About Kazan Danışmanlık

The basic rule: for every foreigner a work permit is requested for, at least 5 Turkish citizens must be employed at the workplace. There are exceptions: at workplaces with net sales of 50,000,000 TRY or more in the last year, the criterion is not applied for up to five foreigners; since 03.08.2026, for domestic applications on behalf of foreigners who stayed in Turkey lawfully for at least one year in the last three years before the application (under a work permit, residence permit or international protection), the employment and financial criteria are not applied for up to three foreigners (the number of foreigners must not exceed the number of Turkish employees); foreigners who have lawfully stayed in Turkey for at least eight years are outside the criteria; and special arrangements exist for some sectors such as IT and tourism. We determine which case applies to your file.

Properly completed applications are concluded within 30 days, provided the information and documents are complete. If additional information or documents are requested, the period starts again from the date they are uploaded to the system. After approval the fee and valuable paper charge are paid, and the work permit card is sent to the workplace address by PTT Cargo. Document preparation time varies by file.

According to the tariff of Communiqué No. 98 of the Fees Law published in the Official Gazette dated 31.12.2025, issue 33124 (5. Mükerrer), the fee depends on the period granted: up to 1 year 12,574.90 TRY, 1-2 years 25,149.80 TRY, 2-3 years 37,724.70 TRY. In addition, a valuable paper (card) charge of 964.00 TRY is paid. If the fee and card charge are not paid within 30 days of the payment notification, the application is refused.

Generally not. The salary is required to be a multiple of the gross minimum wage on the application date, depending on the job group (since 01.10.2024): at least 5× for senior executives and pilots, 4× for engineers and architects, 3× for other managers, 2× for jobs requiring expertise or a skilled trade, and the minimum wage level for domestic services and other jobs. With the 2026 gross minimum wage at 33,030.00 TRY, the lower limit for an engineer/architect is 132,120 TRY.

Since 01.01.2025 the workplace must have paid-in capital of at least 500,000 TRY, or net sales of at least 8,000,000 TRY in the last year, or exports of at least 150,000 USD in the last year; for newly established workplaces (with no balance sheet yet) paid-in capital of at least 500,000 TRY is required. For applications on behalf of a foreign company partner, the partner’s capital share must additionally be at least 20% and at least 500,000 TRY; these criteria are not applied to foreign partners with a capital share of 100,000 USD or more.

From the foreigner: an employment contract signed by the employer and the foreigner, a passport with at least 60 days of validity left, a Turkish translation of the diploma or provisional graduation certificate (if not in Latin letters) and a photo; an equivalence certificate for engineers and architects where required. From the employer: the latest capital and partnership structure in the Trade Registry Gazette, and the previous year’s balance sheet and income statement. Additional documents are required in fields such as education, health, tourism and aviation. Documents are uploaded electronically to the e-İzin system. A domestic application requires a residence permit valid for at least 6 months.

The application is filed from 60 days before the permit expires and in any case before it expires. The first permit is granted for up to 1 year; the first extension can be up to 2 years and later extensions up to 3 years. If an extension application has been filed, and provided the workplace and duty do not change, you may keep working after the permit expires for the duration of the review and for at most 90 days.

Within 30 days of notification of the decision you can object to the Ministry through the e-İzin system. To avoid missing the deadline, share the decision with us as soon as it is notified; we will review the grounds for refusal together with your file.

Foreigners with a long-term residence permit or at least eight years of lawful work permit may apply for an indefinite work permit; meeting the conditions does not create an absolute right, and the indefinite permit document is renewed every five years. An independent work permit is a time-limited permit that allows work on one’s own account without being tied to an employer. A time-limited work permit is tied to a specific employer and workplace; if the employer changes, a new application is required.

Yes. Foreigners holding a work permit or a work permit exemption do not need a separate residence permit (except international protection applicants).

For 2026, an administrative fine of 102,503 TRY per foreigner applies to the employer of a foreigner without a work permit, and 40,977 TRY to the foreigner working without a permit (82,010 TRY for those working on their own account); the fines are doubled for a repeat offence. Deportation of the foreigner working without a permit may also come into question.