Foreigners who want to work legally in Turkey must obtain a work permit from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security under Law No. 6735 on International Labour Force. The summary below covers the key points to know before applying.
1. Application types and system
Applications are made in the e-İzin system through e-Devlet. Domestic application: foreigners with a valid residence permit of at least 6 months in Turkey apply directly from Turkey.
Overseas application: those without residence request a work visa from the Turkish diplomatic mission in their country and receive a 16-digit reference number; the process continues with that number.
2. Core criteria the employer must meet
- Employment: at least 5 Turkish citizens per foreigner. 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 there is an exception limited to three foreigners in domestic applications for foreigners who lawfully stayed in Turkey for at least one year in the last three years; separate rules exist for some sectors.
- Financial capacity: paid-in capital of at least 500,000 TRY, or net sales of at least 8,000,000 TRY, or exports of at least 150,000 USD in the last year (since 01.01.2025).
- Wage: the salary paid to the foreigner must be between 1 and 5 times the gross minimum wage on the application date, depending on the job group.
3. Wage multipliers
The 2026 gross minimum wage is 33,030.00 TRY. The lower limits by job group are in the table below (criteria of 01.10.2024).
| Job group | Multiple | Lower limit (gross / month) |
|---|---|---|
| Senior executives and pilots | 5× | 165,150.00 TRY |
| Engineers and architects | 4× | 132,120.00 TRY |
| Other managers | 3× | 99,090.00 TRY |
| Jobs requiring expertise or a skilled trade | 2× | 66,060.00 TRY |
| Domestic services and other jobs | 1× | 33,030.00 TRY |
Senior executives and pilots
- Multiple
- 5×
- Lower limit (gross / month)
- 165,150.00 TRY
Engineers and architects
- Multiple
- 4×
- Lower limit (gross / month)
- 132,120.00 TRY
Other managers
- Multiple
- 3×
- Lower limit (gross / month)
- 99,090.00 TRY
Jobs requiring expertise or a skilled trade
- Multiple
- 2×
- Lower limit (gross / month)
- 66,060.00 TRY
Domestic services and other jobs
- Multiple
- 1×
- Lower limit (gross / month)
- 33,030.00 TRY
4. Deadlines and fees
The Ministry concludes the application within 30 days if the information and documents are complete; if additional documents are requested, the period restarts from the date they are uploaded.
In 2026 the time-limited work permit 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 charge of 964.00 TRY is paid for the card. If the fee and card charge are not paid within 30 days of the payment notification, the application is refused.
5. Extensions and permit types
An extension application is filed from 60 days before the permit expires and 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.
Foreigners with a long-term residence permit or at least eight years of lawful work permit may apply for an indefinite work permit; an independent work permit is a time-limited permit that allows work without being tied to an employer.
6. Refusal and appeal
Within 30 days of notification of a refusal, you can object to the Ministry through the e-İzin system.
7. Penalties for employing without a permit
For 2026, an administrative fine of 102,503 TRY per foreigner applies to an employer of a foreigner without a permit, and 40,977 TRY to the foreigner working without a permit; the fines are doubled for a repeat offence.
This guide is for general information. It was reviewed on 29/09/2026 against the Ministry’s criteria, Law No. 6735 and its Implementing Regulation.