Has the Five Turkish Employee Rule for Work Permits Been Lifted?

Published: 24 September 2026 · Reading time approximately 9 minutes

An employer wishing to employ foreign personnel in Turkey first becomes acquainted with a single number: five. In workplaces subject to the balance sheet accounting method, at least five Turkish citizens must be employed for each foreign national to be employed. Five Turkish employees for one foreign national, ten for two.

A large number of web pages have recently written that this rule has been abolished. When we look at the assessment criteria published by the Ministry itself, the picture is different: the rule is in force. Nothing has been abolished; exemptions have been added. The difference matters, because an employer who files an application assuming the rule has been abolished will have that application rejected.

What does the rule say?

The wording in the criteria is clear: at least five Turkish citizens must be employed for each foreign national to be employed. This number is calculated for the workplace where the foreign national will actually work. The number of employees at another branch of the same company does not enter this calculation directly.

There are two further criteria alongside this rule, and all three are assessed together.

Financial adequacy

These thresholds entered into force on 1 January 2025:

• In newly established workplaces, paid-in capital of at least 500.000 Turkish Lira
• In workplaces already in operation, paid-in capital of at least 500.000 Turkish Lira, or net sales of at least 8.000.000 Turkish Lira, or exports of at least 150.000 US Dollars

The three options are alternatives to one another; meeting one of them is sufficient.

Salary criterion

The salary to be paid to the foreign national is set as a multiple of the gross minimum wage according to the work performed:

• Five times the minimum wage for senior managers and pilots
• Four times for engineers and architects
• Three times for other managers
• Twice for work requiring expertise
• In domestic services and other occupations it may not be below the level of the minimum wage

What changed on 3 August 2026?

The most recent amendment to the criteria entered into force on this date and directly concerns foreign nationals already living in Turkey. It provides that, in in-country applications made on behalf of foreign nationals who have been lawfully present in Turkey for at least one year within the last three years, the employment and financial adequacy criteria are not applied, limited to a maximum of three foreign nationals.

For many small businesses this is the real news. An employer that does not have five Turkish employees and does not meet the capital threshold may employ, by this route, up to three foreign nationals who have been lawfully present in Turkey for a year. The point to note is this: the application must be made from within the country and the foreign national must be able to document one year of lawful presence.

Other exemptions

The criteria also list other cases in which the employment condition is not applied:

• In a workplace whose net sales in the last year amount to 50.000.000 Turkish Lira or more, the employment criterion is not applied for up to five foreign nationals
• In information technology companies, the employment and financial adequacy criteria are not applied for software development, database, mobile software, systems networking and security specialisms
• The same exemption applies to information technology positions in sectors outside information technology, limited to a maximum of two foreign nationals
• Where the Ministry of Industry and Technology gives a favourable opinion, the employment and financial adequacy criteria are not applied in R&D and design centres
• In tourism businesses, the employment criterion is not applied where at least ten Turkish citizens are employed
• In public institutions, the employment, salary and financial adequacy criteria are not applied for health services requiring professional qualification

A frequent mistake when preparing the file

The most widespread mistake is setting the order wrongly. Employers first reach agreement with the foreign national and then look at the criteria. The correct order is the reverse: determine which exemption fits you, gather the documents that exemption requires, and then set the application timetable.

The second mistake is the document chain. Documents arriving from abroad, such as diplomas, contracts and criminal record certificates, require an apostille or consular certification and a sworn translation. This chain cannot be assembled on the day of application; it may take weeks.

Legislation and administrative practice may change. The criteria are updated by the Ministry from time to time; before opening your file, the text in force on the date of application needs to be checked together.