For foreign nationals who wish to be employed in Türkiye or to work through their own commercial activity, obtaining the legal permits before starting work is of vital importance. Working without a permit (informal employment) carries severe sanctions for both the employer and the foreign employee, including substantial administrative fines and deportation.

Legal Basis: International Labour Force Law No. 6735

The procedures and principles concerning work permits for foreign nationals are regulated by International Labour Force Law No. 6735. Pursuant to Article 6 of the Law, unless otherwise provided in bilateral or multilateral agreements to which Türkiye is a party, foreign nationals must obtain a work permit in order to work in Türkiye, whether as an employee or on a self-employed basis.

The Work Permit Substituting for a Residence Permit (LFIP Art. 27)

The greatest legal convenience of the process is set out in Article 27 of Law No. 6458. Under that article, a valid work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security also serves in place of a residence permit. Accordingly, a foreign national whose work permit is approved need not separately obtain a residence permit from the Presidency of Migration Management.

Application Routes and Employment Criteria

Work permit applications may be made in two ways:

  • Domestic applications: If the foreign national holds a valid residence permit in Türkiye with a duration of at least 6 months (excluding student residence permits), the application is made directly from within the country through the Ministry’s systems.
  • Overseas applications: If the foreign national has no residence permit, they apply to the Embassy or Consulate General of the Republic of Türkiye in their own country or in the country where they officially reside, and obtain a “Reference Number.” The employer then completes the process from Türkiye using that number.

In evaluating applications, the Ministry observes the following core criteria within the framework of Articles 10, 11 and 12 of Law No. 6735:

  • Employment ratio: As a general rule, at least 5 Turkish citizens must be employed at the workplace for each foreign employee (exceptions exist for certain sectors and company structures).
  • Financial capacity: The company’s paid-in capital, gross sales or export figures must meet the minimum thresholds determined by the Ministry.
  • Salary ratio: The salary to be paid to the foreign national must be a specified multiple of the statutory minimum wage, appropriate to the professional role to be performed (varying for positions such as engineer, general manager, specialist, etc.).

Once the work permit is approved, it is the employer’s legal obligation to complete the foreign employee’s social security (SGK) registration within the statutory periods.