covered by Turkish rules, the required work permit or work permit exemption must be issued. The route, documents and assessment depend on the person’s status, role, sector and employer. A blanket rule that every employer must first prove no suitable Turkish candidate exists is misleading: the Ministry applies published evaluation criteria and exceptions.
Get the permit route right before work begins
Law No. 6735 on International Labour Force and its implementing rules govern many foreign employees working in Türkiye. Unless a work-permit exemption or special rule applies, the foreign national must have the required work permit before beginning the covered work. A job offer, residence status or company registration alone should not be treated as permission to work.
The first question is not simply the employee’s nationality. Confirm the person’s current immigration status, proposed employer, workplace, job title, duties, sector and whether the role requires a professional pre-approval or has a separate exemption. The Ministry’s current work-permit evaluation criteria are updated over time and include general and sector-specific rules.
Overseas and in-country applications
- Application from abroad: the foreigner generally applies in person at the Turkish embassy or consulate in the country of nationality or lawful residence. After receiving a reference number, the applicant shares it with the Turkish employer, which completes the employer-side filing through the Ministry’s electronic work-permit system.
- Domestic application: where the foreigner already has a valid Turkish residence permit issued for at least six months on the application date, the employer can generally apply through the e-permit route. The Ministry publishes separate guides for other statuses and exceptions.
- Work-permit exemption: some activities and statuses may qualify for an exemption rather than an ordinary permit. Verify eligibility and any filing or notification requirement before relying on an exemption.
The Ministry’s application-document guidance and step-by-step application guides explain the current route. Individual facts can change which procedure applies.
How the Ministry evaluates applications
A blanket statement that every employer must provide proof that no Turkish citizen could fill the position is misleading. The Ministry’s published criteria set out employment, financial-sufficiency and wage tests for relevant applications, as well as sector, occupation, investment and personal-status exceptions. The details are not identical for every employer or role. Check the current version at the time of filing instead of relying on a fixed headcount, capital threshold or salary figure copied from an older guide.
Regulated professions may require a prior permit, licence or recognition of qualifications from the responsible authority. Some jobs are restricted to Turkish citizens. A work-permit decision should therefore be checked against the actual duties and workplace, not just the title in the employment contract.
Employer file preparation
Prepare the application file
- Confirm the employer’s legal entity, workplace and authorised signatory.
- Set out the proposed job, duties, workplace, work period and remuneration consistently across the contract and application.
- Collect the signed employment contract and identity documents required for the relevant route.
- Prepare company records, including the latest trade registry information and financial documents requested by the Ministry.
- Check diploma, licence, equivalency or prior approval requirements for regulated or sector-specific roles.
- Check whether the employee’s status or the employer’s sector changes the ordinary evaluation criteria.
After approval: employment and immigration compliance
Check the permit’s employer, role, workplace, validity period and any conditions before the person starts. Maintain the employment and social-security records required for the relationship, monitor renewal dates, and report changes or termination where the rules require notification. A permit tied to one employer or role should not be assumed to authorise work for another employer or in another job.
The Ministry states that a work permit or exemption generally serves as a residence permit under the relevant law, with exceptions for certain protected statuses. The employer should still confirm the employee’s entry, address-registration and status obligations from the applicable official guidance. The permit decision does not replace payroll, occupational safety, employment-contract or social-security compliance.
Common employer mistakes
- Allowing work to start while an application is pending, without confirming that an exemption applies.
- Using an old threshold or an assumed “five-to-one” rule without checking the current general and sector-specific criteria.
- Choosing the wrong application route based on an expired or insufficient residence permit.
- Submitting a job title that does not match the actual duties or omitting a required professional pre-approval.
- Failing to track the permit’s employer, job, workplace, validity and post-approval notification obligations.
Common questions
Must an employer prove that no Turkish candidate is available?
Not as a universal document requirement for every case. The Ministry applies published evaluation criteria and exceptions that vary by employer, person, role and sector.
How does an overseas work permit application proceed?
The foreigner generally applies through a Turkish embassy or consulate and shares the resulting reference number with the employer, which then completes its filing through the e-permit system.
Can an application be made while the foreigner is already in Türkiye?
Generally, where the foreigner holds a valid Turkish residence permit issued for at least six months on the application date. Other statuses have separate rules.
Does a work permit also count as a residence permit?
Generally yes under the relevant rules, subject to exceptions for some international-protection and temporary-protection statuses.
Official Sources & Authorities
Primary legislation and government guidance referenced in this overview. Confirm the version applicable to your transaction.
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